Report: 88% of the 295 students at Merkel High School not on “college track” in 2023-24 school year

Of the 295 students at Merkel High School in Merkel, 259 (88%) 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, Merkel High School’s student population was made up of 295 students, of which 217 were white, 65 Hispanic, five multiracial, and five African American students.

Data shows that 20% of Merkel High School’s African American students (1), 12.9% of its white students (28), 20% of its multiracial students (1) and 4.6% of its Hispanic students (3) 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 291 Merkel High School students – equivalent to 89% of the student population – were not on the academic path to college eligibility. This contrasts with 2023-24, when the percentage stood at 88%, 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.

Source: Texas Education Agency.