High Poverty Levels Depress School Performance of All Students—III

The data and graphs in this section—ED 1723-- and the previous one—ED 0423—demonstrate how not only does higher percentages of FRPL or economically disadvantaged (ED) students depress test results, but increases in ED%s between two years contributes to the negative impact on test results. There are some school districts, such as Austin ISD, where some school actually experienced decreases in ED%. When these effects were substantial, the percentages of White non-Hispanic students increased.

The program linked to at the left—ED 1723 contains graphs and data for Texas elementary and middle schools that have been in operation since 2017. Data and visuals presented will emphasize the changes in (a) percent of economically disadvantaged students (FRPL) between 2017 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, 2017 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 for school year 2022-23. The percentage of FRPL students is shown on the horizontal axis for the same year.

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