This paper analyzed the role of students having a same-race teacher on a high school student's short- and long-term outcomes. How is a student's academic achievement affected in the classroom with a same-race teacher and how is their likelihood of attending college changed by having a same-race teacher? Race-matching improves Black and Asian students' standardized test scores for that class and their likelihood of passing that class as well. Black and Hispanic students also became significantly more likely to enroll in a two- or four- year college with a same-race 9th grade teacher. Black and Hispanic students with a same-race 9th grade STEM teacher were also significantly more likely to major in STEM in college. This paper highlights the need to have a more diverse and representative teacher population and gives a concrete policy recommendation of increasing the ethnic and racial diversity of the Texas teaching population to better match the students that they serve.