AUSTIN, Texas (AP) _ A state report shows there’s an enrollment boom in Texas public schools, and the number of students from low-income families is increasing.
Last year, poor children made up 57 percent of the state’s enrollment. That’s up from 48 percent in the 1998-99 academic year.
The report from the Texas Education Agency also says Texas’ enrollment has grown 20 percent over the decade to 4.7 million students last school year. Enrollment in all U.S. public schools increased 8.1 percent.
Sarah Winkler is president of the Texas Association of School Boards and an Alief school district trustee. She tells the San Antonio Express-News, “Economically disadvantaged students have needs. The cost of education is going to go up. Every student has to meet the same standards, and some of those students have never seen a book before.”