Summary:
The Commerce Independent School District (Isd) in Commerce, Texas, serves 1,542 students across four schools—Commerce High School, Commerce Middle, Commerce Elementary, and Albert C Williams Elementary—and ranks in the 5th percentile statewide, reflecting significant academic challenges tied to high economic disadvantage, with over 70% of students eligible for free or reduced lunch.
Among the schools, Commerce Middle stands out as a bright spot in mathematics: its 8th graders achieved a 61.9% proficiency rate on the Algebra I End-of-Course exam, surpassing both the district average (41.82%) and the state average (54.03%). However, this success contrasts sharply with the school’s overall math struggles, such as only 3.8% proficiency in 7th-grade math. Commerce High School is the most consistent performer, with a graduation rate of 91.9% and a dropout rate of 1.9% near state averages, though its test scores remain below state benchmarks. Albert C Williams Elementary shows the steepest decline, dropping from the 20th to the 4th percentile in state ranking over three years, while Commerce Elementary has the highest economic disadvantage rate at 77.44%.
Key metrics reveal a district-wide struggle with mathematics, with proficiency rates 15–30 points below state averages in core subjects. Despite favorable student-teacher ratios (averaging 13.2:1) and spending over $13,000 per student, outcomes remain in the bottom 5% of Texas, suggesting resources may not be effectively allocated. The graduation rate at Commerce High School is a silver lining, indicating strong student retention. Inconsistent performance across grade levels—like the volatile reading scores at Albert C Williams Elementary—points to a need for stable, school-wide instructional systems rather than reliance on individual teachers or cohorts.
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