Graduation
Houston and Dallas: Texas's Two Largest Districts Both Graduate Under 85%
Houston ISD and Dallas ISD both posted 84% graduation rates for the Class of 2024, sitting more than 10 points below the state average of 94.4%.
Texas
Education News & Data
Local education reporting from every corner of Texas, grounded in Texas Department of Education data.
One in Two Dallas Students Is Learning English
Dallas ISD crossed 50% English learner enrollment in 2024, joining 53 other Texas districts where a majority of students are classified LEP.
Texas's Quiet Success Story: English Learner Graduation Rates Surge 4.2 Points in Four Years
Texas English learners gained 4.2 percentage points in graduation rate over four years, the largest improvement of any subgroup, cutting the gap with all students by more than half.
El Paso's Slide: The Border City's Graduation Rate Drops 5.3 Points While the Valley Thrives
El Paso ISD's graduation rate fell from 87.6% to 82.3% over five years while Rio Grande Valley districts like McAllen ISD climbed to 98.3%. Same demographics, different trajectories.
Texas Added 1.1 Million Students, Then Enrollment Growth Stopped
Texas grew by 1.1 million students over 15 years, but the growth rate halved every five years. In 2026, it fell.
More Coverage
School Choice
IDEA Public Schools Is Now Bigger Than Austin ISD
A charter that started with 659 students is now Texas' 6th-largest district at 79,608. But its growth engine just stalled.
District Spotlight
Karnes City ISD: From 94% to 41% in Five Years, Texas's Most Dramatic Graduation Collapse
Karnes City ISD's graduation rate fell from 94.2% to 41.4% over five years -- the largest decline of any Texas district -- as the Eagle Ford Shale town faces population volatility.
District Spotlight
Texas' Five Largest Urban Districts All Hit Record Lows
Houston, Dallas, Austin, Fort Worth, and San Antonio ISDs are simultaneously at their lowest enrollment in 22 years of data.
Equity
The Invisible Students: Texas Reports No Graduation Data for Black and Native American Students
Texas tracks graduation rates for 13 student subgroups. For Black and Native American students, the structured files are blank across five years.
Grade Shift
Texas Has More Seniors Than Kindergartners for the First Time
12th grade enrollment now exceeds kindergarten by 44,132 students in Texas, a complete inversion of the pipeline that held for decades.
Graduation
The 94.4% Ceiling: Texas's Graduation Rate Returns to Pre-COVID Peak, but 26 Districts Are Below 70%
Texas's 4-year graduation rate hit 94.4% for the Class of 2024, matching its pre-COVID peak. But 26 districts still graduate fewer than 70% of their students.
Enrollment
Nearly Half of Texas's Largest Districts Are at All-Time Lows
Of 1,202 Texas districts, 206 are at record-low enrollment while 320 are at record highs. The split runs along a predictable line.
Special Populations
One in Four Texas Students Now Learns English as a Second Language
Texas has 1.35 million English learners, up 97% in 20 years. LEP growth was 4.5x total enrollment growth since 2020, but 2025 brought the first dip.
District Spotlight
Houston ISD Hits Its Lowest Point in Two Decades
Houston ISD has fallen to 168,812 students, its lowest in 22 years, while suburban neighbors added nearly 200,000.
Enrollment
The Growth Machine Stalls
Texas enrollment fell 47,195 students in 2025-26, only the second decline in 22 years and the first not caused by a pandemic.
