Summary:
Terrell, Texas, is home to a single middle school, Herman Furlough Junior Middle, which serves grades 6 through 8 and is part of the Terrell Independent School District (Isd). With a large enrollment of 1,166 students and a high rate of economic disadvantage (76.5% eligible for free or reduced lunch), the school has consistently received a 1-star rating over the past three years, placing it in the bottom 21% of Texas middle schools.
The most striking finding is a sharp contrast in math performance. While the school’s standard math scores are critically low—especially in 7th grade, where fewer than 1 in 20 students (4.79%) were proficient in 2025-2026—its Algebra I program is a standout success. In the same year, 61.34% of students taking the Algebra I End of Course exam were proficient, significantly outperforming both the district (32.56%) and state (54.03%) averages. This creates a "two-schools-in-one" dynamic: a strong advanced math track for a select group, while the majority of students in standard math are struggling, particularly in 7th grade where proficiency dropped to just 4.79%.
Reading proficiency across all grades hovers around 38-44%, consistently 10-15 points below state averages, and 8th-grade social studies proficiency is only 17.89%. The school’s dropout rate (1.3%) is slightly lower than the district’s (1.6%), but overall performance has remained stagnant or slightly declined over time. The primary takeaway for parents is that while Herman Furlough Junior Middle excels at accelerating high-performing math students, it faces significant challenges in bringing the majority of its students to grade-level proficiency, especially in 7th-grade math and reading.
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