HOUSTON ISD

HOUSTON ISD is the largest school district in Texas, serving 176,039 students across 275 schools in Harris County. The district experienced a 9.5% enrollment decline from the prior year, with a student-teacher ratio of 16.6:1 across 10,589.9 teachers. The student population is predominantly Hispanic (61.7%), with significant representation from Black (20.8%) and Asian (5.2%) students. White students comprise 10.0% of enrollment. Economically disadvantaged students represent 77.8% of the population, while 39.2% are English learners and 11.5% receive special education services.

Academic performance falls below state benchmarks. Math proficiency stands at 47.0% and reading proficiency at 52.0%, with graduation rates at 84.3% compared to the state average of 92.3%. The dropout rate of 3.8% is relatively low, though chronic absenteeism at 20.4% represents a notable concern affecting student engagement.

Financially, HOUSTON ISD operates on a $2,622.4 million total budget with per-pupil spending of $10,446, below the state average of $12,908. The district relies heavily on local funding (75.8%), with 12.8% from federal sources and 11.4% from state funding. This funding structure and enrollment decline present challenges for sustaining operations while serving a high-need student population with substantial English learner and economically disadvantaged populations.