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Education

Education and work force training are significant drivers of economic development. The educational attainments of Texas workers will largely determine the types of jobs and companies our state can recruit and the level of wages Texans will earn.

Public Education

About 1.2 million students – 25 percent of the state total – attend public elementary and secondary school in the Gulf Coast region, which is home to 79 public school districts with 1,431 campuses as well as 52 charter districts and their 104 campuses. The region’s student population has risen steadily in recent years, growing by 13.7 percent or 139,989 students from the 2002-03 to 2008-09 school years.

During the 2008-09 school year, the region’s largest school districts by enrollment were Harris County’s Houston ISD, with 199,524 students, and Cypress-Fairbanks ISD, with 100,505 students. The smallest districts were Harris County’s Juan B. Galaviz Charter School, with just 64 students, and Jamie’s House Charter School with 79 students.

Like the rest of the state, the Gulf Coast’s public school population has seen its Hispanic population rise (Exhibit 52). The region’s ethnic distribution is similar to the statewide student population distribution which is 3.6 percent Asian/Pacific Islander, 14.2 percent black, 47.9 percent Hispanic, 0.4 Native American and 34 percent white.¹

The Gulf Coast region also has seen an increase in its number of economically disadvantaged students. In 2002-03, 500,824 of its students, or 49 percent of total enrollment, were identified as economically disadvantaged. In 2008-09, this share had risen to 642,838 students or 55.3 percent, slightly less than the statewide average of 56.7 percent.

Accountability

The region’s districts compared similarly to the statewide averages in the 2008-09 district accountability ratings established by the Texas Education Agency (TEA). The region exceeded the statewide average for Exemplary ratings, but fared less favorably for districts deemed Recognized and Academically Acceptable (Exhibit 53).

In November 2009, TEA rated 15 of the region’s 131 districts as Exemplary; 38 as Recognized; 59 as Academically Acceptable; and 15 as Academically Unacceptable. Four of the districts in the region were listed as “Not Rated: Other.”

The Gulf Coast region exceeded statewide averages in the number of campuses rated Exemplary and Recognized. The percentage of campuses rated Academically Unacceptable was very similar to those of the state as a whole. (Exhibit 54).

Of the region’s 1,535 campuses, including charter schools, 470 were rated Exemplary; 558 were rated Recognized; 343 were Academically Acceptable; 31 were Academically Unacceptable; and 133 were listed as “Not Rated: Other” in 2008-09.

Thirteen of the region’s 52 charter districts were rated Exemplary, while 12 were rated as Recognized, 14 as Academically Acceptable, 10 were Academically Unacceptable, and three were “Not Rated: Other.” Twenty-six charter district campuses were rated Exemplary, 26 were Recognized, 34 were Academically Acceptable, 11 were Academically Unacceptable, and seven were “Not Rated: Other.”

In 2008-09, among the region’s districts that teach all grade levels, Friendswood ISD in Galveston County had the highest percentage of students passing all Texas Assessment of Knowledge and Skills (TAKS) tests, at 94 percent. Barbers Hill ISD in Chambers County had the next-largest share at 89 percent.

Regional leaders for college entrance exams included High Island ISD, in Galveston County, where 100 percent of graduating students took the exams; KIPP Charter, in Harris County, with 91 percent; and North Forest ISD, in Harris County, at 91 percent. Of the 131 Gulf Coast region districts for which data are available, 30 had participation rates above the state average of 65 percent in 2007-08.

In that year, Friendswood ISD also had the highest percentage of test takers scoring at or above the criterion score TEA uses to measure college readiness, at 52.7 percent. Across the state, just 27.2 percent of students who took at least one of the tests scored at or above the criterion score.

In the 2007-08 school year (the most recent data available), the Gulf Coast region had a dropout rate of 4.3 percent compared to a statewide average of 3.2 percent.

Outcomes

In 2008, 79 percent of Gulf Coast residents above the age of 25 had a high school diploma, a General Educational Development (GED) certificate or some higher education, slightly above the statewide average of 75.7 percent.²

In the 2007-08 school year, 59,973 students graduated from the region’s public high schools, representing about 23.8 percent of the statewide total for that year. Houston ISD had the largest number of graduates with 7,976, while Jamie’s Charter School in Harris County had only two. Alphonso Crutch’s-Life Support Center had just one graduate.

About 81.3 percent of the region’s graduates satisfied the course requirements for the Texas State Board of Education Recommended High School Program or Distinguished Achievement Program and 18.7 percent graduated under the Minimum plan, a less stringent graduation plan that requires both parental and school approval (Exhibit 55).

School Finance

In the 2007-08 school year (the most recent data available), the Gulf Coast region’s total school spending per pupil, including debt service, averaged $10,624, 3.6 percent less than the statewide average of $11,024. Twenty-three Gulf Coast region districts spent more than 20 percent above the statewide average in that year. Another 88 districts, however, including the region’s charters, spent less per pupil than the statewide average.

