Livingston H S Academy

Livingston H S Academy is a very small alternative high school in Livingston, TX, serving just 13 students in grades 9-12 under the Livingston Independent School District (Isd), a district rated in the 39th percentile statewide. The school serves a highly economically disadvantaged population, with 76.9% of students qualifying for free or reduced lunch, and it functions as a "last chance" campus for students who have struggled in traditional settings. However, the school faces severe challenges: it has ranked in the bottom 1-4% of Texas high schools in recent years, with catastrophic dropout rates reaching 24.0% in 2020-2021—far exceeding the district average of 1.8%—and near-zero academic proficiency on core STAAR exams, including 0% in English I Reading and English II Reading in multiple testing cycles.

In stark contrast, nearby small schools serving similarly high-needs populations achieve vastly better outcomes. For example, Goodrich High School (67 students, 98.5% economically disadvantaged) boasts a 93.8% graduation rate, a 0.0% dropout rate, and proficiency rates in Algebra I (70%) and English I (73.7%) that exceed state averages. Similarly, Leggett High School (96 students, 75% economically disadvantaged) performs well above Livingston H S Academy. Even the main Livingston High School (1,147 students) has a 17.1:1 student-teacher ratio and consistently achieves double-digit proficiency rates, while the Academy’s tiny size (5.2:1 to 13.4:1 ratio) does not translate into academic success.

The school’s performance is also marked by extreme volatility due to its tiny enrollment—just one or two students can dramatically swing metrics like graduation rates or test scores. For instance, the English II Reading proficiency rate jumped from 0% in 2023-2024 to 50% in 2022-2023, and the dropout rate swung from 24.0% to 4.9% in consecutive years. Despite higher per-student spending ($16,146 vs. $10,900 at Livingston High School), the Academy struggles to retain students or deliver core instruction, highlighting the immense difficulty of educating a high-needs, at-risk population. For parents, this school represents a specialized option for students who have not succeeded elsewhere, but the data shows it has not consistently overcome the challenges its students face.