Summary:
Union Hill Independent School District (Isd) is home to a single high school, Union Hill High School, a very small rural school serving 141 students in grades 6 through 12 in Gilmer, TX.
Union Hill High School presents a clear paradox: it achieves a perfect 100% graduation rate and a 0.0% dropout rate, yet its students consistently score well below state averages on core academic assessments. For example, only 33.33% of students were proficient in English I Reading compared to the state average of 55.43%, and just 40% were proficient in U.S. History versus 70.17% statewide. The one bright spot is 8th Grade Mathematics, where 52.38% of students were proficient, slightly above the state average of 47.24%. The school has a low student-teacher ratio of 11.8:1 and spends $17,025 per student, significantly higher than the typical Texas average, but its state ranking has declined from the 28th percentile to the 20th percentile over the last three years.
For parents, the key takeaway is that Union Hill High School excels at providing a supportive, personalized environment that keeps students in school and on track to graduate. However, this support has not translated into strong academic performance in most subjects, raising questions about how the high per-student spending is being used to improve instruction. With over half the student body (56.74%) economically disadvantaged, the school faces common challenges, but its academic results lag behind many schools with similar demographics. Parents should investigate the school's specific intervention programs and how it plans to reverse its declining academic trajectory.
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