Chisum Middle

Chisum Middle in Paris, TX, serves 266 students in grades 6-8 and is part of the top-ranked Chisum Independent School District (Isd), which sits in the 79th percentile of Texas school districts.

Chisum Middle stands out as a clear academic leader in its region, earning a 4-star rating for six consecutive years and climbing to the 86th percentile statewide. Its most impressive strength is mathematics, where 7th graders achieve a 53.33% proficiency rate—nearly double the state average—and 8th graders reach 65.88%, far outpacing nearby schools like Frank Stone Middle (44.88%) and Paris J H (53.77%). The school also excels at accelerating top math students, with Algebra I scores of 71.79% compared to the district average of 40.37%. Additionally, Chisum Middle is exceptionally effective at supporting students from low socioeconomic backgrounds, ranking in the 94th percentile statewide for this group and earning a 5-star rating. A low student-to-teacher ratio of 11.2:1 provides a more personalized learning environment than most peers, including Honey Grove Middle (14.2) and Prairiland J H (13.2).

The school’s history reflects a remarkable turnaround, rising from the 57th percentile in 2017-2018 to sustained high performance in the 80th percentile or above for the last five years. While Chisum Middle has shown strong results for African American students, ranking in the 91st percentile, it has faced challenges with Special Education students, whose performance has fluctuated—though recent data shows a rebound to the 75th percentile. Overall, Chisum Middle is an outlier of excellence in the Paris area, consistently outperforming larger urban peers like Crockett Intermediate and Detroit J H, and serving as a model for achieving high outcomes regardless of demographic profile.