Of the 583 students at Brown Middle School in Mcallen, 483 (83%) weren’t on track for college in the 2023-24 school year, according to West RGV 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, Brown Middle School’s student population was made up of 583 students, of which 577 were Hispanic and six white students.
Data shows that 17% of Brown Middle School’s Hispanic students (98) and 16.7% of its white 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 497 Brown Middle School students – equivalent to 85% of the student population – were not on the academic path to college eligibility. This contrasts with 2023-24, when the percentage stood at 83%, marking a 2% decrease 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 |
|---|---|---|
| Achieve Early College High School | 410 | 38% |
| Alvarez Elementary School | 448 | 19% |
| Blanca E. Sanchez | 480 | 30% |
| Brown Middle School | 583 | 17% |
| Castaneda Elementary School | 439 | 26% |
| Cathey Middle School | 828 | 29% |
| De Leon Middle School | 720 | 21% |
| Dr. Pablo Perez | 542 | 25% |
| Escandon Elementary School | 455 | 23% |
| Fields Elementary School | 455 | 15% |
| Garza Elementary School | 443 | 23% |
| Gonzalez Elementary School | 789 | 45% |
| Houston Elementary School | 361 | 12% |
| Jackson Elementary School | 561 | 20% |
| Lamar Academy | 99 | 12% |
| Lucile Hendricks Elementary School | 415 | 29% |
| McAllen High School | 2,152 | 16% |
| McAuliffe Elementary School | 391 | 20% |
| Memorial High School | 2,060 | 18% |
| Michael E. Fossum Middle School | 818 | 32% |
| Milam Elementary School | 747 | 37% |
| Morris Middle School | 1,036 | 37% |
| Rayburn Elementary School | 510 | 32% |
| Roosevelt Elementary School | 408 | 12% |
| Rowe High School | 1,909 | 19% |
| Seguin Elementary School | 567 | 15% |
| Thigpen-Zavala Elementary School | 493 | 30% |
| Travis Middle School | 486 | 16% |
| Wilson Elementary School | 418 | 9% |
Source: Texas Education Agency.
