The Midland Independent School District partnered with a charter school operator to overhaul Travis Elementary. Yet that inequality, critics said, helps explain why many of the takeover trigger schools in Texas share nearly identical characteristics. Texas’ largest school district educates a population of mostly Black and Hispanic children, while roughly 80% of students come from low-income households. Since the state takeover in 2023, the Houston school district has seen drastic improvements in test scores. Disclosure: Texas Appleseed and Texas State Teachers Association have been financial supporters of The Texas Tribune, a nonprofit, nonpartisan news organization that is funded in part by donations from members, foundations and corporate sponsors.