Houston’s future depends on its classrooms. That’s the central message of the new 2025 Houston Public Education Snapshot report, which analyzes the city’s 688,000 public school students.
Produced by Good Reason Houston, the annual “snapshot” compiles early education, K-12 and postsecondary data across the region to track progress toward placing 45,000 students on the path to economic mobility.
The findings offer both encouragement and alarm.
“We believe in Houston’s future, and that future is built on public education-our most powerful lever for a stronger, more just city.”
Cary Wright, CEO of Good Reason Houston
A system under pressure
Houston’s public school landscape is immense, with 901 campuses educating 688,000 students, comprising 61%Hispanic, 20% Black, 11% white and 5% Asian. Yet, despite this diversity, outcomes remain deeply uneven.
The report underscores that systemic inequities start early.
Pre-K access, kindergarten readiness and early literacy rates vary sharply by neighborhood and income.
Good Reason Houston notes that pre-K enrollment, the “first entry point into public school,” remains lower than needed to ensure equitable early learning foundations.
By the numbers:
- Pre-K enrollment in Houston increased by 2%, from 39% in 2023 to 41% in 2024
- Kindergarten readiness increased by 7% in 2024, from 52% in 2023
- Meanwhile, reading and math levels in grades 1-3 decreased by 1% in 2024, lowering to 32%
Per the report, kindergarten readiness has dropped significantly, in part due to fewer students being assessed in Houston ISD, down from 13,000 before 2023 to 3,500 in 2023 and 4,500 in 2024.
Early literacy and math skills remain key predictors of later success, but current scores show only modest progress. Students meeting grade-level expectations in reading and math still lag behind pre-pandemic baselines, signaling the lingering effects of learning loss and the need for better-aligned supports in early grades.
By middle school, the disparities grow clearer.
By the numbers:
- Reading and math in grades 4-8 increased by 1% from 2023 to 2024, reaching 33%
- One bright spot lies in access to advanced coursework. 8th-grade Algebra I end-of-course (EOC) exam test-takers increased by 2% points, reaching 31%
“Taking Algebra 1 in 8th grade allows students to access advanced math coursework in high school, an opportunity known to be linked to postsecondary success,” the report states.
- EOC reading and math achievement reached 50% last year, increasing 3% from 2023
- Post-secondary readiness increased by 11%, reaching 60% in 2024
Good Reason Houston warns that the city must reorient accountability beyond high school graduation to focus on life outcomes, treating education as a continuum of care, which refers to the link between a student’s early childhood and high school experiences to postsecondary outcomes, including career advancement and wage attainment.
“These indicators are more than just data-they are a call to action. They challenge us to reimagine education as a continuum of care, one that provides integrated, coordinated, and comprehensive learning experiences,” the report states.
The postsecondary ascent
The most sobering data points come after high school. While Houston’s four-year graduation rate remains strong at 88%, few students transition successfully to college or career programs that yield living-wage jobs.
Only a fraction of graduates enroll in Texas postsecondary institutions within two years of high school and even fewer complete a degree or workforce credential within six years. Graduates who do finish a postsecondary program are three to five times more likely to earn a living wage than those without credentials, the report found.
The share of Houston graduates earning a living wage, defined as $42,158 a year for a single adult in Harris County, is still far below what is needed for broad-based prosperity. Using Texas Workforce Commission data, researchers tracked only those earning W-2 wages in-state.
By the numbers:
- High school graduation rate remained the same at 88% in 2023, with no changes since 2022
- Postsecondary enrollment increased by 2% from 2020, reaching 49% in 2021
- Postsecondary completion saw no changes from 2016 to 2017, remaining at 27%, while living wage attainment increased by 4% in this time period
Education as a moral and economic imperative
The report’s framework connects every stage, early education, core development and postsecondary success, into a single “cradle-to-career” pipeline.
The goal, per the report, is not just to measure outcomes, but to compel a regional mindset shift.
“Our collective aim is to equip students not only to succeed in school but to thrive in life — empowered to pursue meaningful opportunities and achieve lasting economic mobility well beyond the classroom,” the authors write.That call is particularly urgent for communities of color, who represent the majority of Houston’s student body but remain underrepresented in postsecondary achievement.
