Of the 795 students at Liberty Middle School in Pharr, 667 (84%) 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, Liberty Middle School’s student population was made up of 795 students, of which 785 were Hispanic and nine white students.
Data shows that 22.2% of Liberty Middle School’s white students (2) and 14.9% of its Hispanic students (117) 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 676 Liberty Middle School students – equivalent to 86% of the student population – were not on the academic path to college eligibility. This contrasts with 2023-24, when the percentage stood at 84%, 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 |
|---|---|---|
| Aida C. Escobar Elementary School | 715 | 30% |
| Alamo Middle School | 678 | 16% |
| Alfred Sorensen Elementary School | 606 | 21% |
| Allen & William Arnold Elementary School | 641 | 18% |
| Amanda Garza-Pena Elementary School | 578 | 22% |
| Arnoldo Cantu Senior Elementary School | 612 | 20% |
| Audie Murphy Middle School | 757 | 16% |
| Augusto Guerra Elementary School | 700 | 16% |
| Austin Middle School | 871 | 21% |
| Berta School Palacios Elementary | 495 | 21% |
| Carmen Anaya Elementary School | 426 | 24% |
| Cesar Chavez Elementary School | 418 | 19% |
| Daniel Ramirez Elementary School | 484 | 10% |
| Dr. William Long Elementary School | 794 | 19% |
| Drs Reed – Mock Elementary School | 540 | 18% |
| Edith & Ethel Carman Elementary School | 642 | 19% |
| Elvis Junior Ballew High School | 136 | 15% |
| Geraldine Palmer Elementary School | 676 | 18% |
| Graciela Garcia Elementary School | 368 | 22% |
| Henry Ford Elementary School | 692 | 14% |
| Jaime Escalante Middle School | 535 | 19% |
| John Doedyns Elementary School | 438 | 14% |
| John McKeever Elementary School | 722 | 15% |
| Kelly-Pharr Elementary School | 629 | 16% |
| Kennedy Middle School | 576 | 19% |
| Liberty Middle School | 795 | 16% |
| Lyndon B. Johnson Middle School | 971 | 21% |
| Marcia R. Garza | 612 | 13% |
| Psja Early College High School | 2,360 | 15% |
| Psja Memorial Early College High School | 1,946 | 13% |
| Psja North Early College High School | 2,229 | 17% |
| Psja Southwest Early College High School | 1,597 | 15% |
| Psja Thomas Jefferson T-STEM Early College High School | 524 | 28% |
| R. Yzaguirre Middle School | 782 | 15% |
| Raul Longoria Elementary School | 581 | 14% |
| Santos Livas Elementary School | 511 | 14% |
| Sgt Leonel Trevino Elementary School | 370 | 14% |
| Vida N. Clover Elementary School | 439 | 14% |
| Zeferino Farias Elementary School | 545 | 13% |
Source: Texas Education Agency.
