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Palmer High School

Q: Is Palmer High School a good school?

Palmer High School ranks 543 rd of 2009 Texas high schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 4 stars out of 5.

Public Grades 9-12

543^rd

SchoolDigger Rank ?

of 2,009 Texas High Schools

Better than 73% of Texas high schools

Summary

Palmer High School in Palmer, TX, is a small, high-performing public high school serving 403 students in grades 9-12 as part of the Palmer Independent School District (Isd). This school stands out as the top-performing comprehensive public high school in the area, consistently outperforming larger nearby schools like Waxahachie High School, Red Oak High School, and Lancaster High School on core STAAR End-of-Course exams. For example, in English II Reading, Palmer achieved an 85.86% proficiency rate, dramatically exceeding the state average of 59.88% and rates at nearby schools like Waxahachie (59.1%) and Red Oak (52.49%). The school also boasts a near-perfect graduation rate of 98.7% and an incredibly low dropout rate of 0.2%, far better than the 92.8% graduation rate at Red Oak High School.

One of Palmer High School's most remarkable strengths is its outstanding support for Special Education students, who ranked in the 95th percentile statewide in 2024-2025, earning a rare 5-star rating—a level of performance unmatched by any neighboring school. The school achieves these results with a favorable student-to-teacher ratio of 14.6:1, suggesting a more intimate learning environment that allows for personalized attention. While the school is a powerhouse in Biology and English, it has relative weaknesses in Algebra I and U.S. History, where proficiency in U.S. History (62.96%) fell below the state average (70.17%) in 2025-2026. Additionally, performance for Gifted and Talented students has been inconsistent, dropping to the 32nd percentile in 2024-2025 before rebounding to the 89th percentile in 2025-2026.

It's worth noting that the nearby Waxahachie Global High School outperforms Palmer in nearly every academic metric, but this is a selective-admissions magnet school. For families seeking a comprehensive public high school without an admissions barrier, Palmer High School is the top choice in the region. The school achieves its high performance while spending $13,010 per student, a higher investment than most nearby districts like Waxahachie ($10,412) and Red Oak ($10,215), but the return on this investment is clear in its exceptional academic outcomes and strong graduation rates.

403

Students ?

14.6

Student/teacher ratio ?

$10,863

Per pupil spending ?

46.7%

Free/discounted lunch ?

422 W Jefferson
Palmer, TX 75152-9525

(972) 449-3487

District: Palmer Independent School District (Isd)

Feeder schools for Palmer High School:

Elementary:	Palmer Elementary
Middle:	Palmer Middle

Racial breakdown:

White:

47.4%

Hispanic:

46.7%

Two or more races:

3.2%

See top rated Texas high schools

Compare Palmer High School to nearby high schools!

At a glance

▲ Ranking trend: Improving — 64th percentile in 2016 → 73rd in 2026

Strengths

✓Test scores above the Texas average (71% vs 62% meeting standards)

✓99% graduate within 4 years

✓Ranking is trending up — up 9 percentile points since 2016

Students meeting standards (2025-2026) ?

This school71%

District avg72%

Texas avg62%

543^rd of 2,009

Texas public high schools ?

Top 27%▲ up 9 pts since 2016

From top 36% (2016) to top 27% (2026)

See the entire ranking list of Texas High Schools →

★★★★★

SchoolDigger rating ?

191^st of 951Palmer Independent School District (Isd) among Texas districts

Statewide rank percentile over time (100 = the top-ranked school in the state; click a legend item to add a student group)

Show full rank history (all student groups)

All Students

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Texas percentile	Rating
2026	65.0	543 of 2009	73.0%	★★★★☆
2025	74.9	310 of 1974	84.3%	★★★★☆
2024	71.5	388 of 1990	80.5%	★★★★☆
2023	69.4	442 of 1961	77.5%	★★★★☆
2022	65.5	478 of 1876	74.5%	★★★★☆
2021	72.7	360 of 1861	80.7%	★★★★☆
2019	68.8	405 of 1857	78.2%	★★★★☆
2018	61.7	530 of 1797	70.5%	★★★★☆
2017	65.6	443 of 1777	75.1%	★★★★☆
2016	61.7	638 of 1762	63.8%	★★★☆☆
2015	77.1	187 of 1743	89.3%	★★★★☆
2014	77.7	188 of 1734	89.2%	★★★★☆
2013	77.1	190 of 1652	88.5%	★★★★☆
2012	70.9	254 of 1603	84.2%	★★★★☆
2011	75.4	211 of 1672	87.4%	★★★★☆
2010	69.3	394 of 1568	74.9%	★★★★☆
2009	67.6	466 of 1539	69.7%	★★★☆☆
2008	56.5	786 of 1510	47.9%	★★☆☆☆
2007	69.1	450 of 1497	69.9%	★★★★☆
2006	50.4	880 of 1430	38.5%	★★☆☆☆
2005	47.8	925 of 1429	35.3%	★★☆☆☆
2004	53.4	820 of 1427	42.5%	★★☆☆☆

