Summary:
The Pineywoods Community Academy is a small, unified charter school district in Lufkin, Texas, serving 1,061 students across three schools: Sarah Strinden Elementary, Dr. Terry Robbins Middle, and Pineywoods Community Academy High School.
The standout school is the high school, which ranks in the 87th percentile statewide and boasts a perfect 100% graduation rate with a 0% dropout rate. It dramatically outperforms state averages in all core subjects, particularly in English II Reading (84.72% vs. 59.88% state). The high school also receives the highest per-student funding ($10,951) and has the smallest class sizes (14.8:1 student-teacher ratio). In contrast, Sarah Strinden Elementary is the lowest-performing school, ranking in the 57th percentile, with a recent decline in overall performance. Dr. Terry Robbins Middle sits in the middle, ranking in the 70th percentile and showing improvement over recent years.
A critical district-wide finding is a systemic struggle with mathematics. Both the elementary and middle schools consistently score below state averages in math from 3rd through 7th grade, while the high school bucks this trend with strong Algebra I scores. Reading is a clear strength, especially in upper grades, with the high school's English scores being phenomenal and the elementary school's 5th-grade reading significantly outpacing the state. The district serves a high rate of economically disadvantaged students (60.74% at the elementary level), but the high school's success demonstrates that this challenge does not dictate outcomes, suggesting its strategies could be a model for lower grades.
Thank you for your feedback!