Baird High School

Baird High School is a small, rural school in Baird, TX, serving 140 students in grades 6 through 12 within the Baird Independent School District (Isd). The school stands out for its exceptional support of economically disadvantaged students, ranking in the 88th percentile statewide for this group in the most recent year—a remarkable achievement given that 55% of its students qualify for free or reduced lunch. This success is bolstered by a very low student-teacher ratio of 7.8:1 and high per-student spending of $22,637, creating a personalized learning environment that contrasts sharply with nearby higher-performing schools like Clyde High School, which has a ratio of 11.2:1 and spends significantly less per student.

However, the school faces a critical challenge with a significant gender achievement gap. In the most recent year, male students performed in the 72nd percentile (4 stars), while female students dropped to the 21st percentile (1 star)—a 51-percentile-point gap not seen in nearby high-performing schools like Eula High School or Clyde High School. Academically, Baird shows strengths in Biology and English I Reading, where it meets or exceeds state averages, but U.S. History is a persistent weakness, with only 52.6% proficiency compared to the state average of 70.2%. Middle school math also lags behind state averages, though 7th-grade math showed recent improvement.

Despite mixed test scores, Baird excels in keeping students on track, with a 100% graduation rate and 0.0% dropout rate for the last two years—outperforming even Clyde High School’s 0.6% dropout rate. When compared to nearby schools, Baird is a solidly average performer, significantly outpacing low-performing alternative schools in Abilene like Triumph Public High Schools-Abilene and Woodson Center For Excellence, but trailing behind Clyde and Eula High Schools by 15-25 percentage points on core exams. Its unique value lies in its intensive investment in students and proven ability to support its most at-risk population.