Santa Rosa Independent School District (Isd)

The Santa Rosa Independent School District (Isd) serves 874 students across three schools—Elma E. Barrera Elementary (grades PK-5), Jo Nelson Middle (grades 6-8), and Santa Rosa High School (grades 9-12)—in a small, economically disadvantaged community in Texas, where the district ranks in the 40th percentile statewide.

Jo Nelson Middle stands out as the district’s most improved school, climbing from the 31st to the 44th percentile over three years, and it is the only campus where students excel in advanced coursework—8th graders taking Algebra I achieved a perfect 100% proficiency rate, far above the state average. Elma E. Barrera Elementary shines in 5th-grade math, with a 73.47% proficiency rate that is 26 points above the state average, despite having the lowest per-student spending ($10,644) and a higher student-teacher ratio (12.2:1). Santa Rosa High School is the most stable performer, with a 92.9% graduation rate and U.S. History scores that slightly exceed the state average, though it spends the most per student ($16,057) with the smallest class sizes (9.3:1).

Key takeaways include a clear disconnect between spending and results—the high school’s higher resources do not translate to top scores, while the elementary school’s lower spending yields standout math performance. Social studies is a consistent weakness district-wide, especially at the middle school where 8th-grade proficiency was just 20.99%. The district shows strong potential in specific areas like advanced math and 5th-grade math, but performance varies widely by grade and subject, suggesting that targeted instructional strategies, rather than overall funding, drive success in this high-poverty community.