When Del Mar College expanded a tuition waiver program that made college more affordable and more accessible for local residents, they found that many were eager to earn a college degree.
But more than half of those who signed up for the Freedom to Dream program weren’t ready for entry-level college courses.
Of nearly 1,800 fall 2025 Freedom to Dream students, about 975 needed to take developmental coursework in reading, English or math to gain the academic knowledge and skills necessary to succeed at the college level.
The Del Mar College program drew hundreds of nontraditional students years removed from their high school education, but statewide data shows that students entering college unprepared is a persistent problem.
According to a 2025 report from the Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board, more than 40% of first-time Texas public college students in fall 2023 weren’t college-ready. That included a quarter of students at four-year universities and more than 60% of students at two-year colleges. The data also shows that underprepared students are less likely to complete degrees or certificates.
The Texas Education Agency publishes data on college-readiness at Texas public schools. The most recent data available is from the class of 2024, which graduated two years ago.
Here’s what the data shows about the preparedness of Corpus Christi Independent School District graduates:
At Corpus Christi ISD’s early college high schools, Branch and Collegiate high schools, nearly all students graduate deemed college or career ready by the state.
This is because students at these campuses score highly on Texas Success Initiative assessments and SAT and ACT exams and take college-level courses while still in high school. They also complete more industry-based certifications and Level I and Level II certificates.
Veterans Memorial High School also shows high college-readiness.
But at Corpus Christi ISD’s other traditional high schools, some students — as many as about 29% at King High School in 2024 — aren’t graduating college or career ready.
For high school students who have their eye on higher education, one of the common necessary steps is taking the SAT or ACT. Many colleges consider SAT or ACT scores for admissions decisions and financial aid.
For the class of 2024, all Collegiate, Branch and Carroll high school students took the SAT or ACT. High numbers of students from Veterans Memorial and King high schools also took the exam. But less than half of Ray, Moody and Miller students participated in the SAT or ACT.
Bryan Davis, CCISD director of advanced academics, said that each campus offers free SAT testing in the spring and free ACT testing in fall. However, some campuses choose to test all students, while others make the testing optional. This is a campus-level decision.
Because participation rates vary widely across the district, scores are not easily comparable. However, for the campuses where about 90% to 100% of students participated, Veterans Memorial and Collegiate high schools had the largest percent of examinees who scored highly enough on the SAT or ACT to meet TSI college-readiness standards.
For campuses where a smaller portion of the graduating class participated, Ray High School had the largest percentage meet college-readiness standards based on their scores.
Texas Success Initiative data shows that for the students who are college-ready based on test results, more Corpus Christi graduates are prepared in English and reading than in math.
Though the state accepts a variety of pathways to college-readiness, from testing to dual credit, not all pathways have the same success rates.
According to a Texas Education Agency presentation, for the class of 2021, only 57.7% of students who demonstrated readiness through the SAT and enrolled in fall 2021 persisted in college through fall 2022.
That figure was 59.9% for the ACT, 55.6% for the TSI assessment, 41.7% for AP and IB students and 51.8% for dual credit students.
This article originally appeared on Corpus Christi Caller Times: Are Corpus Christi high school graduates college-ready? See the data.
Reporting by Olivia Garrett, Corpus Christi Caller Times / Corpus Christi Caller Times
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
