As we close out 2025, we’re reflecting on the thousands of Houston educators, leaders, families, and community champions who showed up, spoke up, and doubled down on a shared belief: every child in every neighborhood deserves to be on a path to earning a living wage.
This year, we saw what’s possible when our city commits to its students. Here’s how Houston’s education community came together to drive transformational change.
2025 in Review
January: Uncovered Key Milestones in Student Success
We kicked off the year by releasing groundbreaking research at the Postsecondary Pathways Conference, where more than 300 education and workforce leaders gathered to explore the critical link between high school pathways and Houston’s evolving economy. Through our partnership with the University of Houston Education Research Center, we uncovered rigorous academic experiences—like completing Algebra I in 8th grade, meeting grade-level reading standards, and taking five or more advanced courses—significantly boost students’ chances of earning a living wage after graduation. These findings informed curriculum decisions, state policy, and even inspired a pilot program in Illinois later in the year.
read More about Connecting Pre-K-12 Experiences to Workforce Success
February: Advocated for Public School Funding
When the 89th Texas Legislative Session gaveled in, we took our advocacy to Austin. Good Reason Houston testified before the Texas Senate Finance Committee, making the case for high-impact public school funding with special emphasis on early education and compensatory education programs. We joined forces with education organizations across the state to amplify a unified message: investing in public schools is investing in Texas’ future.
March: Revealed Gaps in College Readiness and Fought for Transparency
Our analysis of College, Career, and Military Readiness (CCMR) data revealed both progress and persistent gaps. While 74% of Houston students met CCMR standards, significant disparities remained for Black students and emergent bilingual learners. The data underscored an urgent need: expanding access to rigorous coursework and quality instruction, especially professional certifications that offer clear pathways to living-wage careers.
Additionally, Good Reason Houston led the charge in organizing more than 20 education organizations across the state to file an amicus brief to ensure families, district leaders, and communities had the transparent and timely school accountability data they need to make informed decisions about student success.
April: Led the Conversation on Pre-K Challenges and Solutions
At our Powering Pre-K Luncheon, leaders from across Houston came together to celebrate and accelerate early childhood education. Because when we invest in pre-K, we’re not just preparing four-year-olds for kindergarten—we’re setting the foundation for their entire educational journey and, ultimately, their economic futures.
May: Celebrated Teachers, and Houston Schools That Inspire
We announced the 2025 Houston Schools That Inspire Awards, honoring four exceptional public schools achieving remarkable outcomes across all student populations. Ninfa Laurenzo Early Childhood Center’s immersive, schema-building approach to pre-K, Dr. Dixie Melillo Middle School’s culture of trust and creativity, Nitsch Elementary’s systematic excellence and dramatic academic gains, and Harmony School of Fine Arts and Technology’s achievement across every student group—these schools proved that excellence is intentional and replicable.
Schools were notified through “mystery box” deliveries, and during the reveals, we awarded teachers and principals checks as part of our Houston Loves Teachers initiative. During Teacher Appreciation Week, our spotlight on Great Day Houston celebrated Houston’s educators and promoted the “Houston Schools That Inspire” campaign, reminding our community that great schools start with great teachers, including one emotional moment when we surprised a teacher at her favorite bakery.
June: Dug Into STAAR Data for Student Success Analysis
The moment the Texas Education Agency released STAAR scores in June, our data and research team went to work, publishing rapid analysis to help families, educators, and community members understand what the results meant for students’ futures. The findings told a story of mixed progress: Houston-area students made strong gains in math and science—with nearly every district improving Algebra I scores and outpacing the state—but reading scores declined across much of the region. These Algebra I improvements matter because our research shows it’s a critical gateway to higher-level coursework and earning a living wage after graduation.
In July, we followed up with a comprehensive webinar that brought together educators, parents, and community leaders to dig deeper into what the scores mean and how districts can use these insights to accelerate student learning. We connected test performance to economic opportunity, explaining why Algebra I is especially crucial and where tens of thousands of students still need additional support.
July: Cited in Court’s Ruling to Release School Accountability Data
In July, our advocacy for transparency paid off. The court ruled to release school accountability data, directly referencing the amicus brief Good Reason Houston organized, noting that A–F ratings “are the only meaningful tool that ordinary Texans have for assessing public school performance . . . . there is simply no substitute for them.” This victory ensures families and communities across Texas have transparent data they need to make informed decisions about their children’s education.
