Understanding Education in Houston

The benefits of an education extend not only to earnings, health and quality of life, but also to future generations and the collective well-being and economy of our region.

The more education we have, the more we earn, we have greater job stability, are less likely to rely on public assistance, less likely to interact with the criminal legal system, the more likely we are to vote, our health is better, and we live longer. What’s more, future generations are generally in better positions than they would be otherwise and  are more likely to be more educated themselves. Regions that are home to educated and skilled workers thrive with good-paying jobs, more resilient economies and are wealthier.

However, only a minority successfully walk through this door of opportunity. Children in the Houston region have disparate access to high-quality education that adequately prepares them for academic success, disproportionately harming our region’s students of color and from low-income households. And despite HB3’s injection of millions of dollars into the public school system, our state’s educational outcomes have suffered from impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic, exacerbating the challenge in shepherding students successfully through the educational pipeline. 

The more we know about where and when students need the most support during their academic careers, the better equipped we are to work toward an education system that prepares every Houston-area child to thrive and contribute to our region’s vibrant future.