Jim Ned Intermediate

Jim Ned Intermediate in Tuscola, TX, serves 410 students in grades 4 through 6 and is part of the high-performing Jim Ned Consolidated Independent School District.

This school consistently outperforms state averages in every subject and grade level, with standout strengths in reading and 5th-grade science. For example, 5th-grade reading proficiency reached 78.83% in the 2025-2026 school year, and 5th-grade science scores were more than double the state average. The school’s most exceptional metric is 5th-grade math, where 88.32% of students were proficient—a remarkable 40.94 percentage points above the state average and 23 points higher than the next closest school, Wylie West J H. However, there is a notable drop in math performance between 5th and 6th grade, with only 54.07% of 6th graders proficient in math, a persistent challenge over the past three years. In contrast, reading performance shows a clear upward trend, with 6th graders achieving 80% proficiency, nearly 27 points above the state average.

Compared to nearby schools, Jim Ned Intermediate stands out for its consistent high performance and low economic disadvantage rate of 17.56%. This contrasts sharply with Abilene Independent School District (Isd) middle schools like Mann Middle, Craig Middle, Clack Middle, and Madison Middle, which all have poverty rates between 59% and 69% and test scores often below state averages. The school feeds into Jim Ned Middle, a 5-star school ranked in the top 10% of Texas middle schools, indicating a strong academic pipeline. While 4th-grade scores showed some year-over-year volatility, the overall picture is of a school providing an excellent foundation, especially in reading and science, with math transition to 6th grade being the key area for continued focus.