Personal finance website WalletHub compared the nation's 150 largest metropolitan statistical areas across 11 metrics — including quality of public schools and educational attainment — to determine the most and least educated cities in America.
The Brownsville- Harlingen, McAllen- Edinburg- Mission, Beaumont-Port Arthur and Corpus Christi metro areas took four of the bottom nine spots in the ranking. And although they acknowledge the challenge ahead, educators in those communities say the statistics don't define their towns.
Rio Grande Valley
Christopher Nelson, dean for liberal arts at South Texas College, said in an email he wouldn't have expected his home metro area, McAllen- Edinburg- Mission, or nearby Brownsville- Harlingen to lead the nation in education because the Rio Grande Valley is relatively young in terms of expanding access to higher education.
South Texas College, a public community college with an enrollment approaching 30,000, is turning 30 years old this year.
Jayson Valerio, dean of nursing and allied health at South Texas College, said the WalletHub study provides a sobering reminder of the challenges the Rio Grande Valley region faces.
"It's important to understand that these statistics don't define us, but rather, challenge us to redefine ourselves. We can, and we must do better," Valerio said in an email.
"But to do so, we need to leverage every resource available and work collaboratively across our communities — public schools, colleges, universities, businesses, nonprofits and local governments. Education is a collective endeavor that requires the input, support and commitment of all stakeholders."
The University of Texas Rio Grande Valley in Edinburg has created 43 new degree programs aimed at retaining the region's top high school students since the institution's founding in 2015, according to Patrick Gonzales, the university's vice president for marketing and communications.
"At the end of this fall, UTRGV should eclipse 50,000 graduates since 2015," Gonzales said in an email. "That's 50,000 new individuals out in the workforce with a higher ed degree in a span of eight years."
Corpus Christi
From graduating more than 2,500 students each year to working with the city to reach residents aged 16 through 24 with support for returning to school or accessing job training, Corpus Christi Independent School District does everything in its power to provide quality education to students of all abilities, according to Leanne Libby, the district's director of communications.
"In addition to a robust curriculum that follows state-mandated TEKS, our highly trained faculty includes counselors and social workers who help our students and families obtain the resources they need to create conditions conducive to learning," Libby said in an email.
The district serves around 33,000 students from pre-K to high school, who are offered free breakfast and lunch regardless of their ability to pay.
Texas A&M University-Corpus Christi is involved in numerous partnerships with the K-12 community in Corpus Christi and the Coastal Bend to facilitate the advancement of students into higher education, according to a statement from University President Kelly Miller.
"Examples include our dual enrollment program for high school students which allows them to earn college credits while still in high school; our engagement with science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) outreach programs aimed at inspiring K-12 students; summer camps held at our beautiful Island University in subjects like theatre, music, athletics, robotics, writing, and more," Miller said.
Many TAMU-CC students, Miller added, go out into the community as tutors and mentors for K-12 students, providing inspiration to those students to pursue a college degree.
Beaumont-Port Arthur
Lamar University in Beaumont, part of the Texas State University System, educates around 17,000 students and provides more than 100 degree options. Across the street from the university, Lamar Institute of Technology enrolls about 8,000 students annually and offers more than 50 degree and certificate programs in fields such as healthcare, energy, technology and public safety.
Beaumont Independent School District and Port Arthur Independent School District matriculate each year about 16,000 and 8,000 students, respectively.
No educators from those four schools responded to requests for comment regarding the Beaumont- Port Arthur metropolitan statistical area ranking as the 8th least educated city in the United States.
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