Glen Rose Independent School District (Isd)

The Glen Rose Independent School District (Isd) is a small, high-performing district in Texas serving approximately 2,119 students across four schools: one high school, one middle school, and two elementary schools, earning a prestigious 5-star rating and ranking in the 91st percentile statewide.

Glen Rose High School stands out as the district's academic powerhouse, boasting a remarkable 98.4% graduation rate and an exceptionally low 0.3% dropout rate, while significantly outperforming state averages on every End-of-Course exam—especially in Biology (90.14% proficient) and English I Reading (83.56% proficient). In contrast, Glen Rose Junior High School faces a notable challenge with foundational math, as 6th and 7th-grade proficiency rates (37.32% and 23.08%) fall below state averages, though it excels in advanced math with 8th graders achieving a 79.66% proficiency rate in Algebra I—far exceeding district and state averages. Glen Rose Elementary serves the highest percentage of economically disadvantaged students in the district at 47.49%, yet maintains a solid student-teacher ratio of 14.5:1, while Glen Rose Intermediate consistently outperforms state averages in math for grades 3-5, such as 5th grade achieving 64.94% proficiency versus the state's 47.38%.

A critical finding is the "math dip" in middle school, where proficiency drops sharply after elementary, suggesting a need for targeted intervention in 6th and 7th-grade math instruction. Meanwhile, the high school shows remarkable year-over-year improvement, with Algebra I proficiency jumping from 25% to 50.63% and Biology from 72.96% to 90.14%, indicating a highly effective teaching staff. The district excels in humanities and sciences across all levels—8th-grade Social Studies at the junior high nearly doubles the state average (55% vs. 31.69%)—but struggles with foundational math, creating a "barbell" effect where advanced math thrives while basic math lags for many middle school students.