Summary:
The Waxahachie Independent School District (Isd) serves 17 schools, including elementary, middle, and high schools, in a mid-sized Texas community with a wide range of academic performance levels.
The district is defined by a stark contrast between its top-performing magnet school, Waxahachie Global High School, which ranks in the 95th percentile with 94% English proficiency, and struggling campuses like Clift Elementary, which ranks in the 4th percentile with math proficiency as low as 15.8%. At the elementary level, Wilemon Steam Academy (78th percentile) and Felty Elementary (64th percentile) are consistent high-performers, while Dunaway Elementary and Ray Elementary stand out for exceptional 5th-grade science scores (50.7% and 50% proficient, respectively). Among middle schools, Coleman J.H. is the clear leader with a 3-star rating, significantly outperforming Finley J.H. and Howard J.H. in most subjects.
A key finding is the strong correlation between economic disadvantage and performance, with schools like Marvin Biomedical Academy (68% poverty) and Northside Elementary (65.2% poverty) struggling, while low-poverty schools like Wilemon (22.2%) thrive. The district excels at accelerating top math students, as seen in middle school Algebra I scores (Howard J.H. at 96.9% proficient), yet most students struggle with grade-level math. Waxahachie H S Of Choice presents a paradox: despite the highest spending ($18,618 per student) and a 99.2% graduation rate, its STAAR scores are low, suggesting a focus on credit recovery rather than test performance. Overall, the district's 96.4% graduation rate and 0.6% dropout rate are strong, but the achievement gap between its magnet and traditional schools remains a critical issue for families to consider.
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