Howe Independent School District (Isd)

The Howe Independent School District (Isd) serves approximately 1,265 students across four schools—one high school, one middle school, and two elementary schools—in the small town of Howe, Texas, and is rated in the 52nd percentile among Texas districts with a 3-star rating.

Howe High School stands out as the district's top performer, earning a 4-star rating with a near-perfect 98.7% graduation rate and strong scores in Biology, English, and U.S. History. In contrast, Howe Intermediate is in a steep decline, dropping from a 3-star to a 1-star rating as its state ranking fell from the 60th to the 22nd percentile; only 16.84% of its 3rd graders were proficient in math, far below the state average. Howe Middle shows a split personality—its 8th-grade Algebra I program achieved a perfect 100% proficiency rate, yet its standard 6th and 7th-grade math scores often lag behind state averages. Summit Hill Elementary has a strong historical track record with 4-star ratings, despite serving the highest percentage of economically disadvantaged students in the district.

A key takeaway is that spending does not directly correlate with performance: the lowest-spending school, Howe Intermediate at $9,370 per student, is also the lowest-performing, while the highest-spending Howe High School at $11,829 per student excels. The district's science instruction is a hidden strength, with Howe High School's Biology scores at 86.41% and Howe Intermediate's 5th-grade Science at 49.04% dramatically outperforming state averages. The "Algebra I pipeline" from Howe Middle to Howe High School is a clear best practice, but the sharp decline at Howe Intermediate signals a critical need for targeted intervention in math and reading instruction.