August: Elevated Houston’s Teachers and Systems that Work
Good Reason Houston dug into newly released A-F school accountability data and then asked the leaders behind the numbers what’s driving their success.
We also launched the Houston Loves Teachers Leadership Cohort, investing in educators who are leading change from within their schools and districts.
September: Focused Houston on One Metric: Students Earning a Living Wage After High School
Our inaugural Superintendent Summit brought together leaders from Houston’s largest school districts to align on shared goals and strategic approaches. This historic gathering reinforced Good Reason Houston’s role as the connector—bringing disparate systems together around a common mission of improving student outcomes citywide.
We also brought the student success metric of living-wage attainment to the big stage when Good Reason Houston CEO Cary Wright presented education as an economic strategy at TEDx, making the case that student success should be measured by living-wage attainment, not just graduation rates.
October: Rallied Houston Toward a North Star
The ConnectED Luncheon on October 20th was more than an event—it was a defining moment for Houston’s education community. Over 1,200 leaders gathered as we released the 2025 Houston Public Education Snapshot and heard from Harvard University economist Raj Chetty, whose message was clear: education is our most powerful tool for expanding economic mobility, and the schools students attend can fundamentally change their life trajectories.
The snapshot revealed both encouraging progress—145,000 more students now attend A- or B-rated schools compared to 2023—and a sobering reality: only 20% of Houston graduates currently earn a living wage by their late twenties. This data point crystallized our North Star goal: double that rate by 2040.
November: Released Our Annual Snapshot and Championed Career Pathways
We released the 2025 Houston Public Education Snapshot, our annual data-driven report detailing student outcomes, key trends, and regional progress toward economic mobility. The comprehensive analysis serves as both a celebration of how far we’ve come and a call to action for the work ahead. We also had the opportunity to keynote at the HCC Gulf Coast Region Apprenticeship Summit, highlighting the critical role that professional certifications and apprenticeships play in creating pathways to living-wage careers.
Read the 2025 Snapshot
December: Empowered Parents and Students to Celebrate Literacy
December kicked off with “Lit Day: Literacy Leads to Opportunity,” a joyful Saturday morning celebration hosted by our Parent Action Network that connected the dots between literacy and opportunity for Houston families. Held at Friendship Missionary Baptist Church, the event brought together community members, parents, and an impressive lineup of partners—including Barbara Bush Houston Literacy Foundation, Neuhaus Education Center, Harris County Department of Education, CASE for Kids, and many others—to provide valuable literacy resources and celebrate reading in a fun, family-friendly holiday atmosphere. The event showcased the incredible work of our parent leaders who made this vision a reality, proving that when families and community partners unite around literacy, powerful connections happen.
As the year closes, we’re also focused on other critical foundations: analyzing pre-K enrollment data to understand and address barriers keeping 41,000 eligible students out of early childhood programs, and inviting our community to fuel this work through year-end giving. Because transforming Houston’s education system requires all of us.
What This Year Taught Us
2025 showed us that progress is possible, but it requires relentless focus, strategic partnerships, and unwavering commitment to every child’s success. We saw entire communities gain access to stronger schools. We watched districts implement bold reforms that are yielding real results. We witnessed educators, families, and leaders come together around a shared vision of economic mobility for all Houston students.
But we also learned that the work is far from finished. Too many students still lack access to rigorous coursework. Too many graduates still leave high school without the credentials they need to earn a living wage. Too many families still don’t know about the high-quality educational options available to their children.
That’s why 2026 will be about scaling what works, learning from what doesn’t, and ensuring that every child—regardless of zip code, background, or circumstance—has access to the education they deserve.
We’re kicking off the year strong with the 6th Annual Postsecondary Pathways Conference on January 29. Join fellow education and workforce leaders as we explore how to align high school pathways with Houston’s evolving economy and build on the research that’s already transforming how districts think about student success. Learn more and register here.
Thank You
To the educators who show up every day with creativity and care. To the superintendents and district leaders who are willing to try new approaches and hold themselves accountable for results. To the families who advocate fiercely for their children. To the business and philanthropic leaders who invest in Houston’s future. To the policymakers who champion student-centered policies. Thank you.
You are the reason Houston is moving in the right direction. You are the reason we believe that by 2040, we can double the number of students earning a living wage. You are the reason we keep pushing forward.
Here’s to 2026—a year of continued progress, bold action, and unwavering commitment to Houston’s students.To explore the full 2025 Houston Public Education Snapshot and learn how you can support this work, visit goodreasonhouston.org.
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