Summary:
The Harper Independent School District (Isd) contains a single middle school, Harper Middle, which serves grades 5 through 8 with a total enrollment of 197 students in a small, rural setting. The district ranks in the 83rd percentile in Texas with a 4-star rating, and the school benefits from a low student-to-teacher ratio of 12.6:1 and a 0% dropout rate, indicating a supportive environment.
Harper Middle shows standout performance in 8th-grade Social Studies, where 65.31% of students were proficient in the 2025-2026 school year—more than double the state average of 31.69%. Reading scores are also strong, with 5th and 8th graders exceeding state averages by 15 and 19 percentage points, respectively. However, a significant concern is 7th-grade Mathematics, where only 8% of students were proficient, compared to the state average of 29.41%, representing a 21-point gap below the state. This marks a dramatic year-over-year decline from 36% proficiency the previous year for the same cohort, warranting immediate investigation into curriculum or instruction changes.
Overall, the school demonstrates inconsistent performance by grade level: 5th and 6th graders excel in both Reading and Math, while 7th and 8th graders struggle, particularly in Math. Despite these fluctuations, the school’s overall ranking has remained stable in the 75th-78th percentile over three years, suggesting a strong educational foundation. The low student-teacher ratio and 0% dropout rate are positive indicators, making the 7th-grade math collapse an isolated, addressable issue rather than a systemic failure. For parents, Harper Middle offers a high-quality environment with notable strengths in Social Studies and early-grade Reading and Math, but requires attention to middle-grade math performance.
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