Laredo ranked worst city in Texas to raise a family

Click ahead to view the top Texas cities to raise a family, ranked from worst to best.

Laredo: No. 143

'Family Fun' rank: No. 72

'Health & Safety' rank: No. 124

'Education & Child Care' rank: No. 80

'Affordability' rank: No. 159

'Socio-economics' rank: No. 120 less Click ahead to view the top Texas cities to raise a family, ranked from worst to best.

Laredo: No. 143

'Family Fun' rank: No. 72

'Health & Safety' rank: No. 124

'Education & Child Care' rank: No. 80 ... more Photo: Christian Alejandro Ocampo Photo: Christian Alejandro Ocampo Image 1 of / 75 Caption Close Laredo ranked worst city in Texas to raise a family 1 / 75 Back to Gallery

Laredo was ranked the worst city in Texas to raise a family and was among the bottom half of cities nationwide by a finding from WalletHub.

The city’s total score of 47.37 gave it a No. 143 ranking out of 182 cities selected across the United States and last out of 16 cities in Texas based on five key metrics — Family Fun, Health & Safety, Education & Child Care, Affordability, and Socioeconomics.

Of the 182 cities selected, the 150 largest cities in the United States were featured on the list followed by at least the two biggest cities in each state.

“Compared with other cities across the United States, Laredo has consistently been ranked as a wonderful place to live and raise a family,” Laredo Mayor Pete Saenz said. “The City of Laredo is working diligently with our state and federal governments, as well as with educational and community organizations to move Laredo forward.”

Laredo ranked No. 2 in the Highest % of Families Young Kids, No. 72 in Family Fun, No. 120 in Socioeconomics, No. 124 in Health & Safety, No. 159 in Affordability and No. 178 for Highest % of Families Living in Poverty. A recent study found that the city faces a difference when it comes to income and rent.

Among the 43 metropolitan areas in Texas, Laredo boasts the second-lowest median income as it comes in at $40,600, according to the National Low Income Housing Coalition.

Renters in Laredo are projected to earn an hourly salary of $9.38, meaning they can only afford $488 per month on rent, per the study. That equates to a $369 difference between fair-market rent and rent affordability in the city going by the average renter wage.

READ MORE: Locals get free screenings, exams at Operation Lone Star

WalletHub rated Laredo as the 21st-safest city on the list of 182 cities in 2018. That factored into a No. 24 Natural Disaster Risk Rank, a No. 47 Home & Community Safety Rank and a No. 60 Financial Safety Risk Rank to help equate to a total score of 80.59.

“This study further proves what we already knew: Laredo continues to be a welcoming and safe city with amazing opportunities for our families, residents and businesses alike,” Saenz said.

Education & Child Care received a No. 80 spot on the list, highlighting an aspect that continues to grow. The Laredo Independent School District recently approved an estimated budget of $226 million and a pay raise from 5% to 6% for paraprofessionals. The district also said it would readdress pay raises for teachers and professionals in November.

Meanwhile, the United Independent School District unanimously approved pay raises for the 2019-20 school year above the required minimum by HB3, and their health insurance premiums and the district’s contributions also increased. The starting base pay for new teachers with a bachelor’s degree rose from $49,000 to $52,000. Teachers with 1-5 years of experience will receive a $2,800 raise, and those with six years of experience will get a $3,100 raise.

UISD is also adding $5 to the monthly premiums for the Core and Core Plus health insurance plans, along with upping the district’s monthly contribution $5. Each employee received $408.51 in contributions from the district under each of the plans.

“I think in our community, families put a great emphasis on education for their children,” LISD Executive Director of Communications Veronica Castillon said. “Everybody wants what’s best for their children, and I think our school district recognizes that. Our school district invests so much on providing opportunities for Laredo’s children. We may not be the richest city in the state of Texas, and we may not be the richest school district in the state of Texas, but we don’t act like it.”

Four LISD elementary schools were National Blue Ribbon nominees this year — Dovalina, J.C. Martin, Ryan, and Henry B. Zachry — In 2018, Kawas Elementary School was also a National Blue Ribbon Award winner.

“We are the only school district in the entire state of Texas that has four elementary schools that are nominated for the National Blue Ribbon Award,” Castillon said. “No other school district in Texas can claim that right now. These four elementary schools are located in four different areas of our school district. We’ve got one on the west side. We’ve got one in central Laredo. We’ve got one in south Laredo, and I think that says a whole lot about our school district.”

Additionally, the Hector J. Garcia Early College High School earned its first-ever recognition as a 2017 National Blue Ribbon School by the U.S. Department of Education, making it one of 26 total schools and one of five high schools across Texas to be recognized.

UISD was also represented in 2016 as an award winner as a National Blue Ribbon school and then was considered a high progress, high performing campus by the Texas Education Agency.

“I also want to say that we have teachers at LISD that stay there for their entire career,” Castillon said. “They’re dedicated, very committed teachers. I’ll give you an example: School doesn’t start until August the 12th, but if you go to our schools, our teachers are there already getting their classrooms prepared. They like what they do.”

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