TDLR staff report rising barber applications, falling exam pass rate; agency plans summer summit
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Summary
Licensing staff reported higher practitioner and establishment numbers and a large rise in online Class A barber applications; education staff and board members raised concern about a falling written-pass rate and announced a summer summit to analyze exam performance by school type.
TDLR licensing and education staff told the Barbering and Cosmetology Advisory Board on June 2 that practitioner and establishment counts are increasing and that online Class A barber applications rose sharply in early 2025, while written exam pass rates have fallen and will be examined in a planned summit later this summer.
Yvonne Lopez of the Licensing Division told the board the agency’s practitioner population increased from FY24 to FY25 (data through April 30) and that the licensing team receives about 500–600 emails weekly. Lopez said 479 Class A barber applicants applied online between September and December 2024; 631 applied online between January and April 2025. She said continuing-education information for practitioner licenses that expire on or after Sept. 1, 2025, appeared on the online renewal screen on June 1, 2025, and that the 2023 law-and-rules book image was posted around May 15 so licensees can identify the current printed version.
Simone Cortez, who presented education and examination statistics, said exam-taker totals increased in the third quarter and described exam updates: the examination review committee (ERC) re-referenced barber items to new Millennium Pivot Point books, reviewing 402 existing items and making numerous edits. Cortez said the Class A barber exam is set to be republished Sept. 1, 2025. She also said the division reduced an email backlog and processed about 6,000 emails dating back to September.
Board member Salvador Flores expressed concern about written-pass rates, noting that 2,878 people failed and that the pass rate had fallen to 48.94 percent from about 51.2 percent. Staff acknowledged the decline and described steps to analyze the issue.
Steve Bruno, deputy executive director for licensing services, said TDLR will hold a summit later this summer to study exam issues, including the written pass rate, and to break down data by school type — high schools, community colleges and private schools — because each operates differently and may need different remedies. Bruno said the agency posted a survey on the SHARES login to collect input on the written and practical exams and is considering options such as earlier eligibility windows for written exams in specialty programs.
Bruno also provided a brief legislative update affecting the program: House Bill 705 (the cosmetology compact) was sent to the governor on June 2, 2025, with a gubernatorial decision expected by June 22; House Bill 1778 passed and requires the commission to adopt continuing-education rules on identifying and assisting victims of human trafficking for license holders regulated under Chapter 1603; and House Bill 1560 (referenced by staff) concerns Class A barber continuing education and is in implementation work.
Board members asked staff to bring pass-rate concerns to the ERC and to provide further breakdowns. No formal vote was taken; staff described planned analyses and outreach to stakeholders.
