Cheatham Elementary

Cheatham Elementary is a small, rural PK-5 school in Clarksville, Texas, serving 258 students as part of the Clarksville Independent School District (Isd), which ranks near the bottom of Texas school districts. The school faces significant challenges, with nearly 96% of students qualifying for free or reduced lunch, and it has consistently ranked in the bottom 5% of all Texas elementary schools over the past decade.

Academic performance at Cheatham is catastrophically low across all subjects and grade levels, far below state averages and nearby schools. For example, in 2025-2026, only 6.9% of 3rd graders were proficient in reading (state average: 51.08%), while Blossom Elementary achieved 62.3% and Rivercrest Elementary reached 42.22%. In 4th grade math, Cheatham scored just 5.56% proficiency compared to the state average of 49.28% and Blossom's 54.84%. The school's overall state ranking of 4617 out of 4627 (0th percentile) places it among the absolute lowest-performing schools in Texas, while nearby schools like Blossom (70th percentile) and Deport Elementary (54th percentile) perform at or above the state median.

Despite spending $12,379 per student—significantly more than high-performing Blossom Elementary ($7,081)—Cheatham's outcomes are drastically worse, suggesting funds are not translating into effective instruction. The school ranks in the 0th or 1st percentile for every student subgroup, indicating systemic issues rather than problems isolated to one demographic. While there was a brief glimmer of hope in 2023-2024 when English Language Learner and Special Education students earned 1-star ratings, this progress was not sustained. Compared to Detroit Elementary, which showed slight improvement to the 21st percentile in 2025-2026, Cheatham's situation is uniquely dire, requiring comprehensive intervention to address curriculum, instruction, and support for its highly disadvantaged student body.