Texas City Independent School District (Isd)

The Texas City Independent School District (Isd) serves 12 schools—six elementary, three middle, and three high schools—in a predominantly economically disadvantaged area near the Texas Gulf Coast, with the district ranking in the 32nd percentile statewide.

Within the district, Heights Elementary stands out as the top performer, ranking in the 96th percentile with 3rd-grade reading and math proficiency rates near 80% or higher, despite 86% of its students being economically disadvantaged. In contrast, Hayley Elementary and Simms Elementary rank in the 3rd and 7th percentiles, respectively, with proficiency rates often 20-30 points below state averages. Roosevelt-Wilson Elementary is a notable improver, jumping from the 30th to the 71st percentile, with strong math scores. At the middle school level, Blocker Middle excels in advanced math, with 93.62% of students proficient in Algebra I, far exceeding the district average of 43.32%. However, high school performance is mixed: Texas City High School has a 69% economically disadvantaged rate and moderate scores, while La Marque High School faces the greatest challenges, with the highest poverty rate (88.47%), lowest graduation rate (77.9%), and highest dropout rate (6.5%). The alternative school, Woodrow Wilson Daep, spends $69,932 per student but serves only 75 students in a disciplinary program.

Key takeaways include a lack of correlation between spending and performance—Roosevelt-Wilson Elementary spends the least ($10,868) yet performs well, while Simms Elementary spends more ($13,992) but struggles. The district also shows a strong middle school math pipeline that does not carry over to high school, and inconsistent elementary performance suggests school-level leadership matters more than district-wide policies. For parents, Heights Elementary and Blocker Middle are clear bright spots, while Hayley Elementary and La Marque High School require careful consideration.