Despite the surge of economic growth and recent positive forecasts for job creation in this region, the Rio Grande Valley remains one of the poorest and least educated regions of the country. The future prosperity of South Texas will be strongly dependent on the success at providing an emergent supply of educated and skilled labor. This challenge underscores the overarching rationale for the ENCORE initiative: to engender a heightened sense of urgency of increasing college-ready students in the Rio Grande Valley.

About Hidalgo County

Hidalgo County is the focus outreach area for the ENCORE program, this county has some of the largest school districts in the Rio Grande Valley. In 2007, Hidalgo County had a population of 710,514 (Texas State Data Center, 2007), a 25 percent growth from the 2000 census. By 2040, the county is projected to have a population of close to 1.6 million people (Ibid.), more than double the current size. The increase of this projected population demands serious attention because the current educational capacity of this region may be unable to support the education and workforce training needs of this population boom. Taking in consideration that about half of Hidalgo County residents (25 years or older) do not have a minimum of a high school diploma or its equivalent, distinguishing it as one of the least educated regions of the state and the country.

In 2007, Hidalgo County had a total of 193,122 students enrolled across all 20 public school districts within the county, representing an increase of close to 40,000 new students since 2001 (TEA, 2007). Of the total number of students in Hidalgo County school districts in 2007: 97 percent are Hispanic, 85.4 percent are labeled economically disadvantaged, 67.8 percent are labeled "at-risk", 37.5 percent are labeled limited English proficient (LEP), and 26.6 percent are enrolled in bilingual education programs.

The median family income in Hidalgo County is $26,009 compared to the state average of $39,927. This gap represents a proportional difference of 53.5%, meaning that the typical family in Texas has a family income one and a half times greater than a typical family in Hidalgo County. Such stark disparities in educational and economic indicators highlight the prodigious challenges facing this region, but it also underscores the great potential for growth that exists as well. One other element to consider within the Hidalgo County community dynamic is the existence of "Colonias".

About Colonias

"Colonias" are communities along the U.S./Mexico border that are unincorporated and have little or no physical infrastructure. The Office of Colonia Initiatives within the Texas Department of Housing and Community Affairs (TDHCA) describes a Colonia as an "unincorporated community located within 150 miles of the Texas-Mexico border…with a population of less than 10,000…that has a majority population composed of individuals and families of low and very low income, who lack safe, sanitary and sound housing, together with basic services such as potable water, adequate sewage systems, drainage, streets and utilities" (TDHCA, 2008) .

Hidalgo County is home to over 150,000 people living in more than 900 "Colonias", the highest conglomeration of "Colonias" along the border, representing about one in five residents. The residents of "Colonias" tend to be young and predominantly Hispanic, who live below the poverty level, and who are employed in low paying jobs. An important factor to note about Colonia residents is that a large majority of them (over 85%) are U.S. citizens, most of whom are children of immigrant parents. ENCORE works in partnership with the South Texas Promotora Association (STPA) to bring awareness on the importance of higher education and college readiness to parents and students living in these "Colonias".