Are area graduates ready for college?

A Dallas Morning News analysis of 2009 college readiness rates for Texas high schools statistically removed the influences of poverty and other student challenges to show which campuses are turning out as many college-ready graduates as they should be and which are not. The map shows the college-readiness rates for graduates from 118 high schools in the immediate Dallas-Fort Worth area.

DENTON CO. COLLIN CO.

35

377

380

380

380

35W

Percentage of graduates ready for college

(Shown by graduated symbol)
635 377 635 30

20% or less

21% to 40%

41% to 60%

61% to 80%

81% to 100%

820

35E

ROCKWALL CO.

Poverty level for schools

(Shown by shading of border on school symbol) Low poverty Medium poverty High poverty
20 30

20

N 5 miles

NOTE: Not all schools may be visible because of close proximity and, in some cases, shared facilities. Schools in outlying areas or schools with less than 30 graduates are not included.
35W

20

SOURCES: Texas Education Agency; ESRI; North Central Texas Council of Governments

TARRANT CO.

35E

45
DALLAS CO.

Comparing high schools in the Dallas-Fort Worth area

Below is a look at how area high schools rate on whether graduates are ready for college. Schools are grouped based on poverty rates, then by district and then by school name.
Low poverty: 25 percent or fewer students in poverty Medium poverty: 25.1 percent to 50 percent in poverty High poverty: More than 50 percent in poverty
Percentage of graduates ready for college Outcome: Whether the number of college-ready graduates Percentage of students at risk of dropping out Percentage of students living in poverty was greater than the statistically expected number met the statistically expected number was below the statistically expected number

LOW POVERTY
Pct. ready for college

MEDIUM POVERTY
0 20% 40% 60% 80% 100% Pct. at risk Pct. poor Pct. ready for college Outcome

HIGH POVERTY
Pct. at risk Pct. poor Pct. ready for college Outcome

District Allen Arlington Carroll Celina Coppell Dallas Denton Frisco

School Allen Martin Carroll Senior Celina Coppell Middle College Guyer Centennial Frisco Liberty Wakeland

District CarrolltonFB Cedar Hill Dallas

School 0 Smith Cedar Hill Booker T. Wash. SPVA Magnet

20% 40% 60% 80% 100%

District Dallas

School 0 Madison Molina North Dallas Pinkston Roosevelt Samuell

20% 40% 60% 80% 100%

Pct. at risk

Pct. poor

Outcome

School for the Talented and Gifted Denton Denton Ryan DeSoto Fort Worth DeSoto Arlington Heights Paschal Southwest Western Hills Garland Garland Lakeview Centennial Naaman Forest Sachse Grand Prairie H-E-B South Grand Prairie Bell (L.D.) Trinity Lewisville Lewisville The Colony Little Elm Mansfield Little Elm Mansfield Timberview Summit Mesquite Horn Mesquite North Mesquite Poteet Richardson Berkner Lake Highlands Richardson Garland
0 0 20% 40% 60% 80% 100% 20% 40% 60% 80% 100%

Sanders Law Magnet (Judge Barefoot ) School of Business and Management School of Education and Social Services School of Health Professions School of Science and Engineering Seagoville Skyline Smith (A. Maceo) South Oak Cliff Spruce Sunset White (W.T.) Wilson (Woodrow) Duncanville Duncanville Fort Worth CarterRiverside

Garland GrapevineColleyville

Rowlett Colleyville Heritage Grapevine

Highland Park Lake Dallas Lewisville

Highland Park Lake Dallas Flower Mound Hebron Marcus

Mansfield

Mansfield Mansfield Legacy

McKinney

McKinney McKinney Boyd McKinney North

Diamond HillJarvis Dunbar Eastern Hills North Side Polytechnic South Hills Trimble Technical Wyatt North Garland South Garland Grand Prairie Irving Grand Prairie Irving MacArthur Nimitz Singley Academy (Jack E.) Lancaster Mesquite Lancaster West Mesquite
0 20% 40% 60% 80% 100%

North Hills North Hills Preparatory Prep Plano Plano Plano East Plano West Prosper Richardson Prosper Pearce

Richland Richland Coll. HS College of Math & Sci. Rockwall Rockwall

HIGH POVERTY
Arlington CarrolltonFB Dallas
0 0 20% 40% 60% 80% 100% 20% 40% 60% 80% 100% Pct. at risk Pct. poor

Pct. at risk

Pct. poor

Outcome

Houston (Sam) Turner Adams (Bryan) Adamson Carter Conrad Hillcrest Jefferson (Thomas) Kimball

Rockwall-Heath Wylie Wylie

MEDIUM POVERTY
Arlington Arlington Bowie Lamar Seguin CarrolltonFB Creekview Ranchview

Outcome

NOTES: Data from the 2008-09 academic year was analyzed. Only traditional Texas public high schools with at least 30 graduates were studied.
0 20% 40% 60% 80% 100%

Lincoln Humanities/ Communications

0 20% 40% 60% 80% 100%

Some of the newer high schools and charter schools did not have college readiness statistics yet.
Analysis of Texas Education Agency data by Holly K. Hacker/Staff Writer; graphic by Tom Setzer/Staff Artist

SOURCES: Texas Education Agency; ESRI; North Central Texas Council of Governments