Of the 642 students at KIPP Pleasant Grove Leadership Academy in Balch Springs, 597 (93%) 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, KIPP Pleasant Grove Leadership Academy’s student population was made up of 642 students, of which 412 were Hispanic, 205 African American, 14 multiracial, five white, and four American Indian students.
Data shows that 7.8% of KIPP Pleasant Grove Leadership Academy’s Hispanic students (32), 3.9% of its African American students (8) and 7.1% of its multiracial students (1) 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 489 KIPP Pleasant Grove Leadership Academy students – equivalent to 93% of the student population – were not on the academic path to college eligibility. This continued with 2023-24, when the percentage stood at 93%.
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 |
|---|---|---|
| KIPP 3D Academy | 494 | 16% |
| KIPP Academy Middle | 480 | 24% |
| KIPP Academy West Middle | 395 | 22% |
| KIPP Alegria Primary School | 633 | 8% |
| KIPP Aspire Academy | 512 | 11% |
| KIPP Austin Academy of Arts & Letters | 450 | 10% |
| KIPP Austin Beacon Prep | 447 | 4% |
| KIPP Austin Brave | 581 | 6% |
| KIPP Austin College Prep | 465 | 11% |
| KIPP Austin Collegiate | 823 | 10% |
| KIPP Austin Comunidad | 532 | 12% |
| KIPP Austin Obras | 389 | 5% |
| KIPP Camino Academy | 461 | 8% |
| KIPP Climb Academy | 826 | 7% |
| KIPP Connect Houston Primary School | 1,017 | 28% |
| KIPP Connect Middle School | 927 | 13% |
| KIPP Destiny Elementary School | 413 | 3% |
| KIPP Destiny Middle School | 253 | 11% |
| KIPP Dream Prep | 918 | 9% |
| KIPP East End High School | 601 | 8% |
| KIPP Esperanza Primary School | 502 | 6% |
| KIPP Explore Academy | 850 | 12% |
| KIPP Generations Collegiate | 584 | 9% |
| KIPP Houston High School | 657 | 16% |
| KIPP Intrepid Preparatory | 488 | 10% |
| KIPP Journey Collegiate School | 585 | 14% |
| KIPP Journey Primary School | 1,092 | 17% |
| KIPP Legacy Preparatory | 950 | 5% |
| KIPP Liberation College Preparatory | 435 | 7% |
| KIPP Mosaic Academy School | 771 | 13% |
| KIPP Mosaic Primary School | 961 | 8% |
| KIPP Nexus Middle School | 468 | 8% |
| KIPP Nexus Primary School | 819 | 6% |
| KIPP Northeast College Preparatory | 579 | 9% |
| KIPP Oak Cliff Academy | 319 | 5% |
| KIPP Paseo Preparatory School | 436 | 9% |
| KIPP Paseo Primary School | 547 | 11% |
| KIPP Peace Elementary School | 633 | 7% |
| KIPP Pleasant Grove Leadership Academy | 642 | 7% |
| KIPP Pleasant Grove Primary School | 576 | 4% |
| KIPP Polaris Academy for Boys | 348 | 11% |
| KIPP Prime College Preparatory | 452 | 13% |
| KIPP Sharp Prep | 1,024 | 21% |
| KIPP Sharpstown Colege Prep | 650 | 19% |
| KIPP Shine Prep | 869 | 26% |
| KIPP Somos High School | 630 | 15% |
| KIPP Spirit College Prep | 491 | 12% |
| KIPP Sunnyside High School | 605 | 5% |
| KIPP Truth Academy | 441 | 7% |
| KIPP Truth Elementary School | 489 | 2% |
| KIPP Un Mundo Primary School | 504 | 7% |
| KIPP Unity Primary School | 1,022 | 27% |
| KIPP University Prep High School | 734 | 9% |
| KIPP Voyage Academy for Girls | 354 | 7% |
| KIPP Zenith Academy | 858 | 12% |
Source: Texas Education Agency.
