Acala is a college town: 86 of every 100 residents are students
No college sits inside Acala’s boundary, but Western Technical College’s campus in El Paso, with 1,148 students on campus, is 34 miles from the center of town, and El Paso Community College is 41.1 miles away in El Paso. Across Texas, 6 of every 100 residents are enrolled in college.
From the U.S. Department of Education (College Scorecard, June 2026; IPEDS fall 2023 enrollment) and the Census Bureau’s American Community Survey, 2020–24. Straight-line distances from the center of Acala. Colleges are described, not graded.
What stands out about college from Acala
Facts about the town and its distance to campus; each college’s own figures follow.
What it’s like to live in Acala
How much the colleges shape the town, from the Census Bureau’s survey of residents.
86 of every 100 Acala residents are in college (TX: 6).
How students change Acala’s other numbers
Read the town’s other grades with this in mind. How TownRatings handles college towns →
Students who live off campus count in the Census poverty figures: 100.0% of Acala residents are below the poverty line, 100.0% when college students are left out (that estimate could be off by 0 points either way). 100% of the students themselves are below the line. In college towns, the Jobs & income grade uses the rate without students and leaves unemployment out.
The Cost grade leaves out the share of renters paying 30% or more of income on rent wherever students are a quarter of residents or more (86% here): it would mostly measure student incomes.
CDC’s estimates follow each place’s age mix, and Acala’s median age is 22.6 (Texas 35.6), so the adult figures describe a young population.
Crime is counted per resident, and students who live here count as residents. A college with its own police department reports its incidents under that department, not the city.
The nearest college to Acala
All 0 are public. Every other college is more than 15 miles from Acala.
Degree-granting colleges with 100 or more students on campus (fall 2023 enrollment, minus students who study only online). Admitted: share of applicants offered a place. Net price: the average a year after grants, for students on federal aid. Graduate: within 6 years (4-year colleges) or 3 (2-year). Earnings: median, 10 years after starting.
Questions about college near Acala
Is Acala a college town?
Yes. 86 of every 100 Acala residents are enrolled in college (Census, 2020–24), against 6 across Texas. The nearest campus, Western Technical College, is 34 miles away in El Paso.
What colleges are near Acala?
Within 15 miles: .
What is the closest community college to Acala, and what does it cost?
El Paso Community College in El Paso, 41.1 miles away. Tuition and fees are $4,080 a year for Texas residents; the federal net price, $3,206, counts housing and food at full cost.
Neighbors talk college
Students, parents, alumni and the neighbors next door.
Colleges: U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard and IPEDS (Scorecard 06/10/2026 · IPEDS 2024 · fall 2023 enrollment). “On campus” is fall enrollment minus students who study only online. Distances are straight-line from the center of Acala. Residents in college, age, rent and poverty (including poverty without college students, table B14006): U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey 2020–24. Colleges are described, not graded; the College town label marks towns where 15% or more of residents are enrolled. How TownRatings describes colleges →