Sam Houston High School

Sam Houston High School in Arlington, TX, is a large traditional public high school serving over 3,200 students in grades 9-12 as part of the Arlington Independent School District (Isd), and it faces significant academic challenges with a 1-star rating and a student body where about 90% qualify for free or reduced lunch.

This school has consistently ranked in the bottom 15% of Texas high schools over the past five years, with test scores and graduation rates well below district and state averages. For instance, only 19% of students were proficient in Algebra I and 23.5% in English I Reading, while nearby South Grand Prairie High School saw 40.7% proficiency in Algebra I. The graduation rate hovers around 78%, compared to 93.5% at South Grand Prairie and 88.4% at Bowie High School. However, there is a bright spot in Biology, where 50.4% of students were proficient—the school's highest rate across core subjects. Additionally, the school shows relative strength for its English Language Learners, who rank in the 28th percentile, and African American students, who rank in the 21st percentile, though Gifted and Talented students rank very low at the 2nd percentile, indicating advanced programs may not be adequately challenging.

A compelling comparison is with John A Dubiski Career High School, just 3 miles away in the Grand Prairie Independent School District (Isd), which serves a similar demographic but boasts a 74th percentile ranking, a 99.7% graduation rate, and far higher test scores—like 56.2% proficiency in Algebra I. This contrast suggests that a career-focused model may be more effective for high-poverty students. Notably, per-student spending at Sam Houston ($8,862) is comparable to nearby schools, indicating that resource allocation and instructional strategies, rather than funding levels, may be key areas for improvement.