Of the 570 students at Wisdom Primary School in Dallas, 518 (91%) weren’t on track for college in the 2023-24 school year, according to Dallas City Wire’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, Wisdom Primary School’s student population was made up of 570 students, of which 367 were Hispanic, 186 African American, and nine multiracial students.
Data shows that 10.8% of Wisdom Primary School’s African American students (20), 11.1% of its multiracial students (1) and 7.9% of its Hispanic students (29) 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 526 Wisdom Primary 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 91%, marking a 1% 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 |
|---|---|---|
| Uplift Ascend | 867 | 5% |
| Uplift Ascend Middle School | 429 | 4% |
| Uplift Atlas Preparatory – High School | 499 | 11% |
| Uplift Atlas Preparatory – Middle School | 442 | 9% |
| Uplift Atlas Preparatory – Primary School | 706 | 13% |
| Uplift Crescendo Preparatory Primary School | 514 | 13% |
| Uplift Educatiion-North Hills Prep Primary School | 599 | 50% |
| Uplift Education – Infinity Preparatory Middle School | 371 | 12% |
| Uplift Education – Infinity Preparatory Primary School | 504 | 22% |
| Uplift Education – Uplift Grand Preparatory | 717 | 10% |
| Uplift Education-North Hills Prep High School | 513 | 53% |
| Uplift Education-North Hills Prep Middle School | 501 | 57% |
| Uplift Elevate Preparatory Middle School | 281 | 15% |
| Uplift Elevate Preparatory School | 692 | 14% |
| Uplift Gradus Preparatory | 535 | 11% |
| Uplift Grand High School | 362 | 15% |
| Uplift Grand Secondary | 479 | 11% |
| Uplift Hampton Preparatory High School | 403 | 8% |
| Uplift Hampton Preparatory Middle School | 479 | 12% |
| Uplift Hampton Preparatory Primary School | 662 | 10% |
| Uplift Heights Preparatory High School | 495 | 7% |
| Uplift Heights Preparatory Middle School | 488 | 6% |
| Uplift Heights Preparatory Primary School | 943 | 8% |
| Uplift Infinity High School | 349 | 15% |
| Uplift Luna Preparatory High School | 442 | 9% |
| Uplift Luna Preparatory Primary School | 391 | 5% |
| Uplift Luna Secondary School | 484 | 10% |
| Uplift Meridian School | 455 | 11% |
| Uplift Mighty High School | 412 | 6% |
| Uplift Mighty Middle School | 562 | 8% |
| Uplift Mighty School | 537 | 9% |
| Uplift Pinnacle Preparatory Primary School | 408 | 6% |
| Uplift Summit International High School | 434 | 19% |
| Uplift Summit International Middle School | 492 | 10% |
| Uplift Summit International Primary School | 689 | 12% |
| Uplift Triumph Preparatory School | 446 | 8% |
| Uplift White Rock Hills Prep | 666 | 12% |
| Uplift Williams Preparatory High School | 602 | 10% |
| Uplift Williams Preparatory Middle School | 532 | 17% |
| Uplift Williams Preparatory Primary School | 598 | 10% |
| Uplift Wisdom Secondary | 456 | 6% |
| Wisdom High School | 369 | 7% |
| Wisdom Primary School | 570 | 9% |
Source: Texas Education Agency.
