Garland Independent School District (Isd)

The Garland Independent School District (Isd) serves over 65 schools, including 8 high schools, 12 middle schools, and 44 elementary schools, and is ranked in the 58th percentile statewide, earning a 3-star rating that masks a wide gap between its top and bottom performers.

The district's standout schools are its specialized academies. Kimberlin Academy For Excel and Walnut Glen Academy For Excel are elite elementary schools ranked in the 99th percentile, with reading proficiency rates near 95%, far exceeding the district average. At the middle school level, Austin Academy For Excell leads with a 93rd percentile ranking and a 0% dropout rate. In contrast, S Garland High School is the lowest-performing high school (12th percentile), with a 3% dropout rate and only 18.7% proficiency in Algebra I. Bussey Middle (9th percentile) and Southgate Stem Elementary (16th percentile) face the most significant challenges, with poverty rates exceeding 90% and critically low test scores.

A key takeaway is the stark performance gap between schools with similar demographics. Sachse High School (44.5% poverty) is a 4-star school with a 95% graduation rate, while S Garland High School (90.1% poverty) is a 1-star school. However, Walnut Glen Academy For Excel achieves 99th percentile results despite a 59.6% poverty rate, proving that high achievement is possible even with economic challenges. The district also shows a systemic drop in 7th-grade math proficiency, with schools like B G Hudson Middle seeing math scores fall from 34.8% to 11.1% between 6th and 7th grade.