Growth in Percentage of Economically Disadvantaged Students Since 2003 Have Impeded School Success in Texas

Initial Comments. The program linked to at the left—ED 0423 contains graphs and data for Texas elementary and middle schools that have been in operation since 2004. Data and visuals presented will emphasize the changes in (a) percent of economically disadvantaged students (FRPL) between 2004 and 2023; (b) changes in enrollment of White students on those campuses; (c) changes in enrollment of Hispanic students on those campuses.

The graph that appears on the right-hand side of the screen plots each school on the basis of the percentage of FRPL students (ED%) in each of the years, 2004 and 2023. Schools that lie above the 45-degree diagonal line increased in the percentage of FRPL students during that period. Schools lying below that line experienced decreases in the percentages of FRPL students. In most of these latter cases it is likely that the attendance zones of these schools experienced changes referred to as gentrification. Austin ISD is one of the districts that shows numerous such schools. In many other districts, in contrast, there were no schools that experienced decreases in FRPL students. Many districts experienced very large increases in FRPL students at all of their schools. Mesquite ISD is an example of one of these.

The graph on the left plots the percentages of students in each school who “Meets Grade Level” criteria in all grades, all subjects. The percentage of FRPL students is shown on the horizontal axis.

Click on “Display interactive graphs” to the left to initiate the program.