Summary:
Big Spring, Texas is home to four elementary schools serving students from Pre-Kindergarten through 5th grade, split between the Big Spring Independent School District (ISD) and the Forsan Independent School District (ISD), with a unique grade configuration in the Big Spring district where students attend Moss Elementary (PK-K), Marcy Elementary (1st-2nd), and Washington Elementary (3rd-4th), while Forsan Elementary serves all elementary grades on one campus.
Forsan Elementary stands out as the top academic performer, consistently meeting or exceeding state averages in Reading, Mathematics, and Science, and it achieves these results with the lowest spending per student ($9,237) and the smallest class sizes (15.8 students per teacher). In contrast, Washington Elementary is a notable improver, climbing from the 6th percentile in state rankings to the 47th percentile, and it excels in 4th Grade Mathematics, where students outperform the state average by a wide margin (65.09% vs. 45.79%). Marcy Elementary and Moss Elementary lack recent test score data, making it difficult to assess their current academic standing, though Moss has shown historical improvement in its state ranking.
A key takeaway is that higher spending does not guarantee better performance, as Washington Elementary spends the most per student ($11,420) but does not have the highest test scores, while Forsan Elementary achieves top results with the lowest spending. The "feeder school" structure in Big Spring ISD means students transition through three schools, and the data suggests that students entering Washington Elementary in 3rd grade face significant academic challenges, indicating a need for stronger curriculum alignment between Marcy Elementary and Washington Elementary. Overall, Forsan Elementary serves as a model of efficiency and success, while Washington’s math program offers a bright spot worth replicating.
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