Low Income Students are Being Left Out of Higher Education Across Dallas and Beyond

One in four students who were enrolled in 8th grade at a Texas public school during the 2013-14 school year have gone on to earn a professional certificate or degree, according to new data from the Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board. But that average fluctuates significantly depending on the economic makeup of a particular district. 

The report, known as the Texas Talent Trajectory, tracks the outcomes of students who graduated from a Texas public high school within four to six years of enrolling in 8th grade. The survey tracks the gender, racial and socioeconomic breakdown of students to monitor education outcome trends across demographics. 

Over the last 15 years, Texas has seen an improvement in the number of students successfully attending two- and four-year institutions, according to an analysis of state data by The Texas Tribune. Female students are more likely to attain a degree or certificate than their male counterparts, and white students have a higher completion rate than Black and Hispanic students. 

Still, economically disadvantaged school districts are less likely to see high numbers of students seeking those higher education opportunities. Nearly 60% of Texas students are classified as economically disadvantaged, the report states. 

Of the 26% of Texas students in the 2014-2014 8th grade cohort that received a degree or certificate, only 9% were classified as economically disadvantaged. This means that in districts where students from low socioeconomic backgrounds make up a larger percentage of the student body, successful higher education outcomes are significantly less likely. 

For example, the data shows that of Dallas ISD’s nearly 10,000 students tracked, 88% were economically disadvantaged compared to the 60% state average. The number of students who graduated from high school, enrolled in a degree program and graduated with a degree or credential all lagged behind the state average. Only 13% of the 8th graders in that Dallas ISD cohort went on to receive a degree or certificate. 

In Arlington ISD, 66% of students were classified as economically disadvantaged, and 80% graduated from high school. 22%, just under the state average, obtained a degree. While Grand Prairie ISD had a student body comprising 74% economically disadvantaged students, 82% of its students graduated from high school, which is slightly above the state average. Still, only 18% graduated from a degree program. 

It isn’t easy to compare these outcomes with some wealthier districts due to the state’s privacy laws. In smaller districts, results are redacted to ensure privacy. That means the data for a district like Highland Park ISD, which records fewer than 500 8th graders in a given school year, is not available. Carroll ISD, in Southlake, reported higher-than-average numbers of students who graduated from high school and enrolled in a college, but an outcome tally was not available. In Plano ISD, where 26% of 8th graders were economically disadvantaged, 35% of students have gone on to receive a degree. 

“Texas is a tale of two states,” Jesse Hendrix, executive director of College Possible, told the Texas Tribune. “On one hand, Texas is the eighth largest economy in the world; on the other, Houston now holds the highest poverty rate of any major U.S. city.”