Educational Attainment
As Texas grows and changes, so do the challenges facing it and our region. Texas still ranks 50th in the number of adults with a high school diploma. Texas ranks 44th for the number of children living in poverty. The percentage of Amarillo ISD school children who come from low socio-economic homes went up to 62% from 58%. Amarillo moved up a few spots on the Forbes Best Places list ranking 145th out of 200 for educational attainment (up from 149th in 2007). Our unemployment remains low, but so do our average wages when compared to other communities. Students will need some sort of postsecondary training or education to earn a living wage. "Only households headed by a college graduate saw their income rise over the past 20 years." (Council on Competiveness)
In 2007 P2020 released the Panhandle Imperative: Economic Implications of Educational Attainment in Amarillo and the Texas Panhandle.