Of the 393 students at Gibson Elementary School in Corpus Christi, 349 (89%) weren’t on track for college in the 2023-24 school year, according to Corpus Christi Sun’s 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, Gibson Elementary School’s student population was made up of 393 students, of which 337 were Hispanic, 27 African American, and 23 white students.
Data shows that 13% of Gibson Elementary School’s white students (3), 9.8% of its Hispanic students (33) and 3.7% of its African American students (1) 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 347 Gibson Elementary School students – equivalent to 89% of the student population – were not on the academic path to college eligibility. This continued with 2023-24, when the percentage stood at 89%.
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 |
|---|---|---|
| Adkins Middle School | 634 | 16% |
| Allen Elementary School | 311 | 5% |
| Baker Middle School | 947 | 30% |
| Barnes Elementary School | 700 | 23% |
| Browne Middle School | 602 | 10% |
| Calk-Wilson Elementary School | 729 | 15% |
| Carroll High School | 1,870 | 9% |
| Club Estates | 392 | 18% |
| Coles High School and Educational Center | 130 | 5% |
| Collegiate High School | 397 | 28% |
| Cunningham Middle at South Park | 702 | 7% |
| Dawson Elementary School | 517 | 25% |
| Driscoll Middle School | 560 | 5% |
| Fannin Elementary School | 342 | 7% |
| Faye Webb Elementary School | 667 | 27% |
| Galvan Elementary School | 565 | 12% |
| Garcia Elementary School | 561 | 7% |
| Gibson Elementary School | 393 | 11% |
| Grant Middle School | 821 | 14% |
| Haas Middle School | 550 | 11% |
| Hamlin Middle School | 413 | 10% |
| Harold T. Branch Academy for Career & Technical Education | 258 | 28% |
| Hicks Elementary School | 554 | 18% |
| Houston Elementary School | 328 | 10% |
| Jones Elementary School | 538 | 22% |
| Kaffie Middle School | 994 | 23% |
| King High School | 1,335 | 9% |
| Kolda Elementary School | 920 | 25% |
| Kostoryz Elementary School | 388 | 15% |
| Los Encinos Ses | 309 | 16% |
| Martin Middle School | 413 | 5% |
| Mary Helen Berlanga Elementary School | 546 | 8% |
| Meadowbrook Elementary School | 832 | 16% |
| Menger Elementary School | 289 | 13% |
| Mireles Elementary School | 649 | 24% |
| Moody High School | 1,316 | 8% |
| Moore Elementary School | 509 | 8% |
| Oak Park Special Emphasis School | 515 | 11% |
| Ray High School | 1,588 | 12% |
| Roy Miller High School and Metro School of Design | 1,531 | 6% |
| Sanders Elementary School | 281 | 10% |
| Schanen Estates Elementary School | 388 | 15% |
| Shaw Ses | 610 | 5% |
| Smith Elementary School | 436 | 13% |
| Travis Elementary School | 412 | 11% |
| Veterans Memorial High School | 2,008 | 17% |
| Windsor Park G/T | 593 | 67% |
| Wynn Seale Metropolitan School of Design | 695 | 22% |
| Yeager Elementary School | 272 | 9% |
| Zavala Elementary School | 438 | 8% |
Source: Texas Education Agency.
