In 2018, nearly 100 students graduated from Houston ISD’s Kashmere High School. After six years, five of those students had earned degrees from any college or university in the U.S.
At a handful of HISD high schools, including Kashmere, the percentage of students who earn college degrees after graduating is regularly in the single digits. Meanwhile, at the district’s top-performing campuses, approximately 80% of graduates earn college degrees in six years.
In total, about 29% of HISD students in Class of 2018 earned college degrees, up slightly from 28% the year before, although the overall rate masks large disparities in outcomes by campus. The six-year college graduation data from the National Student Clearinghouse does not include any students who graduated after 2018.
Many of the campuses with the lowest postsecondary graduation rates are either specialty campuses or consist almost entirely of low-income, Black and Hispanic students. HISD, like many other large urban school districts, has reported wide gaps in postsecondary student outcomes by race and student income for years.
Andree Osagie, HISD’s deputy chief of college, career and military readiness, said the district’s leaders will not be satisfied until all students pursuing higher education are earning college degrees.
HISD is working to achieve this goal and close achievement gaps by increasing students’ access to advanced coursework and ensuring more students are designated as college-ready when they graduate, he said.
“What drives our work is for 100% of the students that have demonstrated readiness and willingness to attend college to complete college within that reasonable time frame of four to six years,” Osagie said. “Yes, the data does not show that we’re there yet, and most districts in the state and in the country are not there, but I think for us, that is what drives our work.”
Here’s how the six-year college graduation rates for high school graduates in the Class of 2018 compares among all HISD campuses:
