Site Search

Education

Economic growth begins with an educated work force. Texas’ ability to develop a well-educated and highly skilled work force is essential to its competitive position in the global economy.

Public schools in the Upper East Texas region are maintaining high levels of academic recognition, and enrollment in area colleges and universities is increasing.

Public Education

About 4.1 percent of the state’s public elementary and secondary students go to school in Upper East Texas. The region is home to 121 public school districts with 479 campuses, as well as five charter districts and their six campuses. Upper East Texas schools provide early childhood through Grade 12 education for more than 190,000 students.

The region’s number of students has grown over the past several years, rising by 3.5 percent between the 2001-02 and 2007-08 school years. This increase represents a net gain of more than 6,400 students.¹ The population of the region, state and nation grew by 6.4, 11.8 and 6.0 percent, respectively, over the same time period.²

In the 2007-08 school year, the region’s largest independent school districts (ISDs) by enrollment were Tyler ISD in Smith County, with more than 18,000 students, and Longview ISD in Gregg County, with more than 8,000 students. The smallest districts were Marietta in Cass County, with 31 students, and Malta in Bowie County, with 118 students.

The Upper East Texas region, like the state, has seen its public school population become more diverse and more Hispanic (Exhibit 42).³ But it is still less ethnically diverse than the statewide student population, which is 47.2 percent Hispanic, 34.8 percent White, 14.3 percent Black, 3.4 percent Asian/Pacific Islander and 0.3 percent Native American.⁴

The region has seen an increase in the number of economically disadvantaged students. In 2001-02, nearly 86,000 students or 46.6 percent of total enrollment were identified as economically disadvantaged.⁵ In 2007-08, almost 102,000 students or 53.5 percent of the region’s students were classified in this way. This was lower, however, than the statewide average of 55.2 percent.⁶

Accountability

The region’s districts compared favorably with statewide averages in the 2007-2008 district accountability ratings established by the Texas Education Agency (TEA). The Upper East Texas region exceeded the state average for Academically Acceptable ratings. In addition, the region’s districts fared better than the statewide average in districts deemed Academically Unacceptable (Exhibit 43).

As of August 2008, one of the region’s 126 districts was rated Exemplary; 28 were rated Recognized; 95 were rated Academically Acceptable; and 2 were rated Academically Unacceptable.

Upper East Texas also exceeded statewide averages in its number of campuses rated Academically Acceptable. A smaller share of its campuses were rated Academically Unacceptable than in the state as a whole (Exhibit 44).

Of the 485 campuses in the region’s districts, including charter schools, 42 were rated Exemplary; 164 were Recognized; 236 were Academically Acceptable; 9 were Academically Unacceptable; and 34 were listed as “Not Rated: Other” in 2007-2008.

All 5 of the region’s charter districts were rated Academically Acceptable. Each of the charter districts campuses received the same rating as its district.⁷

Among the region’s districts that teach all grade levels, two ISDs in Bowie County had the highest percentage of students passing all Texas Assessment of Knowledge and Skills (TAKS) tests. Red Lick ISD had the largest percentage of students passing all TAKS, at 97 percent. Malta ISD had the next largest share of students passing all TAKS, at 95. (An average for the Upper East Texas region is not available because TEA reports district data only as percentages.)⁸

Within the region, all graduating students in Avinger ISD took college entrance exams in the 2005-06 school year. The district’s performance significantly outpaced the statewide average of 65.8 percent. Of the 107 Upper East Texas districts for which data are available, 33 had shares above the state average and 81 had lower shares.

Pleasant Grove ISD had the highest percentage of students taking the tests who scored at or above the criterion score TEA uses to measure college readiness, at 51 percent; the district also had more than 75 percent of its graduating students take at least one of the tests. Statewide, just 27.1 percent of students who took at least one of the tests scored at or above the criterion score.⁹

Outcomes

According to the 2000 Census, 75.1 percent of Upper East Texas residents over the age of 25 had a high school diploma, a GED or some higher education. This was only slightly below the statewide average of 75.7 percent.¹⁰

In the 2006-07 school year, 11,061 students graduated from the region’s public high schools, representing about 4.6 percent of the statewide total that year. Tyler ISD had the largest number of graduates (792), while Laneville ISD had the smallest number, with just four graduates.

About 13.1 percent of the region’s students graduated under the state’s most stringent graduation plan, the Distinguished Achievement plan; 57.3 percent under the Recommended plan, which is the required plan; and 29.6 percent under the Minimum plan, a less stringent graduation plan that requires both parental and school approval, or under an Individual Education Plan offered through Special Education (Exhibit 45).¹¹

School Finance

In the 2006-07 school year, the Upper East Texas region’s total school spending per pupil, including debt service, averaged $9,833. This is about 6.1 percent higher than the statewide average of $9,269 for that year.

