Amarillo Gazette

Of the 182 students at Richard Milburn Academy Amarillo in Amarillo, 175 (96%) "weren't on the academic track to qualify for college in the 2021-22 school year, according to Amarillo Gazette's analysis of test scores from the Texas Education Agency (TEA). To better understand these statistics, it's important to know what TSI (Texas Success Initiative) and CCMR (College, Career, and Military Readiness) are, as they are key indicators of a student's readiness for post-secondary education or career paths.

Primary data on overall student readiness in Richard Milburn Academy Amarillo is derived from the TSI's assessments, which evaluate student capabilities in reading, writing, and mathematics. Certain students may qualify for exemptions from these assessments. In contrast, CCMR focuses on preparedness for life post-high school, factoring in TSI scores along with other criteria like dual credits, AP/IB exam results, and more, to provide insights into specific subject performance.

In the 2021-22 school year, Richard Milburn Academy Amarillo's student population was made up of 182 students, of which two were White, two Hispanic, and two African American students.

Data shows that 20% of Richard Milburn Academy Amarillo 12 African American students, 3% of its 70 Hispanic students, and 3% of its 89 white students had "mastered" their grade level in the 2021-22 school year and were "on track for college and career readiness," as measured by state academic standards.

The TEA says students who meet, but haven't mastered their grade level are "prepared to progress to the next grade," but are not on a college track.

For the past two years, from 2020-21 to 2021-22, none of Richard Milburn Academy Amarillo’s Hispanic students have met the college readiness benchmark in Mathematics or Reading.

In 2020-21, the TEA noted that 139 Richard Milburn Academy Amarillo students - equivalent to 98% of the student population - were not on the academic path to college eligibility. This contrasts with 2021-22, where the percentage stood at 96%, marking a 2% decrease from the previous year.

Despite an improvement after the pandemic, Texas students are still struggling to keep a good performance and reach grade level in schools. In the 2021-22 school year, nearly two-thirds (60%) of students were below grade level in math and 48% did not meet the standards in reading language and arts.

According to Chandra Villanueva, director of policy and advocacy for Every Texan, one of the main causes for this is bad funds management. "Your average homeowner is like, 'Look, I'm paying more and more every single year. Why are my schools still underfunded, overcrowded, my teachers underpaid? Obviously, the schools are doing a bad job with my money,'" she said in an interview. Currently, Texas residents pay more than $70 billion annually in taxes destined to public education.

Gov. Abbott has been calling not only for an end to the main school property tax, but to use public money to support private schools. The initiative is called universal private school choice and, if passed, would allow residents to use taxpayer money to pay for their kids' private education.

"School choice not only improves education for every kid and every parent who chooses that pathway," Abbott said at the Texas Capitol on Oct. 16.

School	Total Students	% On College Track
Richard Milburn Academy Amarillo	182	96%
Richard Milburn Academy Corpus Christi	199	98%
Richard Milburn Academy Fort Worth	178	98%
Richard Milburn Academy Houston (Suburban)	160	97%
Richard Milburn Academy Lubbock	147	98%
Richard Milburn Academy Midland South	144	99%
Richard Milburn Academy Odessa	318	100%
Richard Milburn Academy Pasadena	116	99%
Richard Milburn Alter High School (Killeen)	146	98%

Source: Texas Education Agency.