Growing Population
How Many New Students Can Texas Expect?
According to the Texas Comptroller’s office, the State Data Center estimates that the number of public elementary and secondary school students will grow by about 900,000 between 2010 and 2040.
Texas already has the nation’s second-largest elementary and secondary school enrollment, accounting for 9 percent of the U.S. total. The state’s 1,031 public school districts, plus 332 charter campuses, serve approximately 4.6 million students, 20 percent more than ten years ago.
Texas has also seen a significant increase in the number of economically disadvantaged students in its public schools. In the decade between 1997 and 2007, the number of economically disadvantaged students rose from about 1.8 million to approximately 2.5 million. Today, more than 55.5 percent of all Texas students are identified as economically disadvantaged.
As our student population continues to grow, we must ensure that our state funding formulas keep pace with increased school enrollments.