Why Are Students Disengaging from School? A Closer Look at Houston ISD’s “C” Rating and the Social Media Shift

Houston ISD received a C grade from the Texas Education Agency for the 2022–2023 school year — a noticeable drop from the previous year. And they weren’t alone. Many school districts across the Houston area saw their scores fall, following TEA’s controversial move to change how ratings are calculated. After a 19-month legal battle involving over 120 school districts, the new ratings finally dropped — and the results weren’t pretty.
But maybe there’s more to this story than stricter grading criteria.

Let’s talk about what’s happening in students’ lives outside the classroom — and how that might be shaping their disconnection from school.

The New Dream: Success Without School?

It’s not hard to see it. Open TikTok or Instagram and you’ll find 16-year-olds talking about how they made $10K last month flipping sneakers, trading crypto, or becoming influencers. They’ve got ring lights, AirPods, and a perfectly curated feed of #hustle and #success.

And sitting in a high school classroom — especially when you’re being told that a test grade defines your future — starts to feel… pointless.

The truth is, students today are constantly exposed to a version of success that feels fast, flashy, and far from anything a textbook can teach them. Social media doesn’t just influence fashion or slang — it’s shaping how kids and teens define success, self-worth, and even identity.

School vs. the Algorithm

Let’s be real: school can feel slow. It’s structured, routine-based, and often doesn’t offer immediate rewards. Social media? It’s the opposite. It’s fast, rewarding, and always changing. The dopamine hit of a new like, view, or follower beats sitting through a 90-minute lecture on the Texas Revolution any day.

So when students feel like the world is passing them by while they’re stuck in class — when they see peers their age “making it” online — they start to question if school is even worth it. Not because they’re lazy. But because the version of success they’re being sold doesn’t require a diploma — just a smartphone.

A Warped View of Reality

The problem? What they’re seeing online is often just a highlight reel. Most of those overnight success stories are heavily edited, overhyped, or straight-up fake. But to a teenager, it feels real. And that distorted view is leading many of them to disengage from school — not because they don’t care, but because they believe they should be doing more, faster, and flashier.

What This Means for Houston (and Beyond)

The drop in Houston ISD’s rating might be about more than just policy changes or funding issues. It could be a reflection of a generational identity crisis — one where students are no longer sure if school is the path to the life they want.

As a community, we need to ask:

• Are we preparing kids for real-world success — or a version of success that no longer resonates with them?
• Are we teaching critical thinking, emotional resilience, and digital literacy — or just teaching to a test?
• And are we giving students space to dream big while grounding them in reality?

Because unless we start answering those questions, those “C” ratings won’t be the end of it — they’ll just be the beginning.

READ WHAT OTHERS HAVE TO SAY: https://www.houstonpublicmedia.org/articles/news/education-news/2025/04/24/519629/houston-isd-earns-a-c-from-the-state-for-2022-23-school-year-most-houston-area-districts-scored-higher/?utm_source=Sailthru&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=2025425_Newsletter_Houston&utm_term=Houston