Fort Worth ISD^↗ET reported a graduation rate of 81.0% for the Class of 2022, down 4.4 percentage points from its 85.4% rate for the Class of 2020.

By the Class of 2024, the rate had risen to 82.6%. That was still 2.8 points below the starting rate and 8.1 points below the statewide rate of 90.7%.

The decline and partial recovery

The rate fell from 85.4% for the Class of 2020 to 84.0% for the Class of 2021, then to 81.0% for the Class of 2022. The decline across those classes was 4.4 points. Over the same interval, Houston's rate changed by -0.3 points, Dallas's by -2.2 points and San Antonio's by +1.5 points.

The records establish the rate changes. They do not establish why the districts followed different paths.

The subgroup picture

Fort Worth's Hispanic graduation rate fell from 87.8% to a low of 82.9% within the five-class window and ended at 84.3%. Its White rate fell from 86.4% to a low of 82.4% and ended at 82.9%. Its Black rate fell from 78.6% to a low of 74.3% before ending at 76.4%.

The English learner rate rose from 71.3% to 81.5%. The at-risk rate was nearly flat, moving from 80.4% to 80.3%. Economically disadvantaged students' rate fell from 84.8% to a low of 79.8%, then ended at 81.8%, still 3.0 points below its starting rate. These groups overlap.

A fixed peer comparison

Recovery here means the Class of 2024 rate minus each district's lowest reported rate across the classes of 2020–2024. It does not describe a change from an identical starting class in every district.

Fort Worth's gain from its trough was 1.6 points. Dallas ISD^↗ET gained 4.6 points, San Antonio ISD^↗ET gained 3.2 points, Houston ISD gained 2.6 points and El Paso ISD gained 0.2 points. Austin ISD's Class of 2024 rate was the lowest in that five-class window.

The comparison covers these six named districts and their reported rates. Houston, Dallas and San Antonio ended the window above their starting rates; Fort Worth, El Paso and Austin did not. A later graduating class would be needed to establish whether Fort Worth's partial recovery continued.

The Texas Education Agency's graduation records provide the four-year cohort measures used here.

Detailed code that reproduces the analysis and figures in this article is available exclusively to EdTribune subscribers.