Best Public Schools in Somerset, TX

The Somerset Independent School District (Somerset Independent School District (Isd)) in Somerset, Texas, serves 2,392 students across four public schools, including two elementary schools and two high schools, with a strong focus on early college and leadership pathways.

The standout school in the district is the Shirleen Zacharias Early Clge Leadership Academy (SZECLA), a small high school with only 128 students that earns a 5-star rating and ranks in the 95th percentile statewide. It dramatically outperforms the larger Somerset High School (1,175 students, 3-star rating) in nearly every metric, including a perfect 100% graduation rate and 0% dropout rate compared to Somerset High's 89.2% graduation rate and 1.7% dropout rate. SZECLA also achieves 100% proficiency in English II Reading, far exceeding Somerset High's 62.58% and the state average of 59.88%. Meanwhile, Somerset Elementary is a consistently high-performing 4-star school, ranking in the 72nd percentile, with 4th graders significantly outperforming state averages in math (60.69% vs. 49.28%). The Somerset Early Childhood Elementary serves pre-kindergarten and kindergarten students but has no test scores for comparison.

A key takeaway is that economic disadvantage does not determine success, as SZECLA and Somerset Elementary both serve high percentages of economically disadvantaged students (78.91% and 82.82%, respectively) yet achieve top results. However, a significant performance gap exists between the two high schools, raising equity questions about how SZECLA's successful small-school model can be applied to the larger Somerset High School population. Additionally, per-student spending is inversely correlated with performance, with the lowest-spending school (SZECLA at $8,143 per student) achieving the highest outcomes, while the highest-spending school (Somerset High at $10,931) performs the worst. Finally, Spanish-language STAAR test takers at Somerset Elementary score much lower than English-language test takers, highlighting a need for targeted support for English Language Learners.