Best Public Schools in Lavon, TX

The city of Lavon, Texas, is home to three public schools serving students from Pre-Kindergarten through 8th grade, all part of the Community Independent School District (Isd).

Among the three schools, Mary Lou Dodson Elementary stands out as the top performer, consistently earning a 3-star rating and ranking in the 55th percentile of Texas elementary schools. It leads the city in reading proficiency, with an average of 54.37% across grades 3-5, and is the only school where 3rd-grade reading exceeds the state average. In contrast, Nesmith Elementary is the most challenged, ranking in the 25th percentile despite having the lowest student-teacher ratio (15.4) and the lowest percentage of economically disadvantaged students. This inverse relationship suggests that factors like school leadership and teaching quality play a larger role than class size or poverty level. Community Trails Middle ranks in the 42nd percentile, but shows a notable strength in advanced math: 83.87% of 8th graders taking Algebra I were proficient, far exceeding the state average of 54.03%.

A city-wide challenge is mathematics, where no grade level at any school met the state average in 2025-2026. The middle school slump is evident, with 7th-grade math proficiency at Community Trails Middle dropping to just 16.79%, nearly half the state average. Overall, while Mary Lou Dodson Elementary provides a strong foundation in reading, the district faces systemic math issues that need attention from elementary through middle school.