San Marcos CISD is making progress toward improving academic performance on statewide benchmarks, Superintendent Mark Eads told board of trustees members during a meeting Jan. 28.

Looking over a Texas Education Agency report on student achievement and college readiness at San Marcos CISD, trustee Lupe Costilla said the district's performance was "bleak" in the 2011–12 school year.

"People are moving to San Marcos, and when they see these numbers, it's really unattractive to somebody coming over here," Costilla told Eads. "We need to focus and see how we're going to address those [students] that need help."

For English language arts, 50 percent of students in the class of 2011 were deemed college-ready graduates, compared with a regional average of 69 percent and a statewide average of 64 percent, according to the TEA.

In math, 58 percent of district students were deemed ready for college, compared with 72 percent regionwide and 67 percent statewide.

"We have bleak numbers again," Costilla said. "So what is the plan? Is there a plan in place?"

"Sure, there's a plan," Eads said. "We are moving forward, we're making progress, and we expect great things in the near future. We're not making the progress that I expect and that I want, but we're making progress and moving forward."

The TEA found that less than 14 percent of San Marcos CISD students were at or above the benchmark for SAT and ACT results, compared with 36 percent of students in the region and 26 percent of students statewide.

Find the TEA's academic report for San Marcos schools at https://ritter.tea.state.tx.us/perfreport/aeis/2012/district.srch.html.