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Humble ISD trustees received an overview of some of the ways students can earn college credits before graduating as the 2026-27 school year kicks off.
The details
Tong Utakrit, HISD director of advanced learning and services, provided trustees with the overview during the board’s Aug. 11 meeting.
Utakrit noted there are four pathways for students to earn college credits prior to graduating, including:
Utakrit said students earned the equivalent of roughly 43,000 college credit hours in the 2025-26 school year. He estimated the total amount of earned credits would equate to around $15.6 million in savings that students would have otherwise spent on college courses after high school.
“While I'm just the person that gets to come up here and brag about our successes, the kudos belongs to our students,” Utakrit said.
A closer look
AP classes in Texas allows high school students to take college-level courses and earn college credit by scoring a 3 out of 5 or higher on exams administered in May, according to the Texas Education Agency’s website.
Utakrit said the number of AP exams administered in the district rose from 4,801 in the 2024-25 school year to 7,103 in the 2025-26 school year. During that time frame, the number of passing scores on those exams rose from 3,083 to 5,031, he said.
Additionally, Utakrit said HISD students’ passing rate on AP exams were higher than state averages by:
“This is due to the teachers that are in the classroom investing in our students that we're getting these successful results,” Utakrit said.
Utakrit noted the IB program operates similarly to AP courses in that students are required to pass an exam at the end of the school year to receive college credits.
“It's important to note that the IB curriculum is internationally normed, which means our students engage with the same content that students overseas in other IB academies are exposed to,” Utakrit said.
In the past two years, Utakrit said IB diploma attainment has increased by 37% and the average number of hours earned by each student has risen from 13 to 21.
Also of note
Through the University of Texas OnRamps program, Utakrit said students can earn college credit by passing the UT college portion of the course they are taking.
“Students who pass the college portion of the course are able to receive a transcript from the University of Texas at Austin, and that credit is guaranteed to transfer to any in-state public institution, as well as any private or out-of-state institution that would accept a UT Austin transcript,” Utakrit said.
In the 2025-26 school year, Utakrit said more than 8,200 credit hours were earned through the UT OnRamps program, resulting in roughly $3 million in savings for students who would have otherwise taken the courses after high school.
HISD also has several partnerships with local colleges that offer dual credit courses.
“Similar to [the OnRamp program, students] take a college course, and if they pass the course, they get the transcript from San Jose State College, Lone Star College, or any of our other partner colleges for dual credit,” Utakrit said.
Utakrit noted more than 7,700 college credit hours were earned through the district’s various dual credit programs in the 2025-26 school year, with more than 54% of students taking the courses receiving “A” final grades.
Why it matters
Utakrit touted the students who have enrolled in various college-credit pathways.
“Every single time a student takes an advanced class, they're taking an elective,” Utakrit said. “They're electing to be challenged.”
