Of the 1,330 students at Betty Harwell Middle School in Edinburg, 1,130 (85%) 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, Betty Harwell Middle School’s student population was made up of 1,330 students, of which 1,323 were Hispanic and seven white students.
Data shows that 28.6% of Betty Harwell Middle School’s white students (2) and 15% of its Hispanic students (198) 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 1,264 Betty Harwell Middle School students – equivalent to 87% of the student population – were not on the academic path to college eligibility. This contrasts with 2023-24, when the percentage stood at 85%, 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 |
|---|---|---|
| Alfonso Ramirez Elementary School | 719 | 26% |
| Anne L. Magee Elementary School | 472 | 18% |
| Austin Elementary School | 349 | 38% |
| B. L. Garza Middle School | 1,046 | 19% |
| Betts Elementary School | 559 | 17% |
| Betty Harwell Middle School | 1,330 | 15% |
| Brewster Elementary School | 313 | 22% |
| Cano-Gonzalez Elementary School | 388 | 17% |
| Canterbury Elementary School | 707 | 40% |
| Carmen V. Avila Elementary School | 636 | 13% |
| Cavazos Elementary School | 432 | 25% |
| De La Vina Elementary School | 628 | 19% |
| Dr. Kay Teer Crawford Elementary School | 613 | 27% |
| Dr. Thomas Esparza Elementary School | 520 | 14% |
| Economedes High School | 2,705 | 8% |
| Edinburg High School | 2,352 | 12% |
| Edinburg North High School | 2,635 | 11% |
| Eisenhower Elementary School | 651 | 10% |
| Elias Longoria Senior Middle School | 778 | 19% |
| Escandon Elementary School | 651 | 22% |
| Francisco Barrientes Middle School | 1,113 | 17% |
| Freddy Gonzalez Elementary School | 525 | 32% |
| Guerra Elementary School | 573 | 17% |
| Hargill Elementary School | 515 | 15% |
| Jefferson Elementary School | 477 | 40% |
| John F. Kennedy Elementary School | 515 | 12% |
| L. B. Johnson Elementary School | 415 | 21% |
| Lee Elementary School | 436 | 15% |
| Lincoln Elementary School | 420 | 22% |
| Macaria Dela Garza Gorena Elementary School | 604 | 20% |
| Memorial Middle School | 1,075 | 15% |
| Monte Cristo Elementary School | 574 | 12% |
| R. C. Flores-Mark A. Zapata Elementary School | 554 | 22% |
| Robert R. Vela High School | 2,192 | 13% |
| San Carlos Elementary School | 473 | 14% |
| South Middle School | 1,235 | 26% |
| Travis Elementary School | 361 | 19% |
| Trevino Elementary School | 695 | 38% |
| Truman Elementary School | 707 | 17% |
| Villarreal Elementary School | 571 | 19% |
| Zavala Elementary School | 584 | 10% |
Source: Texas Education Agency.
