Aransas Pass Independent School District (Isd)

The Aransas Pass Independent School District (Isd) serves approximately 1,624 students across four schools—two elementary schools, one middle school, and one high school—in a small, economically disadvantaged Texas community where about 70.6% of students qualify for free or reduced lunch.

Aransas Pass High School stands out as the district's relative bright spot, earning a 2-star rating with a strong 92.9% graduation rate and the lowest free/reduced lunch rate (65.66%). In contrast, Charlie Marshall Elementary is the lowest-performing school, dropping to a 0-star rating with severe math struggles—only 10.17% of 4th graders were proficient in math compared to the state average of 49.28%. A C Blunt Middle faces extreme challenges in math and social studies, with just 14.61% of 8th graders proficient in math and 12.15% in social studies, yet its advanced Algebra I students achieved a remarkable 75% proficiency rate—far exceeding both district and state averages. H T Faulk Elementary has no available test score data to compare.

The district's most critical issue is a systemic math crisis that begins in elementary school and persists through high school, with proficiency rates dramatically below state averages at every level. Year-over-year performance is highly inconsistent—for example, 4th-grade reading at Charlie Marshall Elementary dropped from 49.17% to 28.81% in one year, while Biology at the high school jumped from 43.85% to 64.29%. Spending per student varies from $9,631 to $12,665, but does not correlate with performance, suggesting that how resources are used matters more than the amount spent. Additionally, a "5th grade wall" in science at Charlie Marshall Elementary (only 8.66% proficient vs. 29.57% statewide) indicates students enter middle school without foundational science knowledge, likely impacting later performance.