Of the 174 students at Premier High School of Abilene in Lewisville, 147 (85%) weren’t on track for college in the 2023-24 school year, according to Abilene 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, Premier High School of Abilene’s student population was made up of 174 students, of which 100 were white, 62 Hispanic, and six multiracial students.
Data shows that 18% of Premier High School of Abilene’s white students (18) and 12.9% of its Hispanic students (8) 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 135 Premier High School of Abilene students – equivalent to 93% of the student population – were not on the academic path to college eligibility. This contrasts with 2023-24, when the percentage stood at 85%, marking an 8% 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 |
|---|---|---|
| Premier High School – Corpus Christi | 123 | 3% |
| Premier High School – Houston – Hobby | 96 | 2% |
| Premier High School – San Angelo | 172 | 4% |
| Premier High School Houston Gallery North | 113 | 9% |
| Premier High School Odessa | 59 | 5% |
| Premier High School Online | 2,677 | 7% |
| Premier High School of Abilene | 174 | 15% |
| Premier High School of Amarillo | 241 | 4% |
| Premier High School of Arlington | 210 | 4% |
| Premier High School of Brownsville | 116 | 7% |
| Premier High School of Comanche/Early | 66 | 20% |
| Premier High School of Dayton | 87 | 2% |
| Premier High School of Del Rio | 65 | 6% |
| Premier High School of Fort Worth | 111 | 5% |
| Premier High School of Granbury | 138 | 7% |
| Premier High School of Huntsville | 78 | 14% |
| Premier High School of Laredo | 139 | 5% |
| Premier High School of Lubbock | 169 | 3% |
| Premier High School of Midland | 163 | 5% |
| Premier High School of Mission | 162 | 7% |
| Premier High School of New Braunfels | 82 | 15% |
| Premier High School of Palmview | 107 | 22% |
| Premier High School of Pflugerville | 96 | 5% |
| Premier High School of San Juan | 124 | 1% |
| Premier High School of South Irving | 18 | 20% |
| Premier High School of Texarkana | 126 | 11% |
| Premier High School of Tyler | 40 | 8% |
| Premier High School of Waco | 154 | 9% |
| Premier High School of Weslaco | 140 | 5% |
| Premier High School-Austin South Campus | 147 | 11% |
| Premier High School-Austin Wells Branch | 110 | 9% |
| Premier High School-Canyon | 42 | 9% |
| Premier High School-El Paso Eastpointe | 145 | 1% |
| Premier High School-El Paso Mesa | 124 | 7% |
| Premier High School-Houston (Champions) | 130 | 11% |
| Premier High School-San Antonio Ingram | 112 | 14% |
| Premier High School-San Antonio Windcrest | 74 | 9% |
| Premier High Schools – Edinburg Career & Technical | 147 | 2% |
Source: Texas Education Agency.
