By GvilleTX Newsroom
North Central Texas College's 16-week and first 8-week Fall 2026 classes began Aug. 24 at its campuses with college records showing modest improvement in student outcomes, while the Board of Regents is scheduled Aug. 31 to consider the next budget and a proposed ad valorem tax rate. For Gainesville and Cooke County readers, the records matter because NCTC is a community-college option close to home, and its budget includes both tuition and tax lines.
NCTC's 2024-25 Fact Book reports better fall course success and stronger fall-to-fall retention in 2024. The college defines course success as earning a C or better. Its student-achievement page says NCTC measures student success through course completion, graduation rates, licensure exams, employment rates and job-placement data.
| Student measure | NCTC record |
| --- | --- |
| Fall course success | 74.4% in 2022; 75.8% in 2024 |
| Fall-to-fall retention | 41.1% in 2023; 43.15% in 2024 |
| Fall and Spring 2024-25 awards | 1,457 degrees and certificates; 555 in high-demand fields |
| Fall 2024 enrollment | 8,101 students |
The award numbers carry added meaning under Texas' current community-college finance system. The Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board says laws passed in 2023 and 2025 moved community-college funding away from a class-time model and toward an outcomes-based formula tied to state higher-education and workforce goals. The agency says the formula rewards credentials, transfer progress and dual-credit completion, with added weight for students from economically disadvantaged, academically disadvantaged and adult learner backgrounds.
NCTC's budget documents show pressure on academic appropriations even as the college plans for a larger overall budget. The 2025-26 operating budget also shows a higher amount budgeted from taxes for current operations.
| Budget line | 2024-25 | 2025-26 |
| --- | ---: | ---: |
| Academic appropriations | $15,406,693 | $13,697,546 |
| Total planned sources | $73,470,221 | $78,903,011 |
| Total planned uses | $73,470,697 | $78,865,326 |
| Taxes for current operations | $4,250,000 | $5,100,000 |
The Aug. 31 regents agenda lists action items on the 2026-27 NCTC budget and the proposed 2026-27 ad valorem tax rate. The posted agenda also lists a chancellor's report by Dr. Wallace.
NCTC identifies Dr. G. Brent Wallace as chancellor and CEO. The college says Wallace became the district's 11th president and first chancellor in August 2014.
Affordability remains part of the local picture. NCTC's financial-aid page estimates a 30-credit-hour annual tuition-and-fee cost at about $3,400 for an in-district student, and its dual-credit page says public high-school students verified through the state as qualifying for free and reduced lunch may take dual credit at no cost. Tuition pages for Grayson, Collin, Dallas and Weatherford colleges also publish different rates by residency, showing how local tax support and service-area lines can affect what students pay.
THECB also listed NCTC among July TRUE Grant recipients for workforce-development efforts. The state agency says the TRUE program supports short-duration, high-value, industry-aligned credential programs.
_Editor's note: Everyone charged with a crime is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty in a court of law._
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