Of the 304 students at Versia Williams Elementary School in Fort Worth, 291 (96%) weren’t on track for college in the 2023-24 school year, according to Ft Worth 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, Versia Williams Elementary School’s student population was made up of 304 students, of which 271 were Hispanic, 23 African American, and six white students.
Data shows that 16.7% of Versia Williams Elementary School’s white students (1) and 3.7% of its Hispanic students (10) 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 299 Versia Williams Elementary School students – equivalent to 97% of the student population – were not on the academic path to college eligibility. This contrasts with 2023-24, when the percentage stood at 96%, 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.
| School | Total Students | % On College Track |
|---|---|---|
| A. M. Pate Elementary School | 315 | 7% |
| Alice Carlson Applied Learning Center | 382 | 24% |
| Alice D. Contreras | 459 | 14% |
| Applied Learning Academy | 339 | 15% |
| Arlington Heights High School | 1,938 | 9% |
| Atwood McDonald Elementary School | 314 | 8% |
| Benbrook Elementary School | 350 | 22% |
| Benbrook Middle/High School | 1,489 | 17% |
| Bill Junior Elliott Elementary School | 347 | 6% |
| Bonnie Brae | 344 | 4% |
| Boulevard Heights | 32 | 3% |
| Bruce Shulkey Elementary School | 377 | 5% |
| Burton Hill Elementary School | 343 | 18% |
| Carroll Peak Elementary School | 475 | 10% |
| Carter Park Elementary School | 495 | 4% |
| Carter-Riverside High School | 1,028 | 4% |
| Cesar Chavez Primary School | 472 | 5% |
| Charles Nash Elementary School | 224 | 10% |
| Christene C. Moss Elementary School | 313 | 11% |
| Clifford Davis Elementary School | 682 | 2% |
| Como Elementary School | 420 | 15% |
| Daggett Elementary School | 526 | 14% |
| Daggett Middle School | 388 | 4% |
| Daggett Montessori | 547 | 22% |
| David K. Sellars Elementary School | 413 | 10% |
| De Zavala Elementary School | 260 | 32% |
| Diamond Hill Elementary School | 479 | 7% |
| Diamond Hill-Jarvis High School | 925 | 2% |
| Dolores Huerta Elementary School | 480 | 8% |
| Dunbar High School | 859 | 3% |
| East Handley Elementary School | 309 | 9% |
| Eastern Hills Elementary School | 457 | 5% |
| Eastern Hills High School | 1,184 | 4% |
| Edward Briscoe Elementary School | 270 | 5% |
| Elder Middle School | 763 | 5% |
| Forest Oak Middle School | 1,081 | 9% |
| George Clarke Elementary School | 386 | 8% |
| Glen Park Elementary School | 436 | 8% |
| Greenbriar Elementary School | 503 | 8% |
| Harlean Beal Elementary School | 309 | 9% |
| Hazel Harvey Peace Elementary School | 416 | 6% |
| Helbing Elementary School | 357 | 3% |
| Hubbard Elementary School | 520 | 5% |
| Im Terrell Academy for STEM and Vpa | 454 | 21% |
| International Newcomer Academy | 498 | 0% |
| J. T. Stevens Elementary School | 427 | 8% |
| James Middle School | 771 | 3% |
| Jean McClung Middle School | 578 | 4% |
| John T. White Elementary School | 410 | 6% |
| Kirkpatrick Elementary School | 296 | 6% |
| Kirkpatrick Middle School | 465 | 7% |
| Leonard Middle School | 607 | 3% |
| Lily B. Clayton Elementary School | 476 | 25% |
| Lowery Road | 442 | 13% |
| Luella Merrett Elementary School | 441 | 13% |
| M. L. Phillips Elementary School | 399 | 2% |
| Manuel Jara Elementary School | 561 | 8% |
| Marine Creek Collegiate High School | 333 | 29% |
| Maude I. Logan Elementary School | 311 | 10% |
| Maudrie Walton Elementary School | 295 | 7% |
| McLean 6TH Grade | 394 | 28% |
| McLean Middle School | 799 | 20% |
| McRae Elementary School | 572 | 3% |
| Meacham Middle School | 675 | 4% |
| Meadowbrook Elementary School | 440 | 14% |
| Meadowbrook Middle School | 701 | 7% |
| Mitchell Boulevard Elementary School | 349 | 10% |
| Monnig Middle School | 483 | 6% |
| Moore M. High Elementary School | 439 | 10% |
| Morningside Elementary School | 407 | 7% |
| Morningside Middle School | 430 | 3% |
| Natha Howell Elementary School | 344 | 9% |
| New Elementary School | 426 | 26% |
| North Hi Mount Elementary School | 348 | 20% |
| North Side High School | 1,721 | 4% |
| O. D. Wyatt High School | 1,569 | 3% |
| Oakhurst Elementary School | 497 | 13% |
| Oaklawn Elementary School | 428 | 4% |
| Overton Park Elementary School | 528 | 59% |
| Paschal High School | 2,146 | 12% |
| Phalen Leadership Academy at James Martin Jacquet | 566 | 7% |
| Polytechnic High School | 1,381 | 3% |
| Richard Junior Wilson Elementary School | 513 | 6% |
| Ridglea Hills Elementary School | 722 | 19% |
| Riverside Applied Learning Center | 215 | 16% |
| Riverside Middle School | 765 | 7% |
| Rosemont Middle School | 1,152 | 7% |
| Rufino Mendoza Senior Elementary School | 327 | 4% |
| Sagamore Hill Elementary School | 431 | 7% |
| Sam Rosen Elementary School | 384 | 6% |
| School School Dillow Elementary | 409 | 5% |
| Seminary Hills Park Elementary School | 392 | 8% |
| South Hi Mount Elementary School | 524 | 16% |
| South Hills Elementary School | 595 | 9% |
| South Hills High School | 1,875 | 6% |
| Southwest High School | 1,185 | 5% |
| Springdale Elementary School | 400 | 12% |
| Stripling Middle School | 515 | 14% |
| Success High School | 543 | 5% |
| Sunrise – McMillan Elementary School | 366 | 5% |
| T. A. Sims Elementary School | 588 | 7% |
| Tanglewood Elementary School | 550 | 47% |
| Tarrant County College South/Fort Worth Collegiate High School | 340 | 17% |
| Texas Academy of Biomedical | 368 | 18% |
| Trimble Technical High School | 1,739 | 6% |
| Van Zandt-Guinn Elementary School | 310 | 4% |
| Versia Williams Elementary School | 304 | 4% |
| W. J. Turner Elementary School | 360 | 8% |
| W. M. Green Elementary School | 529 | 6% |
| Washington Heights Elementary School | 271 | 6% |
| Waverly Park Elementary School | 667 | 9% |
| Wedgwood 6th Grade School | 206 | 3% |
| Wedgwood Middle School | 532 | 3% |
| West Handley Elementary School | 329 | 4% |
| Westcliff Elementary School | 520 | 16% |
| Westcreek Elementary School | 451 | 7% |
| Western Hills Elementary School | 551 | 3% |
| Western Hills High School | 889 | 5% |
| Westpark Elementary School | 370 | 37% |
| Woodway Elementary School | 504 | 8% |
| World Languages Institute | 542 | 14% |
| Worth Heights Elementary School | 482 | 14% |
| Young Men’s Leadership Academy | 396 | 13% |
| Young Women’s Leadership Academy | 436 | 32% |
Source: Texas Education Agency.