Of the 1,875 students at Bel Air High School in El Paso, 1,518 (81%) 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, Bel Air High School’s student population was made up of 1,875 students, of which 1,838 were Hispanic, 23 white, and eight African American students.
Data shows that 19% of Bel Air High School’s Hispanic students (349), 17.4% of its white students (4) and 12.5% of its African American 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 1,535 Bel Air High School students – equivalent to 84% of the student population – were not on the academic path to college eligibility. This contrasts with 2023-24, when the percentage stood at 81%, marking a 3% 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 |
|---|---|---|
| Alicia R. Chacon International | 824 | 37% |
| Bel Air High School | 1,875 | 19% |
| Bel Air Middle School | 1,072 | 13% |
| Capistrano Elementary School | 434 | 5% |
| Del Valle Elementary School | 427 | 16% |
| Del Valle High School | 1,836 | 15% |
| Del Valle Middle School | 1,035 | 13% |
| Desertaire Elementary School | 511 | 20% |
| Dolphin Terrace Elementary School | 473 | 14% |
| East Point Elementary School | 592 | 22% |
| Eastwood Heights Elementary School | 532 | 35% |
| Eastwood High School | 2,374 | 23% |
| Eastwood Knolls International | 807 | 36% |
| Eastwood Middle School | 1,249 | 21% |
| Edgemere International School | 656 | 25% |
| Glen Cove Elementary School | 589 | 33% |
| Hanks Middle School | 1,007 | 19% |
| J. M. Hanks High School | 1,387 | 21% |
| Lancaster Elementary School | 591 | 16% |
| Loma Terrace Elementary School | 658 | 20% |
| Mission Valley Elementary School | 598 | 12% |
| North Loop Elementary School | 552 | 14% |
| North Star Elementary School | 492 | 23% |
| Parkland Elementary School | 507 | 17% |
| Parkland High School | 1,579 | 12% |
| Parkland Pre-Engineering Middle School | 1,093 | 12% |
| Pasodale Elementary School | 442 | 13% |
| Pebble Hills Elementary School | 540 | 21% |
| Presa Elementary School | 296 | 24% |
| Ramona Elementary School | 428 | 10% |
| Riverside High School | 992 | 12% |
| Riverside Middle School | 704 | 13% |
| Robbin E. L. Washington International Elementary School | 427 | 19% |
| Sageland Elementary School | 654 | 17% |
| Scotsdale Elementary School | 692 | 29% |
| Thomas Manor | 431 | 15% |
| Tierra Del Sol Elementary School | 536 | 25% |
| Valle Verde Early College High School | 307 | 34% |
| Vista Hills Elementary School | 441 | 32% |
| Young Women’s Leadership Academy | 336 | 25% |
| Ysleta Elementary School | 344 | 25% |
| Ysleta High School | 1,275 | 11% |
| Ysleta Middle School | 710 | 14% |
Source: Texas Education Agency.
