Of the 990 students at John F. Kennedy High School in San Antonio, 960 (97%) weren’t on track for college in the 2023-24 school year, according to San Antonio Standard’s 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, John F. Kennedy High School’s student population was made up of 990 students, of which 950 were Hispanic, 26 African American, and 10 white students.
Data shows that 10% of John F. Kennedy High School’s white students (1), 3.8% of its African American students (1) and 2.9% 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 1,010 John F. Kennedy High School students – equivalent to 97% of the student population – were not on the academic path to college eligibility. This continued with 2023-24, when the percentage stood at 97%.
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 |
|---|---|---|
| Alonso School Perales Elementary | 389 | 11% |
| Brentwood Middle School | 557 | 6% |
| E. T. Wrenn Middle School | 443 | 6% |
| Gus Garcia Middle School | 451 | 9% |
| H. B. Gonzalez Elementary School | 388 | 5% |
| John F. Kennedy High School | 990 | 3% |
| L. B. Johnson Elementary School | 296 | 12% |
| Las Palmas Leadership School for Girls | 300 | 9% |
| Learn4life | 232 | 1% |
| Loma Park Elementary School | 591 | 8% |
| Memorial High School | 846 | 7% |
| Roosevelt Elementary School | 240 | 4% |
| Roy Cisneros Elementary School | 196 | 6% |
| Stafford Elementary School | 178 | 5% |
| Steam at the Fine Arts Academy | 261 | 6% |
| Winston Intermediate of Excellence | 142 | 1% |
Source: Texas Education Agency.
