TEA data: Bilingual students enrolled in Houston-area school districts decrease

A majority of 28 school districts in the Greater Houston area saw a drop in the percentage of bilingual emergent students enrolled during the 2024-25 school year compared to the previous year, according to Texas Education Agency data released March 14.

The TEA defines emergent bilingual as “a student who is in the process of acquiring English and has another language as the primary language.” According to TEA, 24% of students enrolled in Texas public schools are emergent bilingual students.

The breakdown

Community Impact analyzed data from the TEA to learn how many emergent bilingual students were in 28 school districts across the Greater Houston area during the 2024-2025 school year. Out of 28 districts, only eight saw an increase in emergent bilingual districts.

According to TEA data, the districts with the largest decrease of bilingual students include:

• Fort Bend ISD, which lost 1,286 students
• Houston ISD, which lost 2,574 students
• Spring ISD, which lost 916 students

The following school districts showed a high increase in bilingual students:

• Cy-Fair ISD with an increase of 406 students
• Lamar ISD with an increase of 486 students
• Willis ISD with an increase of 155 students

Diving in deeper

According to TEA data, the school districts with the highest percentages for emergent bilingual as a portion of total enrollment for 2024-25 were:

• Aldine ISD with 48% of students
• Channelview ISD with 43% of students
• Galena Park ISD with 41% of students
• Houston ISD with 39% of students

For more information or to view the TEA’s reports, click here.