Each week, “Answer Key” aims to help families by responding to an important question about education and schools in Greater Houston. If you have a question for us to answer, please email us at education@houstonlanding.org or fill out the form at the end of this article.
This week’s question:
What does economically disadvantaged mean?
You may have heard the phrase “economically disadvantaged” before or even read the term in an article, including Houston Landing stories, but what does that really mean?
Across the Greater Houston region, school districts serve hundreds of thousands of students who are considered economically disadvantaged for a number of reasons.
In Texas public schools, the number of economically disadvantaged students increased by 200,000 students between the 2021-2022 and 2022-23 school years, according to an enrollment report from the Texas Education Agency, released in September 2023. About 3.4 million students across the state are economically disadvantaged — 62 percent of the entire population.
Here’s what we know about students who are economically disadvantaged and its impacts:
How does a student fall into this category?
A student is considered economically disadvantaged – also referred to as educationally disadvantaged – if they qualify to receive free or reduced-price lunch through the National School Lunch Program. The national guidelines for the program also include free or reduced lunches for families who receive federal assistance such as Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, homeless students, migrant students and students in foster care.
If you have a household income at or below 130 percent of the federal poverty level, meaning $40,560 or less for a family of four, your child is eligible for free meals.
A household income between 130 and 185 percent of the federal poverty line — $40,560 to $57,720 for a family of four — qualifies your child for reduced-price meals.
What else do economically disadvantaged students benefit from?
In Texas, parents who want to enroll their child in pre-kindergarten can receive free tuition if they are considered economically disadvantaged.
How does the number of economically disadvantaged students impact a district?
A district may receive more funding from the state if they have a higher number of economically disadvantaged students enrolled.
Funding depends on where a student lives and is separated through multiple tiers. Each district receives about $1,400 for a student on a low end of the scale while $1,700 for a student on the high end.
How many economically disadvantaged students are there in the Greater Houston region?
HISD: Nearly 80 percent of students at HISD are economically disadvantaged students.
Aldine ISD: Ninety-two percent of students are economically disadvantaged students in Aldine ISD.
Pasadena ISD: About 79 percent of students at Pasadena ISD are economically disadvantaged.
Alief ISD: Roughly 83 percent of students at Alief ISD are economically disadvantaged.
Spring ISD: About 85 percent of students enrolled at Spring ISD are economically disadvantaged.
Correction, Feb. 7, 2025: An earlier version of this story incorrectly stated the income thresholds for qualifying for free or reduced lunch.
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