Education and Schools in Texas

Every state adheres to a different set of rules and regulations regarding education.  State governments seem to take varying approaches on almost every education and school-related piece of legislation.  Hot issues such as standardized testing, charter schools, teacher certification, and school vouchers are handled differently in each state.  This profile focuses on education and schools in Texas. District/School Information Texas Commissioner of Education: Mike Morath Length of School Year: A minimum of 75,600 minutes is required by Texas state law.******* Number of Public School Districts: There are 1,200 public school districts in Texas.******* Number of Public Schools: There are 8,759 public schools in Texas.******* Number of Students Served in Public Schools: There are 5,385,012 public school students in Texas.******* Number of Teachers in Public Schools: There were 362,193 public school teachers in Texas in 2017-2018.******* Number of Charter Schools: There are 177 charter schools in Texas.******* Per Pupil Spending: Texas spends $9,352 per pupil in public education. **** Average Class Size: The average class size in Texas is 15.1 students per 1 teacher.******* Percentage of Title I Schools: 79.7% of schools in Texas are Title I Schools.**** Percentage With Individualized Education Programs (IEP): 8.9% of students in Texas are on IEPs.**** Percentage in Limited-English Proficiency Programs: 17.2% of students in Texas are in limited-English Proficient Programs.**** Percentage of Student Eligible for Free/Reduced Lunches: 58.9% of students in Texas schools are eligible for free/reduced lunches.**** Ethnic/Racial Student Breakdown:**** White: 28.1% Black: 12.6% Hispanic: 52.4% Asian: 4.2% Pacific Islander: 0.1% American Indian/Alaskan Native: 0.4% Two or more races: 2.2% School Assessment Data Graduation Rate: 89.7% of all students entering high school in Texas graduate.******* Average ACT/SAT scores: Average ACT Composite Score: 20.7*** Average Combined SAT Score: 1032***** 2017 Grade 8 National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP) assessment scores:**** Math: 282 is the scaled score for 8th-grade students in Texas. The U.S. average was 282. Reading: 260 is the scaled score for 8th-grade students in Texas. The U.S. average was 265. Percentage of Students Who Enrolled in College After High School: 58.7% of students in Texas went on to attend some level of college in 2014.* Six-Year College Graduation Rate: 60.9% of public university students in Texas graduates within six years.***** Private Schools Number of Private Schools: There are 1,330 private schools in Texas.** Number of Students Served in Private Schools: There are 194,576 private school students in Texas.** Homeschooling Number of Students Served Through Homeschooling: There were 142,993 students that were home-schooled in Texas in 2017.# Teacher Pay The average teacher pay for the state of Texas was $54,122 in 2018.******* The state of Texas has a teacher’s minimum salary schedule. However, some districts may negotiate salaries with their teachers.    *Data courtesy of NCHEMS Information Center for Higher Education Policymaking and Analysis **Data courtesy of Texas Private School Accreditation Commission ***Data courtesy of ACT ****Data courtesy of the National Center for Education Statistics *****Data courtesy of College Board ******Data courtesy of Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board *******Data courtesy of Texas Education Agency #Data courtesy of A2ZHomeschooling.com ##Disclaimer:  The information provided on this page changes frequently.  It will be updated regularly as new information and data becomes available.