At the end of October, Good Reason Houston will host the ConnectED Luncheon—an annual gathering of more than 1,000 Houstonians committed to championing public education for our nearly 700,000 students. Surrounded by dedicated partners across government, education, business, and community organizations, we will unveil a new regional North Star: doubling the rate of graduates earning a living wage. Alongside this long-term vision, we will also announce a bold short-term goal—putting 45,000 students on a path to economic mobility by 2028.
As in years past, the ConnectED Luncheon will feature our annual Public Education Snapshot, which highlights the state of education across the region by the numbers. This year’s Snapshot introduces a new set of indicators that serve as strong predictors of postsecondary success. Focused on early childhood education, academic achievement, and postsecondary readiness, enrollment, and completion, these metrics form a comprehensive cradle-to-career framework that tracks progress at every stage of a student’s journey—and measures how the region is advancing toward the goal of 45,000 students on the path to economic mobility.
At the heart of this framework is the belief in an education continuum—the idea that a student’s experiences from early childhood through high school are inextricably linked to their postsecondary outcomes, including career advancement and wage attainment. By centering this holistic view, we aim to spark a critical mindset shift across systems: reorienting accountability beyond the traditional endpoint of high school graduation to focus on life outcomes.
These indicators are more than just data—they are a call to action. They challenge us to reimagine education as a continuum of care, one that provides integrated, coordinated, and comprehensive learning experiences. Our collective aim is to equip students not only to succeed in school but to thrive in life—empowered to pursue meaningful opportunities and achieve lasting economic mobility well beyond the classroom.
Pre-K Enrollment: Number of tuition-eligible children in quality programs
Kindergarten Readiness: Percentage of pre-K students meeting readiness benchmarks
Grades 1-3 Reading & Math: % scoring Meets/Masters
Grades 4–8 Reading & Math:% scoring Meets/Masters
Algebra I: Middle school students scoring Meets or Masters on Algebra I
End of Course (EOC) Reading & Math: % of Students Meets/Masters
Readiness: Achievement of SAT, ACT or TSIA benchmarks
Graduation: High‑school completion rate, including IGC considerations
Enrollment: Postsecondary entry within two years of graduation
Completion: Degree or credential earned within three to six years
Living Wage: Students earning a living wage 6 years post-high school graduation
Early Education
A child’s trajectory is shaped long before fourth grade. Early education experiences mold students’ academic, economic, and social outcomes. Measuring the education continuum subsequently starts by examining early learning outcomes, including pre-k enrollment, kindergarten readiness, and early reading and math outcomes.
- Pre-K enrollment: Pre-K is the first entry point into public school and sets a foundation for academic success later on. We’re tracking the percentage of 3- and 4-year-olds eligible for free public pre-K who were enrolled in a given year.
- Kindergarten readiness: Kindergarten readiness is an indicator of how prepared students are for school upon entering the public school system. We’re following the percentage of assessed incoming kindergarteners who met readiness standards.
- Early reading & math: Success in later grades depends on building the fundamentals early. Meeting grade level expectations on both reading and math by third grade enables students to build upon their knowledge and skills in later years.
CORE DEVELOPMENT
Success after high school requires that students establish a strong foundation in reading and math across their academic careers. Mastering core subjects and accessing advanced learning opportunities is essential to postsecondary success. In the “Core Development” portion of the education continuum, we track how well students are doing in math and reading, the percentage of eighth graders that take the Algebra I End-Of-Course (EOC) exam, and the percentage of students who meet postsecondary readiness standards. The emphasis on Algebra I is critical: Our research on postsecondary outcomes found that taking Algebra I in eighth grade allowed students to access advanced math coursework, which was linked to greater postsecondary success.
- Reading & math in grades 4-8: Students require opportunities to grow their skills in math and reading throughout their academic career. Meeting grade level expectations on both reading and math in elementary and middle school puts students on a path towards postsecondary success.
- Algebra I in 8th grade: Taking Algebra 1 in 8th grade allows students to access advanced math coursework in high school, an opportunity known to be linked to postsecondary success. We’re tracking the number of middle school students taking the Algebra I End-Of-Course (EOC) exam.
- EOC exams in Algebra and English: Meeting standards on math and reading EOCs on-time ensures students are prepared for high school graduation. This indicator captures the proportion of students who met standards on each of the Algebra 1, English 1, and English 2 exams by the end of their 10th grade year.
- Postsecondary readiness: Postsecondary credential attainment is critical to long-term economic mobility, so we must ensure students are graduating high school with the skills and experiences they need to be successful in further education opportunities. This indicator tracks the percent of students considered “College Ready” by the Texas Education Agency (TEA) at high school graduation.
POSTSECONDARY SUCCESS
Our education system must provide the foundation for meaningful college and career opportunities and economic mobility. We must ensure that graduates are prepared for economic mobility by accessing meaningful postsecondary opportunities and jobs that pay at minimum a living wage. We will track this by looking at high school graduation rates, postsecondary enrollment and completion, and living wage attainment.
- High school graduates: Students who graduate high school are more likely to enroll in postsecondary credential programs and ultimately, earn higher wages. This indicator represents the proportion of students who started high school at a Texas public school and graduated within four years.
- Postsecondary enrollment: Postsecondary credential attainment is critical to long-term economic mobility, and students cannot attain credentials without enrolling in some form of postsecondary education. This metric shows the percentage of high school graduates enrolling in a Texas institution of higher education within two years of graduating high school.
- Postsecondary completion: Good Reason Houston research has found that graduates with postsecondary credentials are 3-5x more likely to earn living wages than graduates without credentials. Thus, we’re tracking the proportion of graduates attaining a workforce certification, associate’s degree, or bachelor’s degree within six years of high school graduation.
- Living wage attainment: Economic mobility and prosperity requires students to earn at least a living wage. Our most distal metric, this indicator examines the percentage of high school graduates that go on to earn a living wage within six years of high school graduation.
By taking the step as a region to align around these measures, we can track the success of young people across the education continuum — from the first day of Pre-K to the first day on the job — so more students each year reach the outcomes that matter: choice, agency, and a brighter future right here in Houston.
