Summary:
The Bandera Independent School District (Isd) is a small, rural district in Texas serving about 2,218 students across four schools: two elementary schools (Alkek Elementary and Hill Country Elementary), one middle school (Bandera Middle), and one high school (Bandera High School). The district ranks in the 41st percentile statewide, earning a 2-star rating, and a significant portion of students (about 51%) are economically disadvantaged, which provides important context for understanding test scores.
Bandera Middle School is the district's academic standout, ranking in the 55th percentile (3-star) and showing exceptional strength in advanced coursework—100% of its students taking the Biology End-of-Course exam were proficient, and 82.93% were proficient in Algebra I. In contrast, Alkek Elementary has declined sharply, dropping from the 47th percentile to the 24th percentile (1-star) over three years, while Hill Country Elementary is on a strong upward trajectory, jumping from the 15th to the 40th percentile (2-star) in the same period. Bandera High School is the most consistent performer, with a solid 93.4% graduation rate and rankings hovering around the 47th to 51st percentile.
A key finding is that elementary math is a district-wide weakness, with both elementary schools scoring well below state averages in 3rd, 4th, and 5th-grade math. However, Bandera High School shines in science, meeting or exceeding state averages in Biology and U.S. History. Another interesting pattern is the "middle school effect" at Bandera Middle, where 7th-grade math proficiency is low (17.14%) but 8th-grade math jumps to 56.96%, likely because top students take Algebra I in 8th grade, pulling them out of the general math test. This divergence between schools—Hill Country rising, Alkek falling, and the middle school excelling in advanced subjects—suggests very different instructional approaches across the district.
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