Iraan Elementary

Iraan Elementary is a small, rural PK-5 school in Iraan, TX, serving 143 students as part of the Iraan-Sheffield Collegiate Independent School District (Isd).

This school has experienced a dramatic and sustained decline over the past six years. Once a high-performing school ranking in the 85th percentile statewide, it now consistently ranks in the bottom 10-26% of Texas elementary schools. The most recent test scores reveal a critical weakness in 5th grade, with only 10% of students proficient in reading and 5% in math—a massive gap of 40-50 percentage points below the state average. Interestingly, 3rd graders showed strong performance in 2024-2025, outperforming the state in math, but that same cohort saw a steep drop as 4th graders the following year. This pattern suggests the school may focus resources on early intervention but fails to sustain growth in later grades, leading to the catastrophic results seen in 5th grade.

Despite spending over $14,000 per student—significantly higher than the Texas state average—academic outcomes are in the bottom 10% of the state, raising questions about how resources are allocated. The school's small size means a single cohort of 20-30 students can dramatically swing overall performance, but the consistent multi-year decline across all grades indicates a systemic problem. There are no other schools within 20 miles of Iraan Elementary for comparison, making it the sole elementary option for families in this rural area. The school's performance with "At Risk" students has also collapsed, dropping from the 53rd percentile in 2018-2019 to the 11th percentile in recent years, suggesting that support systems that once helped struggling students have eroded significantly.