San Antonio Standard

Of the 277 students at Lowell Middle School in San Antonio, 247 (89%) "weren't on the academic track to qualify for college in the 2021-22 school year, according to San Antonio Standard's analysis of test scores from the Texas Education Agency (TEA). To better understand these statistics, it's important to know what TSI (Texas Success Initiative) and CCMR (College, Career, and Military Readiness) are, as they are key indicators of a student's readiness for post-secondary education or career paths.

Primary data on overall student readiness in Lowell Middle School is derived from the TSI's assessments, which evaluate student capabilities in reading, writing, and mathematics. Certain students may qualify for exemptions from these assessments. In contrast, CCMR focuses on preparedness for life post-high school, factoring in TSI scores along with other criteria like dual credits, AP/IB exam results, and more, to provide insights into specific subject performance.

In the 2021-22 school year, Lowell Middle School's student population was made up of 277 students, of which 29 were Hispanic and one White students.

Data shows that 13% of Lowell Middle School five white students, and 11% (29) of its 270 Hispanic students had "mastered" their grade level in the 2021-22 school year and were "on track for college and career readiness," as measured by state academic standards.

The TEA says students who meet, but haven't mastered their grade level are "prepared to progress to the next grade," but are not on a college track.

In 2020-21, the TEA noted that 256 Lowell Middle School students - equivalent to 96% of the student population - were not on the academic path to college eligibility. This contrasts with 2021-22, where the percentage stood at 89%, marking a 7% decrease from the previous year.

Despite an improvement after the pandemic, Texas students are still struggling to keep a good performance and reach grade level in schools. In the 2021-22 school year, nearly two-thirds (60%) of students were below grade level in math and 48% did not meet the standards in reading language and arts.

According to Chandra Villanueva, director of policy and advocacy for Every Texan, one of the main causes for this is bad funds management. "Your average homeowner is like, 'Look, I'm paying more and more every single year. Why are my schools still underfunded, overcrowded, my teachers underpaid? Obviously, the schools are doing a bad job with my money,'" she said in an interview. Currently, Texas residents pay more than $70 billion annually in taxes destined to public education.

Gov. Abbott has been calling not only for an end to the main school property tax, but to use public money to support private schools. The initiative is called universal private school choice and, if passed, would allow residents to use taxpayer money to pay for their kids' private education.

"School choice not only improves education for every kid and every parent who chooses that pathway," Abbott said at the Texas Capitol on Oct. 16.

School	Total Students	% On College Track
Advanced Learning Academy	995	78%
Agnes Cotton Academy	441	71%
Arnold Elementary School	555	86%
Baskin Elementary School	335	82%
Beacon Hill Academy	370	86%
Bonham Academy	633	85%
Bowden Academy	474	86%
Brackenridge High School	1,498	92%
Brewer Academy	11	100%
Briscoe Elementary School	398	91%
Burbank High School	1,321	95%
CAST Med High School	206	78%
Cameron Elementary School	292	86%
Carvajal Elementary School	391	94%
Cast Tech High School	471	82%
Charles C. Ball Elementary School	359	87%
Charles Graebner Elementary School	642	93%
Collins Garden Elementary School	420	93%
Cooper Academy at Navarro	273	93%
David Barkley/Francisco Ruiz Elementary School	334	95%
David Crockett Academy	644	86%
Davis Middle School	602	93%
De Zavala Elementary School	395	91%
Democracy Prep at Stewart Academy	543	92%
Dorie Miller Elementary School	269	78%
Douglass Elementary School	159	90%
Edgar Allan Poe STEM Dual Language Middle School	188	97%
Edison High School	1,350	92%
Eloise Japhet Academy	795	88%
Estrada Achievement Center	109	100%
Fenwick Academy	506	92%
Foster Elementary School	345	89%
Fox Technical High School	475	90%
Franklin Elementary School	365	82%
Gates Elementary School	143	77%
George E. Kelly Elementary School	218	81%
Harris Middle School	787	90%
Hawthorne PK-8 Academy	631	84%
Healy-Murphy	110	99%
Herff Elementary School	280	84%
Highland Hills Elementary School	628	88%
Highland Park Elementary School	386	74%
Highlands High School	1,537	93%
Hillcrest Elementary School	383	95%
Hirsch Elementary School	535	96%
Hot Wells Middle School	416	92%
Houston High School	844	94%
Huppertz Elementary School	281	93%
Irving Dual Language Academy	531	88%
J. T. Brackenridge Elementary School	464	95%
Jefferson High School	1,640	91%
Juvenile Detention Center	88	100%
Lamar Elementary School	306	78%
Lanier High School	1,467	96%
Longfellow Middle School	764	87%
Lowell Middle School	277	89%
Madison Elementary School	415	86%
Margil Elementary School	398	89%
Mark Twain Dual Language Academy	532	64%
Martin Luther King Academy	261	91%
Maverick Elementary School	476	85%
Mission Academy	477	82%
Muriel Forbes Elementary School	155	84%
Neal Elementary School	459	87%
Ogden Elementary School	360	96%
Pershing Elementary School	320	89%
Poe Middle School	403	90%
Rhodes Middle School	551	91%
Riverside Park Elementary School	260	88%
Robert B. Green Elementary School	109	78%
Rogers Academy	646	91%
Rogers Middle School	359	92%
Sarah School King Elementary	599	87%
Schenck Elementary School	544	82%
Smith Elementary School	253	85%
St. Philip's College Early College High School with SAISD	297	88%
Steele Montessori Elementary School	278	90%
Storm Elementary School	276	94%
Tafolla Middle School	740	95%
Texans Can Academy at Highlands High School	136	100%
Travis Early College High School	445	70%
Washington Elementary School	325	89%
Whittier Middle School	735	90%
Wilson Elementary School	405	87%
Woodlawn Academy	569	87%
Woodlawn Hills Elementary School	400	91%
Young Men's Leadership Academy	383	87%
Young Women's Leadership Academy	601	61%
Young Women's Leadership Academy Primary at Page	313	72%

Source: Texas Education Agency.