Of the 501 students at Bliss Elementary School in El Paso, 395 (79%) weren’t on track for college in the 2023-24 school year, according to El Paso Standard’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, Bliss Elementary School’s student population was made up of 501 students, of which 168 were white, 164 Hispanic, 101 African American, and 46 multiracial students.
Data shows that 28% of Bliss Elementary School’s white students (47), 19.6% of its multiracial students (9), 16.8% of its African American students (17) and 5.5% of its Hispanic students (9) 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 397 Bliss Elementary School students – equivalent to 75% of the student population – were not on the academic path to college eligibility. This contrasts with 2023-24, when the percentage stood at 79%, marking a 4% increase 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 |
|---|---|---|
| Andress High School | 1,425 | 6% |
| Aoy Elementary School | 312 | 15% |
| Austin High School | 1,096 | 4% |
| Barron Elementary School | 365 | 8% |
| Bliss Elementary School | 501 | 21% |
| Bowie High School | 1,007 | 6% |
| Brown Middle School | 712 | 14% |
| Burges High School | 1,414 | 11% |
| Canyon Hills Middle School | 400 | 15% |
| Chapin High School | 1,812 | 14% |
| Charles Middle School | 392 | 15% |
| Cielo Vista Elementary School | 283 | 17% |
| Clendenin Elementary School | 433 | 15% |
| Coach Archie Duran Elementary School | 683 | 12% |
| Coldwell Elementary School | 394 | 20% |
| Colin L. Powell Elementary School | 569 | 10% |
| College Career Technology Academy (Ccta) | 148 | 3% |
| Cooley Elementary School | 381 | 6% |
| Coronado High School | 2,349 | 20% |
| Crockett Elementary School | 452 | 6% |
| Don Haskins PK-8 | 1,504 | 13% |
| Douglass Elementary School | 499 | 6% |
| Dr. Joseph Torres Elementary School | 561 | 10% |
| E-11 Central Nw Elementary School | 1,251 | 17% |
| El Paso High School | 1,678 | 18% |
| Franklin High School | 3,047 | 18% |
| General Douglas Macarthur PK-8 | 928 | 16% |
| Green Elementary School | 322 | 16% |
| Guerrero Elementary School | 379 | 18% |
| Guillen Middle School | 504 | 4% |
| H. R. Moye Elementary School | 279 | 6% |
| Hart Elementary School | 335 | 5% |
| Hawkins Elementary School | 252 | 19% |
| Hillside Elementary School | 398 | 18% |
| Hornedo Middle School | 1,388 | 33% |
| Irvin High School | 951 | 5% |
| Jefferson High School | 1,040 | 5% |
| Kohlberg Elementary School | 459 | 20% |
| Lamar Elementary School | 278 | 13% |
| Logan Elementary School | 546 | 7% |
| Magoffin Middle School | 548 | 8% |
| Marguerite Junior Lundy Elementary School | 814 | 31% |
| Mesita Elementary School | 932 | 26% |
| Milam Elementary School | 915 | 23% |
| Moreno Elementary School | 396 | 9% |
| Newman Elementary School | 266 | 7% |
| Nixon Elementary School | 573 | 14% |
| Park Elementary School | 384 | 15% |
| Polk Elementary School | 640 | 24% |
| Putnam Elementary School | 273 | 15% |
| Richardson Middle School | 753 | 15% |
| Rivera Elementary School | 224 | 17% |
| Rusk Elementary School | 221 | 9% |
| Silva Health Magnet | 517 | 33% |
| Stanton Elementary School | 372 | 7% |
| Sunrise Mountain Elementary School | 416 | 10% |
| Tippin Elementary School | 732 | 34% |
| Tom Lea Junior Elementary School | 785 | 28% |
| Transmountain Early College High School | 350 | 36% |
| Travis Elementary School | 221 | 5% |
| Western Hills Elementary School | 386 | 21% |
| Whitaker Elementary School | 395 | 15% |
| Wiggs Middle School | 904 | 23% |
| William C. Herrera Elementary School | 534 | 15% |
| Young Women’s Steam Research & Preparatory Academy | 450 | 15% |
| Zach White Elementary School | 402 | 21% |
| Zavala Elementary School | 263 | 10% |
Source: Texas Education Agency.
