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Tarkington High School

Q: Is Tarkington High School a good school?

Tarkington High School ranks 1303 rd of 2009 Texas high schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 2 stars out of 5.

Public Grades 9-12

1303^rd

SchoolDigger Rank ?

of 2,009 Texas High Schools

Better than 35% of Texas high schools

Summary

Tarkington High School in Cleveland, TX, serves 544 students in grades 9-12 within the Tarkington Independent School District (Isd), a community where about 49% of students qualify for free or reduced lunch. This mid-sized school has seen a dramatic academic decline in recent years, dropping from the 61st percentile statewide in 2022-2023 to the 35th percentile in 2025-2026—a loss of 26 percentile points that has brought its performance closer to that of nearby Cleveland High School, which serves a much more economically disadvantaged population. Despite this overall trend, Tarkington excels in U.S. History, with 70.31% of students proficient in 2025-2026, outperforming Dayton High School (54.86%) and Liberty High School (58.45%).

The school presents a paradox: while test scores in core subjects like Algebra I have been volatile—plummeting from 40% proficiency in 2022-2023 to just 6.67% in 2024-2025 before recovering to 33.91%—Tarkington boasts exceptional graduation and dropout rates. The graduation rate has steadily risen to 98.3% in 2023-2024, with a 0.0% dropout rate for the last two years, far better than Cleveland High School's 88.4% graduation rate and 2.7% dropout rate. This suggests the school is highly effective at keeping students engaged and on track to graduate, even as academic proficiency on standardized tests declines.

Notably, Tarkington provides outstanding support for its Gifted and Talented students, who ranked in the 84th percentile statewide in 2025-2026, earning a 4-star rating—a stark contrast to the school's overall 2-star rating. However, the school struggles with a persistent gender gap, with female students consistently ranking 15-20 percentile points higher than male students over the last three years. Additionally, the school underperforms for its White student population, who ranked in the 17th percentile in 2025-2026, significantly lower than the school's overall 35th percentile. These patterns point to specific areas for instructional focus as the school works to reverse its recent decline.

544

Students ?

15.2

Student/teacher ratio ?

$10,025

Per pupil spending ?

49.1%

Free/discounted lunch ?

2770 Fm 163
Cleveland, TX 77327

(281) 592-7739

District: Tarkington Independent School District (Isd)

Feeder schools for Tarkington High School:

Elementary:	Tarkington Early Childhood School
	Tarkington Elementary
Middle:	Tarkington Middle

Racial breakdown:

White:

72.2%

Hispanic:

24.3%

Two or more races:

2.4%

See top rated Texas high schools

Compare Tarkington High School to nearby high schools!

At a glance

▼ Ranking trend: Declining — 67th percentile in 2016 → 35th in 2026

Strengths

✓98% graduate within 4 years

Worth a look

!Test scores below the Texas average (52% vs 62% meeting standards)

!Ranking has slipped — down 32 percentile points since 2016

!Some student groups rank well below the school's overall statewide standing

Students meeting standards (2025-2026) ?

This school52%

District avg51%

Texas avg62%

1,303^rd of 2,009

Texas public high schools ?

Bottom 35%▼ down 31 pts since 2016

From top 33% (2016) to bottom 35% (2026)

See the entire ranking list of Texas High Schools →

★★★★★

SchoolDigger rating ?

788^th of 951Tarkington 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	37.5	1303 of 2009	35.1%	★★☆☆☆
2025	26.1	1494 of 1974	24.3%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	33.4	1338 of 1990	32.8%	★★☆☆☆
2023	56.4	757 of 1961	61.4%	★★★☆☆
2022	53.3	792 of 1876	57.8%	★★★☆☆
2021	45.8	979 of 1861	47.4%	★★☆☆☆
2019	59.3	636 of 1857	65.8%	★★★☆☆
2018	62.0	520 of 1797	71.1%	★★★★☆
2017	63.6	470 of 1777	73.6%	★★★★☆
2016	63.2	590 of 1762	66.5%	★★★☆☆
2015	65.9	536 of 1743	69.2%	★★★☆☆
2014	62.4	596 of 1734	65.6%	★★★☆☆
2013	56.3	709 of 1652	57.1%	★★★☆☆
2012	54.0	718 of 1603	55.2%	★★★☆☆
2011	47.2	1161 of 1672	30.6%	★★☆☆☆
2010	56.2	860 of 1568	45.2%	★★☆☆☆
2009	60.3	703 of 1539	54.3%	★★★☆☆
2008	62.9	600 of 1510	60.3%	★★★☆☆
2007	57.1	769 of 1497	48.6%	★★☆☆☆
2006	57.6	719 of 1430	49.7%	★★☆☆☆
2005	61.9	593 of 1429	58.5%	★★★☆☆
2004	59.3	680 of 1427	52.3%	★★★☆☆

