Summary:
The Hallsburg Independent School District (Isd) contains a single elementary school, Hallsburg School, serving grades PK-6 with 131 students in a rural Waco, Texas community where 62.6% of students qualify for free or reduced-price lunch.
Hallsburg School faces significant academic challenges, ranking in the 10th percentile statewide for its district and the 18th percentile for the school itself. The most critical weakness is in mathematics, where proficiency rates for 4th, 5th, and 6th graders in the 2025-2026 school year fell below 14%, compared to state averages of 44-51%. Reading scores are also consistently below state averages, ranging from 15.38% in 5th grade to 46.15% in 6th grade. The school's small size—with roughly 20 students per grade—causes extreme year-to-year volatility; for example, 6th-grade math proficiency plummeted from 60% to 7.69% in just one year, meaning a few students' performance can dramatically shift percentages.
Despite a favorable student-teacher ratio of 11.1:1 and spending over $11,700 per student—indicators of potential for individualized attention—academic outcomes remain among the lowest in Texas. This paradox suggests deeper issues beyond funding or class size, such as curriculum effectiveness or the impact of high poverty on student readiness. A bright spot exists in 3rd grade, which exceeded the state average in math (53.33% vs. 44.33%) and approached it in reading (40% vs. 51%), possibly reflecting a strong teacher or early intervention program. The key question is whether this cohort can sustain its performance in upper grades where others have struggled.
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