African American

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Texas percentile	Rating
2024	68.0	225 of 1065	78.9%	★★★★☆

At Risk

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Texas percentile	Rating
2022	49.3	690 of 1837	62.4%	★★★☆☆
2021	70.0	293 of 1829	84.0%	★★★★☆
2019	69.3	310 of 1810	82.9%	★★★★☆
2018	50.4	655 of 1784	63.3%	★★★☆☆

English Language Learner

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Texas percentile	Rating
2026	68.4	199 of 1195	83.3%	★★★★☆
2025	50.9	371 of 1153	67.8%	★★★☆☆
2024	55.2	397 of 1437	72.4%	★★★★☆
2023	69.3	231 of 1371	83.2%	★★★★☆
2022	56.9	327 of 1278	74.4%	★★★★☆
2021	77.4	114 of 1195	90.5%	★★★★★
2019	42.5	511 of 1136	55.0%	★★★☆☆
2018	30.9	779 of 1113	30.0%	★★☆☆☆

Female

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Texas percentile	Rating
2026	62.5	573 of 1936	70.4%	★★★★☆
2025	67.8	329 of 1504	78.1%	★★★★☆
2024	65.8	464 of 1880	75.3%	★★★★☆
2023	69.0	424 of 1891	77.6%	★★★★☆
2022	63.2	522 of 1841	71.6%	★★★★☆
2021	77.7	253 of 1815	86.1%	★★★★☆
2019	66.9	474 of 1798	73.6%	★★★★☆
2018	68.9	399 of 1781	77.6%	★★★★☆

Gifted and Talented

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Texas percentile	Rating
2026	70.6	129 of 1206	89.3%	★★★★☆
2025	45.8	657 of 964	31.8%	★★☆☆☆
2023	72.0	212 of 1182	82.1%	★★★★☆
2022	54.9	705 of 1172	39.8%	★★☆☆☆
2021	75.8	57 of 1177	95.2%	★★★★★
2019	70.6	248 of 1145	78.3%	★★★★☆
2018	72.8	47 of 1137	95.9%	★★★★★

Hispanic

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Texas percentile	Rating
2026	61.7	527 of 1860	71.7%	★★★★☆
2025	61.4	376 of 1453	74.1%	★★★★☆
2024	63.6	417 of 1805	76.9%	★★★★☆
2023	62.9	489 of 1820	73.1%	★★★★☆
2022	57.9	556 of 1762	68.4%	★★★☆☆
2021	73.7	270 of 1743	84.5%	★★★★☆
2019	61.9	482 of 1714	71.9%	★★★★☆
2018	47.0	811 of 1691	52.0%	★★★☆☆

Low Socio Economic Status

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Texas percentile	Rating
2026	56.8	623 of 1937	67.8%	★★★☆☆
2025	63.4	319 of 1513	78.9%	★★★★☆
2024	65.8	363 of 1884	80.7%	★★★★☆
2023	62.2	492 of 1897	74.1%	★★★★☆
2022	56.4	582 of 1847	68.5%	★★★☆☆
2021	68.6	356 of 1848	80.7%	★★★★☆
2019	69.9	317 of 1818	82.6%	★★★★☆
2018	55.7	608 of 1794	66.1%	★★★☆☆

Male

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Texas percentile	Rating
2026	64.7	519 of 1954	73.4%	★★★★☆
2025	71.6	253 of 1515	83.3%	★★★★☆
2024	67.6	399 of 1891	78.9%	★★★★☆
2023	66.7	482 of 1913	74.8%	★★★★☆
2022	63.6	494 of 1853	73.3%	★★★★☆
2021	64.6	519 of 1840	71.8%	★★★★☆
2019	68.3	393 of 1824	78.5%	★★★★☆
2018	56.8	630 of 1803	65.1%	★★★☆☆

Multi-racial

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Texas percentile	Rating
2022	82.2	77 of 664	88.4%	★★★★☆

Special Education

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Texas percentile	Rating
2026	81.6	136 of 1581	91.4%	★★★★★
2025	85.7	71 of 1299	94.5%	★★★★★
2024	78.1	159 of 1548	89.7%	★★★★☆
2023	89.8	73 of 1478	95.1%	★★★★★
2022	79.2	140 of 1418	90.1%	★★★★★
2021	98.4	23 of 1382	98.3%	★★★★★
2019	93.5	42 of 1357	96.9%	★★★★★
2018	81.2	133 of 1347	90.1%	★★★★★

