Summary:
The Port Arthur Independent School District (Isd) serves approximately 7,659 students across 11 schools, including eight elementary schools, two middle schools, and one high school, in a community facing significant economic challenges.
Within this district, Houston Elementary stands out as the top performer, earning a 4-star rating and ranking in the 75th percentile statewide, a remarkable achievement given that nearly 89% of its students are economically disadvantaged. In contrast, Port Acres Elementary and Dequeen Elementary are the most struggling, ranking in the 1st and 2nd percentiles, respectively. Notably, Tyrrell Elementary has shown the most dramatic improvement, jumping from the 11th to the 37th percentile in one year. A critical finding is that spending does not correlate with performance: Dequeen Elementary spends the most per student ($16,589) yet performs poorly, while Houston Elementary spends less ($10,784) and excels.
Middle schools present a "two-tier" system: while general math proficiency is low, Jefferson Middle and Lincoln Middle achieve 100% and 88.46% proficiency, respectively, for students taking Algebra I, far exceeding the district average of 36.66%. Science is a district-wide crisis, with no elementary school exceeding 27% proficiency in 5th-grade science. The district's graduation rate at Memorial High School is 85.6%, and the overall dropout rate is 2.4%, though Lincoln Middle has a notably low dropout rate of 0.8%.
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