Best Public Schools in Port Lavaca, TX

The five public schools in Port Lavaca, Texas, part of the Calhoun County Independent School District (Isd), serve approximately 3,248 students from elementary through high school in a community where over half of students face economic disadvantage.

Jackson/Roosevelt Elementary is the district's standout performer, consistently ranking in the top 16% of Texas elementary schools with strong test scores across all subjects. In contrast, Harrison/Jefferson/Madison Elementary has seen a notable decline, dropping from the 82nd to the 59th percentile in recent years, particularly in 3rd and 4th-grade reading and math. At the middle school level, Travis Middle presents a striking contrast: while its 8th-grade math proficiency is low at 33.62%, its Algebra I End-of-Course exam proficiency soars to 88.46%, suggesting a highly effective advanced math program for select students. Calhoun High School offers stable but average performance, with a strong 96.3% graduation rate but proficiency in core subjects like Algebra I (24.6%) lagging behind state averages. Hope High School is a clear outlier: a very small alternative school with only 21 students, it spends over $30,000 per student and has a 3.5:1 student-teacher ratio, yet its academic outcomes are the lowest in the district, ranking in the bottom 1% of Texas high schools.

Key takeaways for parents include the wide variation in school performance despite similar poverty levels across the district. The "Algebra I anomaly" at Travis Middle shows that targeted programs can produce exceptional results even when general instruction struggles. Hope High School's high graduation rate (97.5%) suggests it successfully serves students with complex needs, even if state test scores are low. Overall, Calhoun County Independent School District (Isd) ranks in the 73rd percentile statewide, earning a 4-star rating, but families should carefully compare individual schools to find the best fit for their child's needs.