Dilley Independent School District (Isd)

The Dilley Independent School District (Isd) serves 841 students across three schools—Dilley Elementary, Mary Harper Middle, and Dilley High School—in a small, rural Texas community where a high percentage of students (72-84%) come from low-income families. The district overall ranks in the 11th percentile statewide, indicating significant academic challenges, but there are notable bright spots and differences between the schools.

Mary Harper Middle is the district's standout, showing remarkable improvement from the 13th to the 38th percentile in just two years. Its 8th-grade math program is exceptional, with 71.88% of students scoring proficient—far exceeding the state average of 47.24%. However, this success doesn't carry over to Dilley High School, where Algebra I proficiency is below the state average, suggesting a transition issue. The high school does boast a strong 94.4% graduation rate and a very low 0.4% dropout rate. In contrast, Dilley Elementary struggles the most, consistently ranking in the bottom 10% of Texas elementary schools for three years running.

Spending varies widely, with Dilley High School spending the most per student ($15,600) yet still underperforming academically, while Dilley Elementary spends the least ($11,135) and faces the steepest challenges. All schools maintain small class sizes (ratios from 9.5:1 to 11.8:1), which is a positive for individualized attention. A key takeaway is the stark contrast at the middle school between strong 8th-grade math and weak 8th-grade social studies (only 16.39% proficient), pointing to a need for targeted curriculum improvements. The upward trajectory at Mary Harper Middle offers hope that effective strategies can be replicated across the district.