In short
How it works
- The state counts students every fall and reports the groups they belong to. These numbers are from the 2024-25 report.1
- “Low-income” here means “economically disadvantaged.” That mostly means a student can get free or lower-cost school meals.2
- “At risk” is a state label for students who may drop out. It covers many reasons, such as failing a test, being held back or learning English.2
- Groups overlap. One student can be in more than one group.
What the numbers show
| District | Students | Low-income | Learning English | Gifted classes | At risk |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Leander | 42,507 | 16.6% | 14.2% | 20.3% | 38.2% |
| Round Rock | 46,846 | 27.1% | 19.5% | 15.0% | 39.0% |
| Georgetown | 13,853 | 38.5% | 19.1% | 6.3% | 43.7% |
| Austin | 72,175 | 51.1% | 31.4% | 13.9% | 48.5% |
| Liberty Hill | 9,812 | 17.9% | 10.1% | 10.7% | 37.4% |
| Hutto | 10,667 | 41.2% | 18.1% | 7.5% | 53.5% |
| Texas | 5,530,499 | 60.5% | 24.3% | 8.7% | 53.5% |
Source: Texas Education Agency, 2024-25 school report for each district (fall count).13
- Leander has the lowest share of low-income students of these districts. Liberty Hill is close.13
- Leander has the highest share in gifted classes, about twice the state rate.13
- About 4 in 10 Leander students are labeled “at risk,” about the same as Round Rock and Liberty Hill.13
The other side
- A low share is not zero. About 7,000 Leander students come from low-income families.1
- Compare the same groups. Districts with different shares of low-income students are hard to compare on overall scores. Comparing the same groups of students is fairer. See peer districts.
- Gifted shares depend on rules. Each district sets its own way to pick students for gifted classes, so the shares are not a perfect comparison.
- Some money follows these counts. Fewer low-income students means less of some state and federal money, which is tied to these counts.
Changes to this page
- Nov. 2, 2026: Rewrote the questions to ask so each is open, neutral and addressed to the public body.
- Nov. 2, 2026: We checked every figure against its source. We reworded the other-side points so they stick to what the sources show.
Questions to ask
- How does the district compare results for low-income students and English learners with nearby districts?
- How does the district pick students for gifted classes?
What we still don’t know
- How these shares differ from school to school. This page uses district totals only.
Footnotes
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Texas Education Agency, 2024-25 Texas Academic Performance Report, Leander ISD (246913), Student Information, pages 28-29, membership column: total 42,507; economically disadvantaged 7,064 (16.6%; state 60.5%); EB students/EL 6,020 (14.2%; state 24.3%); gifted and talented 8,613 (20.3%; state 8.7%); special education 6,759 (15.9%; state 15.3%); at-risk 16,237 (38.2%; state 53.5%). ↩ ↩2 ↩3 ↩4 ↩5 ↩6 ↩7 ↩8 ↩9
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Texas Education Agency, 2024-25 Comprehensive TAPR Glossary, Student Information definitions of economically disadvantaged (eligible for free or reduced-price lunch or other public help) and at-risk (at risk of dropping out under state law). ↩ ↩2
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Same 2024-25 reports, Student Information, membership column, for Round Rock ISD (246909), Georgetown ISD (246904), Austin ISD (227901), Liberty Hill ISD (246908) and Hutto ISD (246906). ↩ ↩2 ↩3 ↩4