Excluding charter districts, which do not receive funding from local taxes, the region’s lowest total tax rate in 2008 was that of Tidehaven ISD, at 97 cents per $100 of property value. Katy ISD levied the highest rate at $1.53. The statewide average was $1.20 per $100 of value; 55 districts in the region exceeded it.

The Gulf Coast region generated a substantially higher share of its school revenue from local taxes (44.7 percent) than the statewide average (39.6 percent). Stafford ISD received the largest portion of its school funding from local taxes (68.6 percent), while Splendora ISD had the lowest share (13.5 percent). The region’s share of revenue from other local sources, such as equity transfers and tuition, was similar to the state’s, at 6 percent versus 6.1 percent. The Harmony School of Innovation in Harris County gained 62.5 percent of their revenue from these other local sources, for the region’s highest share; North Forest ISD in Harris County received the lowest share for the region’s non-charter schools, at 2.1 percent.

Splendora ISD had the lowest property wealth per pupil in 2008, at $96,215, while Devers ISD led the region with $2,615,068 per pupil. The regional average was $337,731, or 7.1 percent less than the statewide average of $363,600.

The Texas school finance system requires districts with relatively high property wealth per pupil to share it with less-wealthy districts through a process called “equity transfers.” In 2008, 12 districts in the Gulf Coast region transferred roughly $105.2 million. Deer Park ISD transferred the largest total amount ($19.8 million), while Devers ISD had the highest per-pupil transfer ($31,050).

Among the non-charter districts, Boling ISD received the largest share of its revenue from the state in 2008, at 69.8 percent. Matagorda ISD received the smallest state share, at 17.2 percent. The regional average for 2007-08 was 41.4 percent, lower than the statewide average of 44.8 percent. The region derived 7.8 percent of its school funding from federal aid, a slightly smaller share than the statewide average of 9.5 percent.⁸

Teachers

In examining teacher salaries across the region, it should be noted that average salaries vary with the length of teacher tenure as well as wage levels. District A, for instance, may have a higher average salary than District B because it has a higher percentage of experienced teachers, even though its wage levels for various years of experience are lower than District B’s.

The average Gulf Coast region teacher salary in 2007-08 was $2,391 above the statewide average of $46,179. Devers ISD had the highest average salary at $57,023.

Average salaries in the region rose by 15.9 percent from 2002-03 to 2007-08, slightly more than the statewide average of 15.2 percent over the same period. For charter schools, the Two Dimensions Preparatory Academy had the highest increase for this period at 44.9 percent. Devers ISD had the highest increase for non-charter schools at 33.5 percent.

The region’s teacher salaries accounted for more than 30.8 percent of total district expenditures from all funds in 2007-08, slightly higher than the statewide average of 30.1 percent. KIPP Southeast Houston devoted the highest share of total spending to teacher salaries, at 72.8 percent, while East Bernard ISD in Wharton County led the non-charter schools 43.6 percent. Sixty-three of the region’s districts devoted a smaller share of expenditures to teacher salaries than the statewide average.

In 2007-08, the Gulf Coast region had a slightly higher average number of students per teacher than the state as a whole, at 15 versus 14.4. Among the region’s charter schools, the Excel Academy in Harris County had the lowest number of students per teacher, at 8.2. For non-charter schools, High Island ISD had the lowest ratio, at 7.6 students per teacher.¹⁰

Higher Education

The Gulf Coast region has 25 institutions of higher education including five health-related centers. Sixteen of these are in Harris County. Nine of the region’s 13 counties have higher education campuses or facilities (Exhibits 56 and 57).¹¹

Enrollment

In fall 2008, 243,553 students enrolled in the Gulf Coast region’s public and private universities, colleges and health-related institutions. Enrollment in four-year universities and colleges accounted for 42.2 percent of the total, with another 54.6 percent enrolled in community colleges. The remaining 3.2 percent, or 7,791 students, enrolled in the region’s health-related institutions.

The three University of Houston (UH) campuses in Harris County had 56,045 students enrolled in fall 2008. With an enrollment of 16,612, Sam Houston State University (SHSU) had the region’s second-largest university enrollment. UH’s combined enrollment has risen by 4.1 percent since fall 2003; enrollment at SHSU rose by 23.8 percent over the same period. SHSU and UH’s Downtown campus both exceeded statewide public university enrollment growth of 7.7 percent.

The region’s enrollment in two-year higher educational programs rose from 116,027 in 2003 to 133,003 in 2008, a 14.6 percent increase. During this period, enrollment rose at all public two-year institutions in the Gulf Coast region except for College of the Mainland, Galveston College and Lee College. With both a rising population and the addition of new campuses to accommodate this growth, the Lone Star College System experienced the largest numerical and percentage growth, increasing enrollment by 10,128 additional students or 30 percent between 2003 and 2008.

