A recent nationwide study ranking America’s most and least educated metropolitan areas has revealed that several Texas cities are near the bottom of the list, underscoring growing concerns about regional educational disparities. Compiled by personal finance website WalletHub, the 2025 report compared the 150 largest U.S. metropolitan areas based on educational attainment and the quality of education, with four Texas metros ranking among the bottom 11 and one Texas city, Austin, placing prominently among America’s best-educated urban centers.
Why does this matter for Thai readers and observers of global education trends? Thailand, like the United States, faces persistent gaps in educational achievement between urban and rural areas, and student outcomes are deeply intertwined with economic development, opportunity, and quality of life. The findings from the U.S.—one of the world’s wealthiest and most advanced nations—reveal how pervasive and challenging it is to provide equitable education at national scale, and serve as a cautionary tale and learning opportunity for Thai policymakers, educators, and families.
WalletHub’s research weighed cities on 11 key metrics including the percentage of adults aged 25 and older with a high school diploma, college, or graduate degree; the quality of local public schools; reviews of nearby universities; and disparities by race and gender. Sources included the U.S. Census Bureau, GreatSchools.org, Education Equality Index, and WalletHub’s own institutional analyses (MyFoxZone; FOX 4 News Dallas-Fort Worth).
According to the 2025 results, these Texas cities were among the 11 least educated in the United States:
- Brownsville-Harlingen (ranked 149th out of 150)
- McAllen-Edinburg-Mission (148th)
- Beaumont-Port Arthur (141st)
- Corpus Christi (140th)
Brownsville-Harlingen emerged as the second least educated major metro in the nation, with both Brownsville and McAllen among the lowest in terms of adults with basic or postsecondary education.
Yet, in a contrasting success story, the Austin-Round Rock-Georgetown area finished 8th overall and was Texas’ leader in educational attainment. Other notable Texas metros included Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington (71st), Houston-The Woodlands-Sugar Land (85th), and San Antonio-New Braunfels (100th), demonstrating Texas’s vast spectrum of educational outcomes (MyFoxZone).
Nationally, the top spots were filled by university cities such as Ann Arbor, Michigan; Durham, North Carolina; Madison, Wisconsin; and San Jose, California, all known for thriving higher education ecosystems and strong K–12 foundations (FOX 4 News Dallas-Fort Worth).
WalletHub analyst Chip Lupo, commenting on the connection between education and long-term prosperity, stated, “While higher education does not guarantee financial success, it certainly correlates with it. The most educated cities provide good learning opportunities from childhood through the graduate level.” He also underscored the importance of closing educational gaps by race and gender, noting, “Only 15.66% of Black adults nationwide have a bachelor’s degree, compared to 23.89% of white adults—a gap that continues to reflect systemic inequality” (MyFoxZone).
Academic experts supported the call for systemic reform. A professor at the University of Central Oklahoma, advised, “We should devote much more attention to developing reading skills at the elementary level. Reading is perhaps the most efficient way to absorb new information.” He added that the post-pandemic landscape and rise of digital distractions have made nurturing literacy more formidable than ever. Meanwhile, an assistant professor at Seton Hall University pointed to policy interventions including anti-displacement measures and investing in mixed-income housing “as positive starting places”—strategies seen in cities like Toronto and East Palo Alto.
For Texas, the regional divide exposes underlying socioeconomic factors. Many of the lowest-ranked metros are in the Rio Grande Valley, historically home to large Hispanic populations, limited access to higher education, and significant poverty—issues familiar to Thailand’s Northeast and deep-South regions. Beaumont-Port Arthur and Corpus Christi not only lag in university attainment, but also face challenges in K–12 quality, creating multi-generational cycles of educational disadvantage (KFDM).
WalletHub’s methodology emphasized two main dimensions:
- Educational Attainment: Measured by the share of adults with high school, college, or advanced degrees
- Quality of Education & Attainment Gap: Rating public school systems, top-university enrollment, summer learning opportunities, and equity indicators
Each metric was scored out of 100, and findings were weighted to provide a composite ranking (FOX 4 News Dallas-Fort Worth). Suburban cities with strong K–12 systems and major research universities generally fared better.
For Thai readers, several lessons from the U.S. data are particularly pertinent:
Geography still matters: In both the U.S. and Thailand, opportunities are clustered in large cities and university towns. Bangkok, like Austin or Ann Arbor, concentrates resources and produces higher educational outcomes, while border or rural regions continue to trail in both basic literacy and higher education.
Early intervention is vital: Literacy and math gaps tend to emerge early and compound over a student’s lifetime. Thailand’s Education Ministry faces similar challenges and has rolled out intensive Thai-language and reading programs for first graders in underperforming provinces—echoing the American prescription for “developing reading skills at the elementary level.”
Economic stakes are high: WalletHub’s analysis and economic experts like those at the Economic Policy Institute agree: “higher levels of education generally lead to higher salaries, and the more graduates earn, the more tax dollars they can contribute over time.” This applies equally for Thailand, where limited rural educational achievement affects both national tax revenue and local prosperity.
Systemic change needed: Reducing educational inequality involves more than schools; it requires investment in community infrastructure, child nutrition, and family support—factors now recognized in both American and Thai educational reform debates.
In Thai society, there is a long-standing reverence for education, symbolized by annual Teacher’s Day ceremonies and royal patronage for schoolchildren. Yet even in Thailand’s most well-resourced schools, addressing learning loss during and after the COVID-19 pandemic mirrors concerns in the U.S. Policymakers must grapple with how to direct investment so that neither geography nor family income is destiny.
Looking to the future, researchers warn that post-pandemic disruptions, shifting labor markets, and new digital divides will challenge both countries. Texas, with its diverse and booming population, offers both a warning and a guide. As cities like Austin reap the rewards of innovation economies backed by strong universities, other metros risk falling further behind without bold interventions.
For Thailand’s Education Ministry, private sector, and civil society, the implication is clear: high educational achievement cannot be left to market forces or chance. National and local governments must coordinate to ensure early literacy, sustain investment in K–12, and build pipelines to universities and technical colleges outside of the capital. Community organizations and families, too, have a critical role in supporting students’ aspirations and closing entrenched gaps.
Practical steps Thai readers can consider for strengthening local education include supporting after-school reading and math enrichment, advocating for equitable school budgeting, volunteering as tutors or mentors, and engaging with policymakers to champion rural investment. On a household level, instilling a love of reading and curiosity is one of the strongest predictors of long-term success, whether in Bangkok, Khon Kaen, or beyond (WalletHub methodology explanation).
As the U.S. and Thailand both strive to prepare for an uncertain economic future, the rankings from Texas highlight the urgent need for educational solutions that reach all parts of society—not just those already advantaged.