Baird Independent School District (Isd)

The Baird Independent School District (Isd) is a small, rural Texas district with just two schools—Baird Elementary (Pre-K through 5th grade) and Baird High School (6th through 12th grade)—serving a total of 348 students in a community facing significant economic challenges.

Baird High School stands out as the district’s strongest performer, boasting a perfect 100% graduation rate and a 0% dropout rate despite 55% of its students being economically disadvantaged. The high school excels in core sciences, outperforming state averages in Biology (72.22% proficient) and Algebra I (58.33% proficient), and benefits from an exceptionally low student-teacher ratio of 7.8:1. In contrast, Baird Elementary shows remarkable strength in 5th-grade Science, where 58.33% of students achieved proficiency—nearly double the state average—and also outperforms the state in 5th-grade Reading and Math. However, the elementary school struggles significantly in early math, with only 11.54% of 3rd graders proficient in 2025-2026, far below the state average of 44.33%.

The district’s most alarming weakness is in 8th-grade Social Studies, where 0% of students were proficient in 2025-2026, a systemic issue that demands immediate attention. Reading performance in middle grades is also inconsistent, with 7th-grade reading dropping from 50% to 30.77% proficiency between school years. The district invests more per student at the high school ($17,112) than at the elementary ($12,975), a strategy that appears to pay off in graduation rates and End-of-Course exam scores. Overall, Baird ISD ranks 591 out of 951 Texas districts (38th percentile), with Baird High School serving as a powerful engine for student success while Baird Elementary shows pockets of excellence but needs targeted support in early math and middle-grade reading.