Of the 417 students at Commander William C. McCool Academy in Lubbock, 316 (76%) weren’t on track for college in the 2023-24 school year, according to Lubbock 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, Commander William C. McCool Academy’s student population was made up of 417 students, of which 232 were Hispanic, 124 white, 38 African American, 13 multiracial, and nine Asian students.
Data shows that 44.4% of Commander William C. McCool Academy’s Asian students (4), 38.5% of its multiracial students (5), 34.7% of its white students (43), 19% of its Hispanic students (44) and 10.5% of its African American students (4) 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 355 Commander William C. McCool Academy students – equivalent to 79% of the student population – were not on the academic path to college eligibility. This contrasts with 2023-24, when the percentage stood at 76%, marking a 3% 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 |
|---|---|---|
| Alderson Elementary School | 442 | 8% |
| Atkins Middle School | 507 | 11% |
| Bayless Elementary School | 462 | 13% |
| Bean Elementary School | 280 | 10% |
| Brown Elementary School | 104 | 6% |
| Carmona-Harrison Elementary School | 568 | 8% |
| Cavazos Middle School | 398 | 10% |
| Centennial Elementary School | 514 | 10% |
| Commander William C. McCool Academy | 417 | 24% |
| Coronado High School | 1,902 | 14% |
| Dunbar College Preparatory Academy | 382 | 6% |
| Ervin Elementary School | 399 | 7% |
| Estacado High School | 860 | 5% |
| Evans Middle School | 762 | 20% |
| Hardwick Elementary School | 514 | 20% |
| Harwell Elementary School | 385 | 8% |
| Hodges Elementary School | 264 | 11% |
| Honey Elementary School | 422 | 26% |
| Hutchinson Middle School | 813 | 33% |
| Irons Middle School | 729 | 10% |
| Lubbock High School | 1,893 | 20% |
| Mackenzie Middle School | 456 | 7% |
| Maedgen Elementary School | 329 | 20% |
| Matthews Academy | 77 | 0% |
| McWhorter Elementary School | 531 | 19% |
| Miller Elementary School | 644 | 38% |
| Monterey High School | 2,078 | 16% |
| Overton Elementary School | 254 | 14% |
| Parsons Elementary School | 389 | 12% |
| Ramirez Elementary School | 460 | 32% |
| Roberts Elementary School | 509 | 31% |
| Rush Elementary School | 314 | 17% |
| Slaton Middle School | 321 | 3% |
| Smith Elementary School | 533 | 35% |
| Stewart Elementary School | 389 | 18% |
| Talkington School for Young Women Leaders | 456 | 47% |
| Waters Elementary School | 482 | 14% |
| Wester Elementary School | 393 | 19% |
| Wheelock Elementary School | 296 | 11% |
| Whiteside Elementary School | 473 | 29% |
| Williams Elementary School | 321 | 19% |
| Wilson Elementary School | 552 | 38% |
| Wolffarth Elementary School | 295 | 24% |
Source: Texas Education Agency.
