Summary
Rusk High School in Rusk, TX, serves 621 students in grades 9-12 within the Rusk Independent School District (Isd), a district rated 3 stars in the 55th percentile statewide, and is located in a rural area where over 61% of students are economically disadvantaged.
Rusk High School stands out for its strong performance in English and U.S. History, consistently outperforming nearby schools like Jacksonville High School, Alto High School, and Cushing School. For example, in English II Reading, Rusk scored 66.27% proficient, well above the state average of 59.88% and significantly higher than Jacksonville (45.86%) and Alto (48.65%). In U.S. History, Rusk’s 72.39% proficiency rate tops its peers and exceeds the state average. However, the school faces a critical weakness in Algebra I, where only 31.09% of students are proficient—23 percentage points below the state average. While nearby schools also struggle in math, this gap highlights a systemic challenge. Additionally, Rusk’s graduation rate is exceptionally high at 97.7%, creating a paradox where the school excels at keeping students on track for a diploma but struggles to ensure grade-level mastery in core subjects like math.
Rusk’s performance with its Gifted and Talented (GT) program has been volatile, dropping from the 91st percentile in 2024-2025 to the 34th percentile in 2025-2026, suggesting inconsistency in program delivery. The school also underperforms in serving special education students, ranking in the 15th percentile. On a positive note, Rusk does a reasonable job supporting its economically disadvantaged and at-risk students, with rankings near the 50th percentile. Compared to Cushing School, which has shown upward academic momentum, Rusk has been stagnant or declining. Despite higher per-student spending than Jacksonville and Cushing, Rusk’s math scores remain a persistent concern, indicating that current resources are not effectively addressing this critical need.
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