Kopperl School

Kopperl School is a small, rural public school in the Kopperl Independent School District (Isd) serving 191 students from Pre-K through 12th grade, with a high level of economic disadvantage (67% of students qualifying for free or reduced lunch). The school’s standout achievement is its perfect 100% graduation rate for the last two consecutive years, a dramatic improvement from 72.7% just five years ago, and far better than the 75% rate at nearby Walnut Springs School. This success is matched by a 0% dropout rate, showing the school is highly effective at keeping students on track to graduate.

Kopperl presents a fascinating split: while elementary and middle school grades struggle with state averages in reading and math—for example, 7th-grade reading proficiency was just 6.67% compared to the state’s 54.04%—the high school consistently outperforms the state on End-of-Course (EOC) exams. In U.S. History, Kopperl scored 85.71% in 2024-2025, well above the state average of 67.94%, and in English II, it scored 73.33% versus the state’s 59.88%. This “late bloomer” effect suggests that targeted, high-quality instruction in the upper grades turns struggling middle schoolers into competitive high school students, a strength not seen at similar-sized Morgan School, which scored 22 points lower in U.S. History and 51 points lower in English II despite facing similar demographic challenges.

Financially, Kopperl is efficient, spending $13,513 per student—much less than Covington School’s $24,035—yet achieving the same 100% graduation rate. The school’s main challenge is a severe academic dip in middle school, more pronounced than at Blum Independent School District (Isd), which maintains more consistent scores across grades. For parents, Kopperl offers a small, supportive environment where students who may struggle early can find their footing and excel by high school, with a proven track record of graduating every student.