White

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Texas percentile	Rating
2026	57.7	603 of 1584	61.9%	★★★☆☆
2025	72.5	197 of 1294	84.8%	★★★★☆
2024	64.2	411 of 1556	73.6%	★★★★☆
2023	66.2	409 of 1576	74.0%	★★★★☆
2022	61.3	469 of 1525	69.2%	★★★☆☆
2021	61.1	478 of 1510	68.3%	★★★☆☆
2019	68.3	373 of 1526	75.6%	★★★★☆
2018	62.7	456 of 1539	70.4%	★★★★☆

How student groups rank statewide ? (each group's percentile vs the same group at other schools — higher is better; the +/- beside each compares the group with this school's overall percentile)

Special Education (2026)91st percentile+18 vs school

Gifted and Talented (2026)89th percentile+16 vs school

Multi-racial (2022)88th percentile+14 vs school

English Language Learner (2026)83rd percentile+10 vs school

African American (2024)79th percentile~ school

Male (2026)73rd percentile~ school

Hispanic (2026)72nd percentile~ school

Female (2026)70th percentile-3 vs school

Low Socio Economic Status (2026)68th percentile-5 vs school

At Risk (2022)62nd percentile-12 vs school

White (2026)62nd percentile-11 vs school

By subject vs Texas (2025-2026) ?

English II Reading86%+26 vs state

Biology85%+14 vs state

English I Reading64%+9 vs state

U.S. History63%-7 vs state

Algebra I53%~ state avg

★

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Schools Near Palmer High School

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Ranking:

E Elementary M Middle H High A Alternative P Private

Choose columns to see: Summary School Students/Teachers Ranking Test Scores Finance All