Twenty-nine districts in the region were 20 percent or more above the statewide spending average. But the region had 94 districts, including charters, which were below the statewide average.¹²

Excluding charter districts, which do not receive funding from local tax revenue, the region’s lowest total tax rate in 2006 was in the Como-Pickton Consolidated ISD, at $1.117 per $100 of property value. Pine Tree ISD levied the highest rate, at $1.614. The statewide average was $1.452; 37 districts in the Upper East Texas region had higher rates.¹³

The region generated a lower percentage of its school revenue from local taxes (43.4 percent) than the statewide average of 48.3 percent. Beckville ISD received the largest portion of its school funding from local taxes (74.2 percent), while McLeod ISD had the lowest share (7.1 percent). The percentage of revenue from other local sources, such as transfers and tuition, was only marginally higher in the region than statewide, at 6.9 percent versus 6.3 percent. Clarksville ISD gained 27.4 percent of its revenue from other local sources, for the highest share in the region; the Linden-Kildare Consolidated ISD received the lowest percentage for non-charter schools, at 1.4 percent.

McLeod ISD had the lowest property wealth per pupil in 2006, at $62,959, while Tatum ISD led the region with $1,319,632 per pupil. The regional average was $299,992, or 1.7 percent lower than the statewide average of $305,208.

Texas law requires districts with relatively high property wealth per pupil to share it with less-wealthy districts through a process called “equity transfers.” In 2006, nine districts in the Upper East Texas region transferred roughly $40.9 million, an average of $216 per pupil, to other districts. The statewide average was $286 per pupil. Carthage ISD transferred the largest amount ($15.8 million), while Tatum ISD had the highest per-pupil transfer at $9,403.

McLeod ISD received more than 78 percent of its revenue from the state in 2006, the highest share among districts that also receive some part of their revenue from local taxes. The Daingerfield-Lone Star and Tatum ISDs received the smallest state shares, at 12.9 and 13 percent, respectively. The regional average for 2006 was 39.0 percent, slightly higher than the statewide average of 33.9 percent. The region also received a lower share of federal funds than the statewide average, at 10.7 percent versus 11.5 percent.¹⁴

Teachers

The average Upper East Texas teacher salary in the 2007-08 school year was $41,109, 11 percent below the statewide average of $46,178. Tyler ISD had the highest average salary at $44,367. (A district’s average salary can vary due to the length of teachers’ tenure as well as its wage levels. In other words, District A 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 may be lower than District B’s.)¹⁶

Average salaries in the region rose by 12.8 percent from 2002-03 to 2007-08, compared with a statewide average of 15.5 percent. Panola Charter School had the highest percentage increase over this period, at almost 61 percent.¹⁷

The region’s teacher salaries accounted for almost 31 percent of total district expenditures from all funds in 2006-07, about the same as the statewide average of 31.1 percent. Slocum ISD had the highest percentage of teacher salaries to total expenditures, at 46.4 percent. In all, 89 districts in the region devoted a higher percentage of expenditures to teacher salaries than the statewide average, while 37 had lower percentages.

In 2006-07, the region had a lower average number of students per teacher, at 13.3 versus the statewide average of 14.7. Marietta ISD had the lowest number of students per teacher, at 5.3.¹⁸

Higher Education

Upper East Texas has 17 institutions of higher education (Exhibit 46). These institutions administer 28 campuses across the region. Thirteen of the region’s 23 counties have at least one higher education campus (Exhibit 47).

The region has two public universities, University of Texas at Tyler (UT-Tyler) and Texas A&M University-Texarkana (A&M Texarkana) in Smith County. In addition to its main campus in Tyler, UT-Tyler has a teaching site in Palestine in Anderson County as well as other sites in the region. A&M Texarkana is an upper-level university serving junior, senior and graduate students.

The Upper East Texas region has seven community college districts – Kilgore College, Northeast Texas Community College, Panola College, Paris Junior College, Texarkana College, Trinity Valley Community College and Tyler Junior College – with a total of 12 campuses in 14 counties. In addition to its main campus, Kilgore College operates a satellite campus in Longview. Similarly, Tyler Junior College operates satellite campuses in Jacksonville and Lindale. Paris Junior College has an additional campus in Sulphur Springs, while Panola College has a site in Jefferson.

In addition, the region has a branch of Texas State Technical College in Marshall.

Upper East Texas also has four private universities: LeTourneau University in Longview; East Texas Baptist University and Wiley College in Marshall; and Texas College in Tyler. There are two private junior colleges, Jacksonville College and Lon Morris College, in Jacksonville.¹⁹ Wiley College, Texas College and Jarvis Christian College are historically Black institutions. All are accredited, independent four-year schools.²⁰

Enrollment

In fall 2007, 48,302 students were enrolled in Upper East Texas public and private colleges and universities. Enrollment in public and private four-year universities accounted for 32.1 percent of the total, while the remaining 67.9 percent were enrolled in two-year institutions.

The region’s largest higher education institution by enrollment is Tyler Junior College, with 8,220 students in fall 2007. The smallest public institution is Texas State Technical College, with 705 students enrolled in fall 2007.

Total enrollment in the region’s higher education institutions rose by 26.8 percent between 2000 and 2007. Enrollment at two-year institutions rose by 19 percent compared with 46.9 percent for universities. In numerical terms, universities added 4,944 students while two-year college enrollment increased by 5,237. For the state as a whole, public university enrollment increased by 19.9 percent, while enrollment at public two-year institutions, including community colleges, rose by 31.1 percent.

