By Cary Wright, CEO of Good Reason Houston

The most important economic institution in any city isn’t a Fortune 500 company. It’s the public school system. A region’s economic strength depends on whether students are prepared not just to graduate, but to thrive in a labor market shaped by automation, digital skills, and constant change. That means competing for the high-skill, high-demand, high-wage jobs of the future. More and more, the future vitality of a city is being shaped not in corporate boardrooms, but in pre-K classrooms, third-grade proficiency levels, and Algebra I performance.

Nearly 90 percent of U.S. students graduate from high school—and Houston mirrors that trend. Yet only 25 percent of Houston-area graduates earn a postsecondary credential, and just 20 percent make a living wage by their mid-twenties. The pattern is clear: diplomas are being awarded, but too few students are leaving school truly prepared for what comes next. That gap should concern anyone who cares about education or economic growth. It reflects a fundamental disconnect between what schools are measured on and what actually determines students’ futures.

We need to raise the bar.

Are our students on a path to earn a living wage, and how do we know? 

At Good Reason Houston, we believe every school system should be asking one essential question: Are our students on a path to earn a living wage, and how do we know? This isn’t a rhetorical question. It’s a call for a clearer and more practical definition of success in public education.

We’ve identified 10 research-based milestones—from pre-K enrollment to advanced high school coursework—that predict long-term economic success. These are not just academic benchmarks; they are indicators of whether schools are driving upward mobility.

If economic mobility is the outcome that matters most, then school systems should be accountable for whether students ultimately achieve it. Living-wage attainment may be a lagging indicator, but it’s measurable, and it’s worth tracking. Solving that challenge would lead to smarter, more intentional strategies throughout the education pipeline, focused on preparing every student for a future of real opportunity.

We’ve seen this approach begin to take root in Houston ISD, the largest school district in Texas. The district has adopted living-wage attainment as a guiding goal and is relentlessly focused on preparing graduates for the economy of 2035 and beyond. There’s still work to be done, but in just two years, the district has shown what’s possible when goals, resources, and instruction are aligned around meaningful long-term outcomes. Pre-K enrollment is nearing all-time highs, helping more students start their educational journeys on strong footing. Foundational skills in reading and math are improving at an unprecedented rate. Achievement gaps are rapidly narrowing. A system that had long shortchanged too many students is now putting tens of thousands more each year on a path toward the higher-skill, higher-paying jobs of the future. These gains didn’t come from small tweaks. They reflect a bold shift toward setting the right outcomes and redesigning the system to deliver them. Houston ISD’s progress shows that transformation at scale is not only possible, but achievable when districts stay focused on what truly matters for students.

High School Graduation is Not The Finish Line

This shift is needed everywhere. School systems across the country must reimagine what’s possible by focusing on the outcomes that truly change students’ lives. If we want more students to access real opportunity, we have to stop treating high school graduation as the finish line we plan backward from. Instead, we should be making strategic decisions at every stage of the educational journey—from early learning through high school—with a clear destination in mind: ensuring every child, in every zip code, is prepared for the high-skill, high-wage jobs of the future. Not just jobs that offer a living wage, but ones that open doors to lifelong mobility and meaningful choice.

What’s happening in Houston is not just encouraging. It’s instructive. It offers a concrete example of how a district can reorient itself around long-term outcomes and begin to deliver real progress. And it raises a larger question for the country: as education systems continue to evolve, are we sufficiently aligning innovation with the outcomes that matter most?

The national conversation about education has been evolving for decades. The rise of charter schools, and more recently the expansion of vouchers and education savings accounts, reflect a broader effort to rethink how we structure and deliver public education. Emerging technologies like artificial intelligence will only accelerate that shift in ways we’re just beginning to understand. This evolution matters. It reflects an urgency to better serve historically underserved students and to create models that are more responsive, flexible, and effective. But as we continue to expand the range of publicly funded options, from early childhood programs and traditional school districts to charters and private school subsidies, we need a common definition of success. Are these models helping more students access real opportunity and achieve upward mobility? Shouldn’t any meaningful investment of public dollars be accountable to that outcome? The approach may differ, but the goal must remain the same. We cannot settle for systems that hand out diplomas without ensuring students are prepared for postsecondary success and real opportunity.

Changing a System Takes All of Us

Of course, schools cannot do this work alone. Employers must see students as tomorrow’s workforce and invest in supporting the education system accordingly. Policymakers must maintain high expectations and equip districts with adequate resources to meet them. Philanthropy must support efforts that drive systemic results, not just promising pilots that work for a narrow few. And communities must expect more and stand ready to help schools deliver on that promise.

The future demands more than a diploma. Education systems must provide more than access. They must deliver opportunity. Not just short-term improvement, but lasting results that carry into adulthood.

To help the next generation succeed, we must redefine success in public education and build the systems, partnerships, and political will to achieve it.