School													Students/Teachers											Ranking (2026)				Ranking (2025)				STAAR EOC Algebra I (2026)	STAAR EOC Biology (2026)	STAAR EOC English I Reading (2026)	STAAR EOC English II Reading (2026)	STAAR EOC U.S. History (2026)	Per Pupil Expenditures (2024)
Name	Type	Grades	Address	City	Zip	County	District	Is Charter	Is Magnet	Is Virtual	Is Title I	Phone	Enrollment	Full-time Teachers	Student/ Teacher Ratio	Free/Discounted Lunch Recipients	White	Black	Hispanic	Asian	American Indian	Pacific Islander	Two or More Races	Average Standard Score (2026)	Statewide Rank (2026)	State Percentile (2026)	SchoolDigger Rating (2026)	Average Standard Score (2025)	Statewide Rank (2025)	State Percentile (2025)	Rank Change from Previous Year	STAAR EOC Algebra I End of Course	STAAR EOC Biology End of Course	STAAR EOC English I Reading End of Course	STAAR EOC English II Reading End of Course	STAAR EOC U.S. History End of Course	Total
Palmer High School	Public	9-12	422 W Jefferson	Palmer	75152	Ellis County	Palmer Independent School District (Isd)	No	No	(n/a)	No	(972) 449-3487	403	27	14.6	46.7%	191 (47.4%)	6 (1.5%)	188 (46.7%)	3 (0.7%)	2 (0.5%)	0 (0.0%)	13 (3.2%)	65	543^rd of 2009 public high schools	73.0%		74.9	310^th of 1974 public high schools	84.3%	233	53.2	84.9	64.2	85.9	63.0	$10,863
Ellis County Jjaep	Public	9-12	2272 Fm 878	Waxahachie	75165	Ellis County	Ennis Independent School District (Isd)	No	(n/a)	(n/a)	(n/a)	(972) 825-5420	3	0			2 (66.7%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (33.3%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)								(n/a)
Ellis County Jjaep	Public	8-12	2272 Fm 878	Waxahachie	75165	Ellis County	Waxahachie Independent School District (Isd)	No	No	(n/a)	No	(972) 825-5420	6				0 (0.0%)	4 (66.7%)	1 (16.7%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (16.7%)	3.2	1920^th of 2009 public high schools	4.4%					(n/a)	0.0	33.3	0.0
Ferris High School	Public	9-12	1025 E 8th St	Ferris	75125	Ellis County	Ferris Independent School District (Isd)	No	No	(n/a)	Yes	(972) 544-3737	940	76	12.4	74.5%	126 (13.4%)	101 (10.7%)	695 (73.9%)	2 (0.2%)	2 (0.2%)	2 (0.2%)	12 (1.3%)	49.2	971^st of 2009 public high schools	51.7%		45.4	1030^th of 1974 public high schools	47.8%	59	39.0	74.3	55.8	55.6	68.6	$11,441
Red Oak High School	Public	9-12	220 S State Hwy 342	Red Oak	75154	Ellis County	Red Oak Independent School District (Isd)	No	No	(n/a)	No	(972) 617-3535	2,297	139	16.4	57.6%	371 (16.2%)	924 (40.2%)	868 (37.8%)	24 (1.0%)	12 (0.5%)	2 (0.1%)	96 (4.2%)	40.6	1216^th of 2009 public high schools	39.5%		38.2	1210^th of 1974 public high schools	38.7%	6	38.0	64.7	50.0	52.5	64.6	$9,219
Waxahachie Global High School	Public	9-12	275 Indian Dr	Waxahachie	75165	Ellis County	Waxahachie Independent School District (Isd)	No	No	(n/a)	No	(972) 923-4761	369	29	12.9	34.4%	144 (39.0%)	46 (12.5%)	141 (38.2%)	14 (3.8%)	2 (0.5%)	2 (0.5%)	20 (5.4%)	86.8	99^th of 2009 public high schools	95.1%		87.2	103^rd of 1974 public high schools	94.8%	4	67.9	97.9	90.5	94.1	84.3	$9,029
Ennis High School	Public	9-12	2301 Ensign Rd	Ennis	75119	Ellis County	Ennis Independent School District (Isd)	No	No	(n/a)	Yes	(972) 872-3500	1,887	123	15.3	59.7%	466 (24.7%)	282 (14.9%)	1,084 (57.4%)	7 (0.4%)	4 (0.2%)	7 (0.4%)	37 (2.0%)	34.3	1376^th of 2009 public high schools	31.5%		39.4	1178^th of 1974 public high schools	40.3%	198	22.9	59.8	45.3	52.3	64.7	$8,936
Waxahachie H S Of Choice	Public	10-12	1000 Hwy 77 N	Waxahachie	75165	Ellis County	Waxahachie Independent School District (Isd)	No	No	(n/a)	No	(972) 923-4758	56	12	4.7	50.0%	22 (39.3%)	10 (17.9%)	19 (33.9%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	5 (8.9%)								(n/a)				40.0	41.7	$74,419
Life H S Waxahachie	Public, Charter	9-12	170 W Butcher Rd	Waxahachie	75165	Ellis County	Life School	Yes	No	(n/a)	Yes	(469) 708-4444	1,114	62	17.9	52.2%	165 (14.8%)	479 (43.0%)	424 (38.1%)	3 (0.3%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	43 (3.9%)	59.2	707^th of 2009 public high schools	64.8%		58.8	704^th of 1974 public high schools	64.3%	3	38.6	78.1	67.5	70.7	68.0	$9,752
Waxahachie High School	Public	9-12	3001 Us Hwy 287 Bypass	Waxahachie	75167	Ellis County	Waxahachie Independent School District (Isd)	No	No	(n/a)	Yes	(972) 923-4600	3,056	194	15.7	44.4%	1,071 (35.0%)	648 (21.2%)	1,202 (39.3%)	13 (0.4%)	9 (0.3%)	4 (0.1%)	109 (3.6%)	43.7	1129^th of 2009 public high schools	43.8%		42	1108^th of 1974 public high schools	43.9%	21	27.9	62.5	53.7	59.1	70.8	$7,609

Frequently Asked Questions about Palmer High School

Is Palmer High School a good school?

Palmer High School ranks 543^rd of 2009 Texas high schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 4 stars out of 5.

What district is Palmer High School in?

Palmer Independent School District (Isd)

What schools feed into Palmer High School?

Palmer High School is fed by the following schools:

Elementary : Palmer Elementary
Middle : Palmer Middle

How many students attend Palmer High School?

In the 2024-25 school year, 403 students attended Palmer High School.

What is the racial makeup of Palmer High School?

Students at Palmer High School are 47% White, 47% Hispanic, 3% Two or more races, 1% African American.

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Latest Texas data All new data »

2025–26 STAAR, STAAR EOC & STAAR Spanish test scoresJun 12, 2026

2021–22 through 2023–24 school spending dataJan 10, 2026

2023–24 dropout rates & graduation ratesSep 17, 2025

2024–25 STAAR EOC & STAAR Spanish test scoresJun 23, 2025

SchoolDigger data sources: National Center for Education Statistics, U.S. Department of Education, the U.S. Census Bureau and the Texas Education Agency.

IMPORTANT DISCLAIMERS: Not all boundaries are included. We make every effort to ensure that boundaries are up-to-date. But it's important to note that these are approximations and are for general informational purposes only. To verify legal descriptions of boundaries or school locations, contact your local tax assessor's office and/or school district.