IDRA Releases 40th Annual Texas Public School Attrition Study
Key Takeaways
- Texas high school attrition rose to 21% in 2024-25 after reaching a historic low last year.
- Texas public high schools lost nearly 96,000 students from a single class before graduation.
- Latino students accounted for 66% of students lost to attrition despite making up 47% of statewide enrollment.
- IDRA’s study marks 40 years of tracking Texas high school attrition and school holding power.
Resource from the Intercultural Development Research Association (IDRA), a nonprofit advancing education equity.
San Antonio (May 18, 2026) – After reaching a historic low last year, the Texas high school attrition rate has increased, signaling a reversal in progress as high schools lose more than one in five students before graduation.
The statewide attrition rate rose to 21% in 2024-25, up from 18% the previous year – the largest single-year increase in four decades of IDRA’s study.
Texas public high schools lost 95,984 students from the freshman class of 2021-22 by 2024-25.
Over the last 40 years, Texas schools have lost a cumulative total of more than 4.3 million students – more than the entire population of Los Angeles.
“This year’s findings show a troubling disruption in the progress Texas schools have made to keep students on track to graduate,” said Celina Moreno, J.D., IDRA President and CEO. “At a time when communities are investing in college access and economic growth, we must also ensure students are not being pushed out before they earn a high school diploma.”
IDRA released findings today from its latest Texas attrition study for 2024-25. The study, led by Christina Quintanilla-Muñoz, Ph.D., and Joanna Sánchez, Ph.D., marks the 40th year IDRA has tracked high school attrition in Texas.
Key findings include:
- More than one in five students (21%) from the freshman class of 2021-22 left school before graduating.
- Nearly 96,000 students were lost from Texas public high schools in a single class.
- Latino students accounted for 66% of students lost to attrition, even though they make up 47% of total student enrollment.
- Black students and Latino students were 1.5 times more likely to leave school without graduating than white students.
While attrition rates have improved overall since IDRA first began the study in 1986, long-standing disparities remain. This year, attrition rates for Black students and Latino students increased, continuing a pattern of inequitable outcomes across Texas schools.
Over four decades, attrition rates for Latino students have declined significantly, and the gap between Latino students and white students has been cut in half. However, the gap between Black students and white students has grown over time.
Each year, IDRA publishes its study of attrition rates, which are an indicator of a school’s holding power – or its ability to keep students enrolled and learning through graduation. IDRA is the only organization to have consistently examined Texas attrition rates for 40 years.
IDRA identifies key school policies and practices linked to higher dropout rates, including exclusionary discipline, in-grade retention, inequitable school funding, lack of support for emergent bilingual students, non-college preparatory curricula, and high-stakes testing.
“At the most fundamental level, students stay in school and perform better when they are supported academically and feel welcome, safe and secure,” Moreno said.
See the Attrition Study 2024-25: Texas Public School Attrition Study, 2024-25 – High School Attrition Rate Worsens with Biggest Jump in Four Decades
Quick Links to IDRA’s Attrition Study Stories and Resources
Attrition Study 2024-25: Texas Public School Attrition Study, 2024-25 – High School Attrition Rate Worsens with Biggest Jump in Four Decades
Infographic: Texas Public School Attrition 2024-25
Infographic: 8 Types of Dropout Data Defined
Infographic: 6 Policies and Practices that Lead to Higher Dropout Rates
Infographic: A Legacy of Valuing Students
Trend graphs: See attrition rates and numbers over 10 years
Frequently Asked Questions
What does the attrition rate show?
How many students leave school before graduating high school.
Why is this year’s decline notable?
The statewide attrition rate in 2024-25 jumped three points to 21%.
Do disparities still exist?
Yes. Students of color are still about 1.5 times as likely to leave school without graduating.
How many students did Texas lose this year?
95,984 students. Latino students accounted for 66% of students lost to attrition, even though they make up 47% of total student enrollment.
What helps keep students in school?
Supportive school climates, rigorous coursework, strong advising and equitable funding.
