Summary
Commerce Middle in Commerce, TX, serves 339 students in grades 6-8 and is part of the Commerce Independent School District (Isd), which is ranked in the bottom 5% of all Texas school districts. The school itself is in the 5th percentile statewide for the 2025-2026 school year, a significant decline from its peak in the 48th percentile in 2016-2017. Over 73% of students qualify for free or reduced lunch, and the school spends a relatively high amount per student ($12,883) compared to nearby schools, yet this funding is not translating into academic success.
Commerce Middle is the lowest-performing school in its immediate vicinity, with nearby schools like Celeste J H (82nd percentile), Lone Oak Middle (74th percentile), and Wolfe City Middle (75th percentile) performing well above the state average. The school is failing nearly all student subgroups, with every group—including White, Hispanic, African American, Low Socioeconomic Status, English Language Learners, and Special Education students—ranked in the bottom 5th percentile or lower. The dropout rate of 1.6% is also higher than top-performing peers like Celeste JH, Lone Oak Middle, Cooper J H, and Wolfe City Middle, which all reported a 0.0% dropout rate.
One notable exception is the school's performance in Algebra I, where 61.9% of students taking the End-of-Course exam were proficient, compared to the state average of 54.03%. This is a stark contrast to the school's overall performance, where it is 20-30 percentage points below the state average in every other subject. However, the "Gifted and Talented" program is ranked in the 2nd percentile statewide, indicating that even the school's most advanced students are not being effectively challenged. The school's declining trajectory, combined with the success of nearby schools, suggests systemic challenges within the district that need to be addressed.
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