Double Creek Elementary

Double Creek Elementary in Jarrell, TX, serves 787 students from Pre-K through 5th grade and is part of the Jarrell Independent School District (Isd), a district ranked in the bottom 15% of Texas school districts. Nearly 70% of students qualify for free or reduced lunch, and the school has a high student-to-teacher ratio of 17:1, which limits individualized attention. Over the past three years, Double Creek has consistently ranked in the bottom 20% of Texas elementary schools, earning a 1-star rating from Schooldigger.

The school’s most significant academic challenge is mathematics, with proficiency rates alarmingly low across all tested grades. For example, 4th-grade math proficiency is just 22.8%, roughly half the state average and far below the 45.2% rate at the nearby Jarrell Elementary, located only 2.8 miles away. This gap is even more pronounced when compared to higher-performing schools in the neighboring Georgetown Independent School District (Isd), such as Jo Ann Ford Elementary (91st percentile) and Village Elementary (74th percentile). Performance is inconsistent across grades and subjects—5th-grade reading proficiency (42.1%) is nearly double that of 3rd-grade reading (24.8%)—suggesting uneven teaching quality or gaps in foundational skills.

Despite these struggles, there is a bright spot: the school’s Gifted and Talented (GT) program is notably effective, with GT students ranking in the 51st percentile statewide in the most recent year, a dramatic improvement from the 20th percentile the year before. This success offers a potential model for broader improvement. However, the school’s challenges are systemic, as even its White students—typically a higher-performing subgroup statewide—rank in the 7th percentile. The stark contrast with nearby schools, where lower poverty rates often correlate with higher achievement, underscores the need for a comprehensive, school-wide strategy to close the achievement gap.