Malone Independent School District (Isd)

The Malone Independent School District (Isd) is a very small, rural district in Texas that operates a single school, Malone Elementary, serving students from Pre-Kindergarten through 8th grade with a total enrollment of just 63 students.

This micro-district presents a classic "small school" paradox, where academic performance can swing wildly from year to year due to its tiny student population. In the 2024-2025 school year, Malone Elementary showed promising results, with 71.43% of 4th graders proficient in Reading and 57.14% in Math—both above state averages. However, just one year later in 2025-2026, those same grade-level scores collapsed to 8.33% and 0% respectively, causing the school's state ranking to plummet from the 25th percentile to the 0th percentile. This volatility is a direct result of having only a handful of students per grade, where the performance of one or two children can dramatically shift the entire school's statistics. The school also struggles with severe economic disadvantage, as 93.65% of students qualify for free or reduced lunch.

Despite a very favorable student-to-teacher ratio of 6.2:1 and spending of $12,108 per student, academic outcomes in the most recent year are alarmingly low, with 0% proficiency recorded in 4th, 5th, and 6th Grade Math, and 0% in 6th Grade Reading. The 0% dropout rate is a positive note, but the prevalence of "zero" proficiency scores in multiple subjects for the 2025-2026 year signals a critical need for immediate, targeted intervention. The 2024-2025 data proves the school is capable of success, but that success is fragile and inconsistent, heavily dependent on the specific group of students in any given year.