Sonora Independent School District (Isd)

The Sonora Independent School District (Isd) is a small, rural district in Texas serving 643 students across two schools: Sonora Elementary (PK-6) and Sonora Secondary School (7-12). The district ranks in the 40th percentile statewide with a 2-star rating, revealing a mixed picture of academic challenges and notable strengths.

Sonora Secondary School stands out as the district's stronger performer, particularly in high school outcomes. It boasts a near-perfect 98.3% graduation rate and a 0.0% dropout rate, and it consistently meets or exceeds state averages in English II Reading and Biology. The school also shows impressive year-over-year improvement, with 7th Grade Reading jumping from 33% to 63% proficiency and Algebra I nearly doubling to 44%. In contrast, Sonora Elementary struggles with foundational skills, scoring below state averages in most subjects. However, it has a bright spot in 6th Grade Reading, which reached 70% proficiency—16 points above the state average—though its 6th Grade Math lagged at just 31%.

A key takeaway is the spending paradox: the secondary school spends $4,168 more per student ($16,440 vs. $12,272) and has a much lower student-teacher ratio (8.5:1 vs. 13.7:1), yet still faces challenges in Algebra I and Social Studies. Both schools share critical weaknesses in Science and Social Studies, with 5th Grade Science at only 18% proficiency and 8th Grade Social Studies at a shockingly low 8% in 2024-2025. Performance volatility, likely due to small class sizes, also makes trends hard to pin down—7th Grade Math swung from 39% (above state) to 13% (far below) in just one year. For parents, this means Sonora Secondary School excels at graduating students, while Sonora Elementary needs targeted support in math and science to build a stronger foundation.