Summary:
The Marlin Independent School District (Isd) is a small, rural district in Texas serving 843 students across three schools: Marlin Elementary (grades PK-6), Marlin High (grades 7-12), and Marlin Opportunity Center (grades 3-12), with nearly all students (98.5% to 100%) facing extreme economic disadvantage.
The standout school is Marlin High, which achieves a perfect 100% graduation rate and 0% dropout rate despite very low academic test scores—a paradox that suggests strong student retention but potential gaps in college or career readiness. In contrast, Marlin Elementary shows volatile performance, with a bright spot in 5th Grade Mathematics where 54.17% of students were proficient in 2024-2025, exceeding the state average of 46.24%. The Marlin Opportunity Center, serving only 17 students, highlights severe challenges with a 0% proficiency rate in English II Reading and an 8.3% dropout rate, far above the district average.
Key metrics reveal the district ranks in the bottom 2% of Texas districts, with per-pupil spending significantly above state averages ($22,193 at the high school, $14,065 at the elementary) yet academic proficiency critically low across subjects—ranging from 5.45% in 3rd Grade Math to 43.42% in English II Reading. Inconsistent performance across grades and subjects suggests that specific teachers or programs, like the 5th Grade Math success, may offer replicable strategies, while the high spending likely addresses non-academic barriers like poverty rather than directly boosting test scores.
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