Of the 838 students at Jackie Mae Townsell Elementary School in Irving, 754 (90%) weren’t on track for college in the 2023-24 school year, according to Mid City Times’ analysis of STAAR scores from the Texas Education Agency (TEA).
The TEA considers students to be on track for college if they demonstrate mastery of the course content through the State of Texas Assessments of Academic Readiness (STAAR). Students who meet, but do not master their grade level are “prepared to progress to the next grade,” but not yet on college track.
In the 2023-24 school year, Jackie Mae Townsell Elementary School’s student population was made up of 838 students, of which 470 were Hispanic, 204 African American, 100 Asian, 31 white, 15 multiracial, and 14 Pacific Islander students.
Data shows that 17% of Jackie Mae Townsell Elementary School’s Asian students (17), 15.7% of its African American students (32), 9.7% of its white students (3), 6.7% of its multiracial students (1) and 6% of its Hispanic students (28) had “mastered” their grade level that year and were “on track for college and career readiness,” as measured by state academic standards.
In the 2022-23 school year, the TEA noted that 771 Jackie Mae Townsell Elementary School students – equivalent to 92% of the student population – were not on the academic path to college eligibility. This contrasts with 2023-24, when the percentage stood at 90%, marking a 2% decrease from the previous year.
A recent study by WalletHub classified Texas as one of the least-educated states in the U.S., ranking it 41st out of 50 in educational quality and student outcomes.
Underfunding is a frequently cited challenge facing the state’s school district. According to a 2024 report from the Texas Education Agency, per-pupil funding has not increased since 2019, despite inflation rates rising by more than 20% since then.
“As a result, many districts in our very own Central Texas region are being forced to cut back on essential programs, services, consider school closures, and adopt deficit budgets just to provide students with the education that they deserve,” Hutto ISD Trustee James Matlock stated in an interview.
| School | Total Students | % On College Track |
|---|---|---|
| Austin Middle School | 789 | 11% |
| Barbara Cardwell Career Preparatory Center | 265 | 2% |
| Barton Elementary School | 865 | 7% |
| Bowie Middle School | 789 | 10% |
| Brandenburg Elementary School | 938 | 15% |
| Britain Elementary School | 632 | 5% |
| Brown Elementary School | 693 | 16% |
| Crockett Middle School | 835 | 7% |
| Dallas County School for Accelerated Learning | 11 | 0% |
| Davis Elementary School | 802 | 9% |
| Elliott Elementary School | 513 | 16% |
| Farine Elementary School | 878 | 16% |
| Gilbert F. M. Elementary School | 726 | 17% |
| Good Elementary School | 721 | 9% |
| Haley Junior Elementary School | 673 | 7% |
| Haley T. Elementary School | 780 | 9% |
| Hanes Elementary School | 720 | 6% |
| Houston Middle School | 764 | 14% |
| Irving High School | 2,535 | 6% |
| Jack E. Singley Academy | 1,611 | 11% |
| Jackie Mae Townsell Elementary School | 838 | 10% |
| John W. and Margie Stipes Elementary School | 607 | 8% |
| Johnston Elementary School | 760 | 5% |
| Keyes Elementary School | 707 | 9% |
| Lady Bird Johnson Middle School | 810 | 13% |
| Lamar Middle School | 655 | 15% |
| Lee Elementary School | 659 | 8% |
| Lively Elementary School | 771 | 7% |
| Lorenzo De Zavala Middle School | 845 | 19% |
| Macarthur High School | 2,594 | 8% |
| Nimitz High School | 2,379 | 8% |
| Schulze Elementary School | 612 | 7% |
| Townley Elementary School | 661 | 12% |
| Travis Middle School | 946 | 14% |
Source: Texas Education Agency.
