News Summary

The latest rankings from Children at Risk show that charter schools in Houston have outperformed traditional public schools at middle and high school levels in the 2023-2024 academic year. Despite this success, charter elementary schools lag behind by 16 points. The report highlights both improvements and declines across various school districts, raising questions about educational effectiveness and offering insights for future policy decisions.

Houston

The latest rankings from Children at Risk indicate that charter schools in the Houston area have significantly outperformed traditional public schools at both the middle and high school levels during the 2023-2024 academic year. On average, charter schools scored nine points higher than their traditional public counterparts at the middle school level and 12 points higher at the high school level, demonstrating a marked achievement in educational outcomes.

Despite this positive performance at the secondary education level, charter elementary schools scored an average of 16 points lower than traditional elementary schools. This disparity raises questions about the effectiveness of charter school models at the foundational grade levels compared to traditional public education.

Ranking Methodology and Results

The rankings, published by the non-profit organization Children at Risk, which has been evaluating Texas public schools for nearly two decades, assess student performance based on state-mandated math and reading tests, as well as high school achievement data. The 2024 rankings reflect data collected during the 2023-2024 academic year.

For elementary and middle schools, rankings are determined using three critical metrics: raw student achievement, performance of students from low-income backgrounds, and year-over-year student growth. High schools have an additional metric that evaluates college readiness, providing a comprehensive look at students’ preparedness for post-secondary education.

Overall Trends in Houston School Districts

The recent Children at Risk report also noted an overall decline in average scores across Houston districts, dropping from 46.6 to 45.5 compared to the previous year. From the 92 districts assessed, 44 districts saw improvements in their average scores, while 38 experienced declines; 10 districts did not have previous year data available for comparison.

Notably, four districts—Tarkington, Cleveland, High Island, and East Chambers ISDs—were excluded from this year’s assessments, potentially influencing average state performance metrics.

Performance Improvements and Declines

Despite the overall decline, there have been significant improvements in individual campus scores within certain school systems. More than 80% of campuses from YES Prep Public Schools and around 70% of Spring Branch ISD campuses witnessed score increases compared to last year. This indicates that some charter school operators are successfully enhancing academic outcomes despite the challenges faced at the elementary level.

Conversely, performance declines were evident in several districts. For instance, in Deer Park ISD, 82% of schools reported score drops, while 72% of New Caney ISD schools also saw comparable reductions in performance. Additional districts where over half of the campuses experienced declines included Goose Creek ISD, Cypress-Fairbanks, and Harmony Public Schools – Houston North.

Expansions and New Evaluations

The 2024 rankings included more charter campuses due to prior geographic data constraints, thereby expanding the evaluation framework. Moreover, the rankings introduced 10 new districts for assessment, providing a broader overview of educational performance across the region and offering valuable insights into the shifts in school effectiveness year over year.

The information gathered through these evaluations is crucial in shaping educational policies and resource allocation as stakeholders strive to improve academic performance and overall outcomes for students in both charter and traditional public schools in the Houston area.

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Additional Resources

• Houston Chronicle: Houston Charter Schools Ranked
• Houston Chronicle: Charter School Children at Risk Ranking
• Caller Times: Texas School Performance Data
• KHOU: Mike Miles Charter Schools Investigation
• Wikipedia: Charter School