GO DEEPER
We See You’re All About the Data. Go Deeper on this Challenge.
On the data
Texas ranks 37th in 4th-grade reading and 44th in 8th-grade reading — the lowest level since the test began in 1998.
Ten states score higher than Texas in 8th-grade reading: Maine, North Carolina, Oregon, Arkansas, California, Arizona, South Carolina, Mississippi, Nevada, and Florida. Several of these states once trailed Texas. They moved up the rankings through focused literacy reform. Texas can do the same.
Math, Writing, and Workforce Readiness
- Reading is the foundation. The same pattern holds across every core subject.
- Only 42% of 3rd graders meet grade-level math standards
- Only 35% of 8th graders meet grade-level math standards
- Fewer than 46% of high school students meet Algebra I standards
The Texas Education Report Card
Pulled directly from the Texas Education Agency’s own data. These statistics are not contested. They are the official record of the TEA.
- Graduation rate: 90% — 54% college, career, military, or trades-ready
- Reading at grade level: 49% (3rd), 35% (8th)
- Math at grade level: 42% (3rd), 35% (8th)
- Algebra I proficiency: under 46%
- English/writing at grade level: 57%
- Fully certified teachers: 56%
Source: National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP), 2024. National Center for Education Statistics.
On the profession chart
Every career has a reading floor — the level a student needs to enter the training, certification, or apprenticeship that leads to the job. The chart shows six careers powering Texas’s economy: petroleum engineer, cardiologist, software developer, registered nurse, wind turbine technician, and electrician. The cross-section spans energy, healthcare, technology, and skilled trades.
Reading thresholds are drawn from U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics occupational profiles and O*NET reading-skill scores. The Texas 8th-grade average reading level sits below the entry floor of every career on the chart. The plan is to lift it above.
Sources: Bureau of Labor Statistics, O*NET, NAEP 2024.
On our vision
Every Texas graduate should be ready for the future they choose — surgeon, software engineer, electrician, rancher, or something Texas hasn’t invented yet. The vision rests on literacy that opens doors, mastery instead of seat time, character cultivated alongside academics, and self-driven resourcefulness.
On the challenge
Texas spends $105 billion a year on public education. The funding formula is opaque, full of “golden pennies” and “copper pennies” and layered patches representing political infighting instead of the costs of services for specific kids.
- On the plan. Two big reforms for the 90th Legislature, all achievable without a tax increase.
- Study the Formula. Find portable alternatives to the opaque funding formula with a model based on a “FAFSA-style” digital account for every child so parents can see where their specific funding goes. Create a solution to match our changing property tax laws.
- The Million Word Miracle™. Structured literacy in K–3. Real books, not screens, for K–5. One million words of high-quality literature per year, grades 3–8. Dynamic grouping versus age and grade level progressions. Make progressions mastery-based.
