Where Texas high school graduates go to college is tracked school by school by the Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board (THECB). Of 376,947 graduates of Texas public high schools in 2024, at least 164,756 (43.7%) enrolled at a Texas public college or university in fall 2024. Texas A&M was the single largest destination, followed by UT Rio Grande Valley, Dallas College, Texas State, and UT Austin.
What the data covers -- and what it misses
THECB matches each Texas public high school's 2024 graduates to fall 2024 enrollment at Texas public colleges and universities. That leaves out a lot:
- Private and out-of-state colleges aren't tracked. Students who went to Rice, Baylor, or any college outside Texas appear as "not found" -- along with graduates who didn't enroll anywhere. Of the 376,947 graduates, 179,838 (47.7%) were "not found" and 32,353 (8.6%) had ID numbers that couldn't be matched.
- Small counts are combined. A college is named for a high school only when at least five of its graduates enrolled; smaller groups are pooled as "other." Totals for named colleges are therefore floors.
- Only high schools with more than 25 graduates are included.
So 43.7% is the share enrolled at Texas public colleges -- not the share going to college at all.
The top 20 Texas public colleges for 2024 graduates
| College | Fall 2024 freshmen from the class of 2024 (at least) |
|---|---|
| Texas A&M University | 6,639 |
| UT Rio Grande Valley | 5,827 |
| Dallas College | 5,405 |
| Texas State University | 5,362 |
| UT Austin | 4,950 |
| San Jacinto College | 4,607 |
| University of North Texas | 3,968 |
| UT San Antonio | 3,883 |
| Austin Community College | 3,767 |
| Tarrant County College | 3,691 |
| University of Houston | 3,664 |
| Texas Tech University | 3,644 |
| Houston City College | 3,409 |
| Collin College | 3,168 |
| UT Arlington | 3,110 |
| South Texas College | 3,073 |
| Blinn College | 3,039 |
| UT El Paso | 3,003 |
| El Paso Community College | 2,665 |
| Northwest Vista College (Alamo Colleges) | 2,023 |
Ten of the top 20 are community colleges. Together they enrolled more of the class of 2024 than either flagship.
Where graduates stay in-state the most
Among high schools with at least 400 graduates, the median school sent 43.8% of its class to a Texas public college. Many of the highest shares came from the border region:
| High school | District | 2024 graduates | % enrolled at a Texas public college |
|---|---|---|---|
| Alexander High School | United ISD (Laredo) | 729 | 72.4% |
| O'Connor High School | Northside ISD | 619 | 69.5% |
| Sharyland High School | Sharyland ISD | 410 | 69.0% |
| Veterans Memorial Early College High School | Brownsville ISD | 522 | 65.9% |
| Eagle Pass High School | Eagle Pass ISD | 544 | 65.6% |
| Deer Park High School | Deer Park ISD | 967 | 64.8% |
| Roma High School | Roma ISD | 454 | 64.8% |
| La Porte High School | La Porte ISD | 429 | 64.3% |
| United High School | United ISD (Laredo) | 905 | 64.3% |
| Eastwood High School | Ysleta ISD (El Paso) | 545 | 63.9% |
A low share at a given school doesn't necessarily mean few graduates went to college -- schools that send many students to private or out-of-state colleges will show low numbers here.
What this means for you
- Use this as a map of Texas public options, not a college-going ranking. For paying for them, see Texas state financial aid.
- See which flagships your school feeds: UT Austin's top feeder high schools and Texas A&M's.
- Know the admission rules: most Texas public universities guarantee admission to the top 10% of each high school class, but UT Austin's line is tighter -- see Texas guaranteed admission.