Of the 817 students at Palmer Elementary School in Missouri City, 645 (79%) weren’t on track for college in the 2023-24 school year, according to SW Houston News’ analysis of STAAR scores from the Texas Education Agency (TEA).
The TEA considers students to be on track for college if they demonstrate mastery of the course content through the State of Texas Assessments of Academic Readiness (STAAR). Students who meet, but do not master their grade level are “prepared to progress to the next grade,” but not yet on college track.
In the 2023-24 school year, Palmer Elementary School’s student population was made up of 817 students, of which 414 were African American, 146 Asian, 145 Hispanic, 59 white, and 47 multiracial students.
Data shows that 32.2% of Palmer Elementary School’s white students (19), 31.5% of its Asian students (46), 27.7% of its multiracial students (13), 20.7% of its Hispanic students (30) and 15.9% of its African American students (66) had “mastered” their grade level that year and were “on track for college and career readiness,” as measured by state academic standards.
In the 2022-23 school year, the TEA noted that 571 Palmer Elementary School students – equivalent to 77% of the student population – were not on the academic path to college eligibility. This contrasts with 2023-24, when the percentage stood at 79%, marking a 2% increase from the previous year.
A recent study by WalletHub classified Texas as one of the least-educated states in the U.S., ranking it 41st out of 50 in educational quality and student outcomes.
Underfunding is a frequently cited challenge facing the state’s school district. According to a 2024 report from the Texas Education Agency, per-pupil funding has not increased since 2019, despite inflation rates rising by more than 20% since then.
“As a result, many districts in our very own Central Texas region are being forced to cut back on essential programs, services, consider school closures, and adopt deficit budgets just to provide students with the education that they deserve,” Hutto ISD Trustee James Matlock stated in an interview.
| School | Total Students | % On College Track |
|---|---|---|
| Almeta Crawford High School | 623 | 8% |
| Anne McCormick Sullivan Elementary School | 1,063 | 57% |
| Arizona Fleming Elementary School | 540 | 9% |
| Austin Parkway Elementary School | 590 | 26% |
| Barbara Jordan Elementary School | 472 | 19% |
| Barrington Place Elementary School | 354 | 23% |
| Billy Baines Middle School | 1,320 | 25% |
| Brazos Bend Elementary School | 719 | 30% |
| Carolyn and Vernon Madden Elementary School | 967 | 46% |
| Christa McAuliffe Middle School | 800 | 7% |
| Clements High School | 2,602 | 51% |
| Colony Bend Elementary School | 535 | 29% |
| Colony Meadows Elementary School | 637 | 46% |
| Commonwealth Elementary School | 651 | 64% |
| Cornerstone Elementary School | 848 | 51% |
| David Crockett Middle School | 1,284 | 23% |
| Donald Leonetti Elementary School | 835 | 38% |
| Dr. Lynn Armstrong Elementary School | 514 | 8% |
| Dulles Elementary School | 704 | 13% |
| Dulles High School | 2,285 | 32% |
| Dulles Middle School | 1,327 | 29% |
| E. A. Jones Elementary School | 528 | 10% |
| Edgar Glover Junior Elementary School | 348 | 8% |
| Ferndell Henry Center for Learning | 122 | 0% |
| First Colony Middle School | 1,284 | 40% |
| Fort Bend County Alter | 25 | 0% |
| Fort Settlement Middle School | 1,528 | 64% |
| George Bush High School | 2,388 | 11% |
| Heritage Rose Elementary School | 1,179 | 10% |
| Highlands Elementary School | 605 | 33% |
| Hightower High School | 2,482 | 9% |
| Hodges Bend Middle School | 851 | 12% |
| Hunters Glen Elementary School | 246 | 15% |
| James Bowie Middle School | 1,472 | 33% |
| James C. Neill Elementary School | 1,134 | 22% |
| James Patterson Elementary School | 733 | 16% |
| Jan Schiff Elementary School | 824 | 21% |
| Juan Seguin Elementary School | 867 | 15% |
| Kempner High School | 1,892 | 21% |
| Lake Olympia Middle School | 1,125 | 9% |
| Lakeview Elementary School | 337 | 22% |
| Lantern Lane Elementary School | 436 | 8% |
| Lawrence E. Elkins High School | 2,698 | 32% |
| Lexington Creek Elementary School | 518 | 29% |
| Lula Belle Goodman Elementary School | 838 | 10% |
| Macario Garcia Middle School | 1,407 | 43% |
| Malala Yousafzai | 1,127 | 37% |
| Mary Austin Holley Elementary School | 621 | 18% |
| Meadows Elementary School | 435 | 22% |
| Mission West Elementary School | 560 | 24% |
| Missouri City Middle School | 955 | 5% |
| Oakland Elementary School | 876 | 26% |
| Oyster Creek Elementary School | 826 | 28% |
| Palmer Elementary School | 817 | 21% |
| Pecan Grove Elementary School | 722 | 18% |
| Quail Valley Elementary School | 587 | 15% |
| Quail Valley Middle School | 1,041 | 46% |
| Ridge Point High School | 2,852 | 36% |
| Ridgegate Elementary School | 463 | 8% |
| Ridgemont Elementary School | 355 | 9% |
| Rita Drabek Elementary School | 703 | 22% |
| Ronald Thornton Middle School | 1,694 | 23% |
| Rosa Parks Elementary School | 697 | 9% |
| Sartartia Middle School | 1,451 | 58% |
| Scanlan Oaks Elementary School | 751 | 36% |
| Settlers Way Elementary School | 688 | 30% |
| Sienna Crossing Elementary School | 1,043 | 41% |
| Stephen F. Austin High School | 2,553 | 29% |
| Sugar Land Middle School | 995 | 18% |
| Sugar Mill Elementary School | 641 | 17% |
| Thurgood Marshall High School | 1,605 | 6% |
| Townewest Elementary School | 492 | 8% |
| Walker Station Elementary School | 775 | 45% |
| Walter Moses Burton Elementary School | 635 | 8% |
| William B. Travis High School | 3,135 | 28% |
| Willowridge High School | 1,261 | 5% |
Source: Texas Education Agency.
