Rising Star Elementary

Rising Star Elementary is a small, rural PK-5 school in Rising Star, TX, serving just 88 students and is the sole elementary school within the Rising Star Independent School District (Isd).

This school has experienced a significant and concerning decline in academic performance over the past decade, dropping from the 66th percentile statewide in 2016-2017 to the 11th percentile in the most recent data. This makes it the lowest-performing school in its immediate area, with nearby schools like Cross Plains Elementary (73rd percentile) and Cisco Elementary (45th percentile) performing much higher. For example, only 14.29% of 3rd graders were proficient in Math, compared to 48% at Cross Plains and 39.39% at Cisco. The school’s challenges are widespread, affecting all student groups, and the decline is not a one-year dip but a consistent downward slide over nearly a decade, suggesting deep-rooted issues.

Interestingly, Rising Star has structural advantages that are not translating into success. It boasts a low student-to-teacher ratio of 10:1 and per-student spending in line with its peers, indicating the struggles likely stem from instructional quality or leadership rather than resources. A glimmer of hope exists in 4th and 5th grade Reading, where 50% of students were proficient in the most recent year, a significant improvement. The most direct comparison is with Maxfield Elementary in Gorman, a similarly small, rural school with a higher poverty rate that still outperforms Rising Star (27th percentile vs. 11th). This shows that a high-poverty environment does not have to predetermine low outcomes, and Rising Star may need to examine how effectively its resources are being used.