Kenedy Middle

Kenedy Middle in Kenedy, TX, serves 149 students in grades 6-8 within the Kenedy Independent School District (Isd), a small, rural community where over 83% of students qualify for free or reduced lunch.

This school presents a story of two extremes. On one hand, it has achieved a perfect 0.0% dropout rate for four consecutive years, a remarkable feat that speaks to a caring and inclusive environment where students feel supported to stay in school. On the other hand, academic proficiency on state tests remains a significant challenge, with scores well below state averages in most subjects. For example, only about 14% of 8th graders were proficient in Science and 10% in Social Studies in a recent year. The school’s student-to-teacher ratio of 13.9:1 is favorable, but it is higher than the 9.9:1 ratio at the nearby Karnes City J H in the Karnes City Independent School District (Isd), which may allow for more individualized attention there. Additionally, Kenedy Middle spends less per student ($10,655) than Karnes City J H ($13,314), despite serving a higher-needs population.

There are some bright spots and areas for growth. The school has shown a remarkable turnaround for its Special Education students, jumping from the 1st percentile to the 74th percentile in recent years. However, performance for other groups has been volatile. A key difference between the two schools is in advanced coursework: Karnes City J H successfully accelerates students into Algebra I, with nearly 95% achieving proficiency, while Kenedy Middle does not appear to offer this pathway. This represents a missed opportunity for Kenedy’s top-performing students. While 7th-grade math once exceeded the state average, overall, the school’s focus on keeping students enrolled has not yet translated into consistent academic gains.