Summary:
The Graham Independent School District (Isd) serves 2,146 students across three schools—Graham Elementary, Graham J H, and Graham High School—in a Texas community where the district ranks in the 43rd percentile statewide with a 2-star rating.
The standout school is Graham J H, which consistently earns a 3-star rating and excels in advanced math: 94.74% of its 8th graders mastered Algebra I, nearly double the district and state averages. It also outperforms state reading averages in grades 6-8, despite having the lowest spending per student ($9,064) and the smallest class sizes (12.7:1). In contrast, Graham High School has seen a sharp decline, dropping from the 60th to the 37th percentile over three years, though it maintains a high 98.5% graduation rate and low 0.3% dropout rate. Graham Elementary, the largest school with the highest percentage of economically disadvantaged students (54.55%), consistently scores below state averages in all subjects, with math being a critical weakness—only 38-46% of students are proficient.
A key takeaway is the inverse relationship between spending and performance: the high school spends the most per student ($11,748) but is declining, while the middle school achieves top results with the least funding. The district’s Algebra I success at the middle school does not carry over to the high school, where proficiency drops to 39.47%, suggesting a need for better alignment. Overall, Graham J H is the district’s bright spot, offering strong academics and effective strategies that could serve as a model for improving the elementary and high schools.
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