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HIST 1993

Lower %EL Correlates with Higher School Funding/Pupil

There is a very clear correlation between the %EL in Texas Schools and the amount of funding that the school has to spend on its individual students.

%EL Range Avg Operating Revenue/Pupil
0-5% 13949.06
5.1-10% 12990.78
10.1-15% 12256.64
15.1-20% 12755.02
20.1%-25% 11963.98
25.1-30% 12103.97
30.1-35% 11194.38
35.1-40% 12307.36
40.1-45% 12408.47
45.1-50% 12198.00
50.1-55% 11572.57
55.1-60% 11931.50
60.1-65% 11594.67
65%< 11301.38

There might be a variety of reasons for this. One possible explanation is that students who are English Learners – especially for those whose native language is Spanish – tend to live closer to the Mexican border*, where there are fewer major cities and therefore lower amounts of funding.

Furthermore, there are fewer schools in districts with >65% of English Learners, leading to a higher conglomeration of English Learning students in a fewer number of school. 

It is therefore expected families with English Learning children would have lower opportunities to choose which school their children could go to.

*see Texas map with counties with the highest number of English Learners*