In all, however, the region’s pace of enrollment growth lagged somewhat behind the statewide rate of 10.6 percent, rising by 9.4 percent (Exhibit 58).¹²

Accessibility

The University of Houston - Downtown and Texas Southern University accepted 99.7 and 99.1 percent of their first-time undergraduate applicants, respectively, for the fall 2008 semester, well above the statewide average acceptance rate of 74.4 percent. For both institutions, however, only about 3 percent of those accepted were in the top 10 percent of their high school graduating class.

By contrast, about 16 percent of the applicants accepted at the University of Houston’s main campus were accepted because they were in the top 10 percent of their high school graduating classes, and statewide about 23.7 percent of accepted applicants took advantage of the 10 percent rule. The University of Houston’s main campus acceptance rate was 78.7 percent.¹³

Outcomes

Because some degrees require more than four years of study, and because some students may need more time to graduate, the Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board (THECB) compares four-year and six-year graduation rates to measure university outcomes. Graduation rates improved significantly between fiscal 2000 and fiscal 2007 at most of the region’s universities (Exhibit 59). (The University of Houston - Clear Lake is an upper-division-only institution, and so has no first-time entering undergraduates.)

Because many community college students go on to a university to obtain a four-year degree, THECB also compares three-year and six-year graduation rates to measure community college outcomes.

The Houston Community Colleges’ three- and six-year graduation rates from fiscal 2000 to fiscal 2007 rose, by 4.9 percent and 8.3 percent, respectively. Four of the region’s two-year institutions exceeded the statewide averages for 3-and 6-year graduation rates in 2000 and 2007 (Exhibit 60).

From fiscal 2003 to 2008, the University of Houston-Downtown’s number of degrees awarded rose by 44.8 percent, to 2,095, while the University of Houston main campus, with a much larger student body, increased its number of degrees awarded by 11.8 percent. Five of the Gulf Coast region’s seven public universities exceeded the statewide average increase in degrees awarded of 23.4 percent (Exhibit 61).

Over the same period, the number of degrees and certificates awarded by all Texas community colleges rose by 19.1 percent. In the Gulf Coast region, the Lone Star Colleges increased their number of degrees and certificates awarded by 683.8 percent. Houston Community Colleges saw their enrollments rise by 14.6 percent, but experienced a 499 percent jump in degrees and certificates awarded from fiscal 2003 to 2008 (Exhibit 62).¹⁷

Affordability

From 2002-03 to the 2009-10 school year, the costs of all eight public universities in the Gulf Coast region rose sharply, as they generally did statewide.

The increase rate of total costs at Gulf Coast universities’ (including tuition and fees, transportation, books and supplies and room and board) ranged from less than half of the statewide average at Prairie View A&M to almost double the statewide average at Texas Southern University (Exhibit 63).

Tuition and fees at the region’s community colleges rose as well, but generally less than the statewide average cost increase of $750 from 2002-03 to 2009-10. Total student costs for the 2009-10 academic year were higher at Lee College and the San Jacinto Colleges than at the average Texas community college, and lower than average at the region’s other community colleges. Tuition and fee costs were below the state average at all of the region’s community colleges except for Wharton County Junior College.²²

Estimated tuition and fee costs for the region’s private universities were higher than the statewide average at both the start and the end of the period.²³

Funding

The statewide average for public universities’ total revenue, including tuition and fees, general revenue appropriations, federal funds and institutional funds, rose by 15.6 percent from fiscal 2006 to fiscal 2008. In the Gulf Coast region, Texas A&M - Galveston and Texas Southern were the only public universities that saw their total revenues rise faster than the statewide total over the three-year period. Texas Woman’s University saw a small decrease in revenue. (Exhibit 64).²⁴

Total revenue for Texas community colleges rose by 18.2 percent between fiscal 2006 and 2008, versus 18.9 percent for community colleges in the Gulf Coast region. The largest components of these increases were higher tuition and fees and increased local funds. Brazosport College was the region’s only community college to experience a drop in annual revenues (Exhibit 65).²⁵

Contact hours – the time a teacher actually spends in the classroom with students – for community, state and technical colleges rose by 25.5 percent statewide from fall 2000 to fall 2008. In the Gulf Coast region, contact hours at schools increased by varying amounts, ranging from 0.7 percent at Lee College to 54.4 percent in the Lone Star College System. (Exhibit 66).²⁷

Educational achievement will play a vital and positive role in the Gulf Coast region’s economic future. But significant increases in enrollment at the majority of the region’s colleges and universities will place new demands on the region’s higher education infrastructure, requiring more instructors to keep pace with student needs.

Pin Oak Middle School, Bellair (SW Houston)

PHOTO: Houston Independent School District

Endnotes

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