A new state report says family income plays a bigger role than race or gender in whether Texas students earn college degrees. The study followed 400,000 eighth graders statewide and found only 16% of low-income students earned degrees, compared to 36% of others. Here in Wharton County, districts like East Bernard, Boling, and Louise outperform state averages, with East Bernard seeing two-thirds of students completing college programs. Even Wharton ISD beat expectations, showing that strong local support can help bridge the income gap in education.