Among the region’s institutions, UT-Tyler had the largest enrollment growth between 2000 and 2007, adding 2,545 students, a 70.9 percent increase (Exhibit 48).²³

Accessibility

UT-Tyler had 1,536 first-time undergraduate applicants for its fall 2007 semester. The institution accepted 83.3 percent of them, less than the statewide average of 92 percent. Of the 1,279 students accepted to UT-Tyler, 19.1 percent were in the top 10 percent of their high school graduating classes, compared with 20.4 percent of students accepted to undergraduate institutions statewide.²⁴

As an upper-level institution, A&M-Texarkana does not admit first-time, full-time, degree-seeking undergraduates.²⁵

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. UT-Tyler’s four- and six-year graduation rates were 18.8 percent and 50.9 percent, respectively, in fiscal 2006, lower than statewide averages for both years.²⁷

Since many community college students go on to a university to obtain a four-year degree, THECB compares three-year and six-year graduation rates to measure community college outcomes. Texas State Technical College-Marshall (TSTC-Marshall) had the region’s highest three-year graduation rate in fiscal 2006, while Panola College had the highest six-year graduation rate. Northeast Texas Community College, Kilgore, Paris and Trinity Valley Community Colleges all showed considerable improvement in six-year graduation rates between fiscal 2000 and 2006. Kilgore, Panola, Paris and Trinity Valley community colleges ranked well above the statewide average for both three- and six-year graduation rates in fiscal 2006 (Exhibit 49).²⁸

From fiscal 2000 to fiscal 2007, UT-Tyler’s number of degrees awarded annually rose by 34.9 percent to 1,175, while A&M Texarkana’s count rose by 62.3 percent, to 500. The statewide average increase was 30.3 percent (Exhibit 50).²⁹

Over the same period, Texas community colleges increased their number of degrees and certificates awarded statewide by 46.9 percent. Among the seven community colleges in the region, Paris Junior College had the sharpest increase in degrees awarded, at 66.9 percent (Exhibit 51). Trinity Valley awarded the greatest number in fiscal 2007, at 1,348.³⁰

Affordability

From 2002-03 to 2007-08, UT-Tyler’s annual estimated costs for one student’s tuition and fees, based on 15 credit hours each semester, rose by about 88.7 percent, to $5,382. A&M Texarkana’s tuition and fees rose by 61.2 percent, to $3,721. The statewide average for undergraduate universities rose by about 90.1 percent, to $5,732.

For the 2007-08 school year, the estimated annual cost of tuition and fees, books and supplies, room and board, transportation and personal expenses at UT-Tyler (based on 15 credit hours in both fall and spring) was $16,714. The statewide average was $17,494. The 2007-08 total cost of attending A&M Texarkana was $13,633.

The cost of attending private universities in the region has remained lower than the statewide average for private institutions. For 2007-08, estimated tuition and fee costs for all area private universities except for LeTourneau University were lower than the statewide average of $17,392. In that year, the estimated annual cost of tuition and fees, books and supplies, room and board, transportation and personal expenses for private universities in the Upper East Texas region ranged from a high of $27,382 at LeTourneau University to a low of $15,712 at Jarvis Christian College. The statewide average cost for private institutions was $26,909.

From FY 2000 to FY 2007, resident tuition and fee changes at the region’s seven community colleges ranged from an increase at Texarkana College of $333 to an increase of $806 at Trinity Valley Community College. Meanwhile, the statewide average increase for community colleges was about $696, or about 73 percent. In 2007-08, tuition and fees in the region were lowest at Kilgore and Paris Junior Colleges, at $1,290 each, and highest at TSTC – Marshall, at $2,788.³³

The total cost of attending the Upper East Texas region’s community colleges in 2007-08, including tuition and fees, books and supplies, room and board, transportation and personal expenses, ranged from $9,963 for Northeast Texas Community College to $12,625 for TSTC – Marshall. The statewide average for community colleges was $11,935.³⁴

Funding

Total revenue for UT-Tyler, including tuition and fees, general revenue appropriations, federal funds and institutional funds, rose by 21 percent from fiscal 2005 to fiscal 2007. Texas A&M Texarkana’s total revenues increased by 24.6 percent over the same period. These compared with a statewide average rise of 17.1 percent for public universities. (Exhibit 52).³⁵

Total appropriations for community colleges in the 2008-09 biennium increased for all of the region’s community colleges except TSTC – Marshall. Between 2002-03 and 2008-09, statewide appropriations for all community colleges rose by 8 percent (Exhibit 53).³⁶

Contact hours – the time a professor actually spends in the classroom with students – for community, state and technical colleges rose 18.8 percent statewide from fall 2000 to fall 2007. In the Upper East Texas region, contact hours increased at all community colleges, with highs of 34.9 percent for Paris Junior College and 26 percent for Northeast Texas Community College (Exhibit 54).³⁷

Endnotes