District Spotlight
Uvalde CISD's Chronic Absenteeism Reached 47.4% in 2022-23
Uvalde CISD reported 1,731 chronically absent students in 2022-23, producing a rate 27.1 percentage points above the Texas average.
Texas
Education News & Data
Local education reporting from every corner of Texas, grounded in Texas Department of Education data.
One in Four Texas Special Education Students Chronically Absent
Texas special education students had a 25.0% chronic-absence rate in 2022-23, down from 31.6% in 2021-22 but above 16.9% in 2018-19. The gap with all students was 4.7 points.
Texas English Learner Attendance Advantage Was Not Persistent Statewide
Texas English learners had a chronic absence rate just above the statewide average in 2023, after running below it in 2019 and 2020.
Texas Charter Districts' 2023 Chronic-Absence Mean Was 52% Higher
Published district-rate means were 24.4% for Texas charter districts and 16.0% for traditional districts in 2023. The 8.4-point gap sat between a 0.0% and 87.1% charter rate.
San Antonio's Edgewood ISD: More Than Half of Students Chronically Absent
Edgewood ISD's chronic absence rate reached 53.6% in 2023 while San Antonio ISD and Texas improved.
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Equity
Texas Reports Graduation Rates for Every Racial Group. The Black-White Gap Has Barely Moved.
Texas publishes graduation rates for every racial group. Black students graduated at 86.9% in 2024, 7.5 points below white students, a gap that has barely moved in five years.
Absence
89.8% of Texas Districts Remained Above Their 2019 Absence Rate
A fixed comparison found 1,066 of 1,187 Texas district-level systems above their 2019 chronic absenteeism rate in 2023.
Enrollment
Most Stable Texas Districts Grew, Yet State Enrollment Fell by 47,195
Texas enrollment fell 47,195 in 2026 as stable districts above 10,000 students lost ground while smaller systems gained overall.
Enrollment
Texas Free/Reduced-Price Lunch Eligibility Stayed Near 60% for 13 School Years
From 2012-13 through 2024-25, Texas's published free/reduced-price lunch rate stayed between 58.8% and 62.3%.
Demographics
94 Texas Districts Are Over 90% Hispanic
Ninety-four Texas school districts are more than 90% Hispanic, and their enrollment is shrinking while the rest of Texas grows.
Graduation Rate
Texas Had 423 Five-Year Panel Highs and 248 Lows in 2024
In a fixed five-year Texas panel, 423 districts were at a panel high and 248 at a panel low in 2024; 65 flat-rate districts counted in both groups.
District Spotlight
Aldine Rebounded 6.2 Points as Donna Extended a Four-Year Streak
Aldine ISD rebounded 6.2 points in 2024, while Donna ISD completed four consecutive annual graduation-rate increases and reached 96.3%.
Equity
Texas Graduation Equity Gaps Span 16 Points
Texas's 2024 graduation gaps vary sharply: 2.5 points for economically disadvantaged students, 9.9 for special education, and 3.2 by gender.
District Spotlight
Fort Worth ISD's V-Shaped Recovery: From 81.0% Trough to 82.6%, but Still Below Pre-COVID Level
Fort Worth ISD's graduation rate plunged 4.4 points to 81.0% between the classes of 2020 and 2022, then recovered to 82.6% -- but remains 2.8 points below its 2020 level and 8.1 below the state average.
Special Populations
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.
