Literacy in Central Texas

The need for literacy services is vast and increasing exponentially each year.

• There are currently over 100,000 Travis County residents with less than a high school diploma. There are currently less than 700 students served annually in GED programs in the county. More than 1,000 students drop out of school per year in Travis County.
• In addition, the Texas Department of Criminal Justice releases over 1,800 Travis County inmates without high school diplomas each year.
• There are over 100,000 adults in Travis County speaking English ‘less than very well.’ There are less than 3,000 adults in ESL instruction in Travis County each year. The number of LEP students in Travis County schools is approximately 33,000 and increases every year.

Literacy is the foundation from which Travis County residents can function meaningfully in society, avoiding incarceration or dependence on public benefits.

There are over 30 Adult education providers in Travis County, many of whom struggle to meet the growing demand for services, which provide very effective services to adults to improve their lives.

The Promise of Improved Literacy

It costs under $500 to prepare one person to take their GED examination in the state of Texas.  Therefore, an investment in a GED preparation class for just 5% of the Central Texas residents who lack a high school diploma would cost $16,283,500 but bring in additional earnings of $298,053,184.  In other words, every $1 invested in helping someone get their GED will gain them $18 in earnings in the first year alone.