Summary:
The two middle schools in Carthage, Texas—Baker-Koonce Intermediate (grades 4-6) and Carthage J H (grades 7-8)—serve 964 students within the Carthage Independent School District (Isd), a community where over half of students are economically disadvantaged.
A standout finding is the "Algebra I Anomaly" at Carthage J H: while only 11% of 7th graders are proficient in grade-level math, nearly 96% of 8th graders taking Algebra I are proficient—far exceeding state averages. This suggests the school excels at accelerating a select group of advanced math students, but the general math curriculum struggles. In contrast, Baker-Koonce shows strength in 6th Grade Reading (57% proficient, above the state average) but suffers from volatile year-over-year scores, such as 5th Grade Math swinging from 35% to 55% proficiency. Overall, Carthage J H spends $1,543 more per student ($10,650 vs. $9,107) yet has larger class sizes (16.3:1 vs. 13.4:1) and lower overall math proficiency (26.3% vs. 39.8% at Baker-Koonce), creating a spending-versus-performance paradox.
Key metrics reveal a systemic "middle school slump" in math: proficiency drops from 47.5% in 4th Grade at Baker-Koonce to just 11% in 7th Grade at Carthage J H. Science and social studies scores also lag, with only 27% of 5th graders proficient in science. Because the district has only one school per grade level, these two schools directly reflect the district's overall effectiveness. For parents, Carthage J H offers a strong math acceleration track for advanced students, while Baker-Koonce provides a more consistent elementary experience but with notable ups and downs in performance.
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