Best Public Schools in Alvin, TX

The Alvin Independent School District (Isd) in Alvin, Texas, serves approximately 10,218 students across 13 public schools, including 8 elementary schools, 3 middle schools, and 2 high schools, and is ranked in the top 25% of Texas school districts with a 4-star rating.

For parents, the standout school is Fairview J H, the only school in the district to consistently earn a 4-star rating over three years, with 6th-grade reading proficiency (62.87%) and Algebra I proficiency (92.73%) far exceeding district and state averages. In contrast, the other two middle schools, G W Harby J H and Alvin J H, struggle significantly with 6th-grade math, where only 5.56% and 3.95% of students are proficient, respectively—a district-wide crisis point. Among elementary schools, Bob And Betty Nelson Elementary and Mark Twain Elementary are top performers, both earning 4-star ratings, with Mark Twain showing remarkable improvement from a 2-star to a 4-star rating in just two years. Mark Twain also excels with its bilingual program, where Spanish-language math and reading scores dramatically outperform district and state averages, making it a model for supporting English Language Learners. At the high school level, Alvin High School has a 95.8% graduation rate, while the alternative Rise achieves a 100% graduation rate with intensive resources ($18,162 per student and a 5.7:1 student-teacher ratio), though its test scores remain below state averages.

Key takeaways include a severe "6th-grade math cliff" where proficiency drops from competitive elementary levels to below 30% at all middle schools, and a district-wide weakness in 8th-grade social studies, with scores like 20.57% at Fairview J H trailing the state average of 31.69%. Per-student spending varies widely, from $9,254 at Alvin High School to $18,162 at Rise, and the average student-to-teacher ratio is 14:1, with G W Harby J H having the largest classes at 17.8:1. Overall, while the district is strong, parents should note the inconsistent performance across elementary schools and the critical math transition to middle school.