At Risk

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Texas percentile	Rating
2022	38.6	1039 of 1837	43.4%	★★☆☆☆
2021	39.7	1033 of 1829	43.5%	★★☆☆☆
2019	56.2	555 of 1810	69.3%	★★★☆☆
2018	59.4	469 of 1784	73.7%	★★★★☆

English Language Learner

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Texas percentile	Rating
2025	40.6	557 of 1153	51.7%	★★★☆☆
2024	35.4	836 of 1437	41.8%	★★☆☆☆
2023	48.8	516 of 1371	62.4%	★★★☆☆
2022	47.4	469 of 1278	63.3%	★★★☆☆
2021	66.0	224 of 1195	81.3%	★★★★☆
2019	86.3	85 of 1136	92.5%	★★★★★

Female

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Texas percentile	Rating
2026	41.2	1155 of 1936	40.3%	★★☆☆☆
2025	33.1	997 of 1504	33.7%	★★☆☆☆
2024	41.6	1072 of 1880	43.0%	★★☆☆☆
2023	64.3	552 of 1891	70.8%	★★★★☆
2022	56.9	686 of 1841	62.7%	★★★☆☆
2021	47.4	948 of 1815	47.8%	★★☆☆☆
2019	49.6	904 of 1798	49.7%	★★☆☆☆
2018	61.4	591 of 1781	66.8%	★★★☆☆

Gifted and Talented

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Texas percentile	Rating
2026	70.3	190 of 1206	84.2%	★★★★☆
2025	43.2	679 of 964	29.6%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	72.0	218 of 1182	81.6%	★★★★☆
2022	72.6	122 of 1172	89.6%	★★★★☆
2021	48.5	813 of 1177	30.9%	★★☆☆☆
2019	70.8	218 of 1145	81.0%	★★★★☆
2018	73.0	4 of 1137	99.6%	★★★★★

Hispanic

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Texas percentile	Rating
2026	35.9	1236 of 1860	33.5%	★★☆☆☆
2025	31.2	1008 of 1453	30.6%	★★☆☆☆
2024	39.0	1012 of 1805	43.9%	★★☆☆☆
2023	56.4	633 of 1820	65.2%	★★★☆☆
2022	63.4	421 of 1762	76.1%	★★★★☆
2021	47.9	827 of 1743	52.6%	★★★☆☆
2019	67.8	367 of 1714	78.6%	★★★★☆
2018	62.8	441 of 1691	73.9%	★★★★☆

Low Socio Economic Status

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Texas percentile	Rating
2026	36.9	1265 of 1937	34.7%	★★☆☆☆
2025	22.3	1238 of 1513	18.2%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	27.1	1423 of 1884	24.5%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	55.0	664 of 1897	65.0%	★★★☆☆
2022	51.2	738 of 1847	60.0%	★★★☆☆
2021	42.8	1031 of 1848	44.2%	★★☆☆☆
2019	56.1	611 of 1818	66.4%	★★★☆☆
2018	62.0	429 of 1794	76.1%	★★★★☆

Male

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Texas percentile	Rating
2026	31.5	1372 of 1954	29.8%	★☆☆☆☆
2025	18.5	1252 of 1515	17.4%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	24.6	1420 of 1891	24.9%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	47.1	927 of 1913	51.5%	★★★☆☆
2022	47.0	876 of 1853	52.7%	★★★☆☆
2021	42.7	1001 of 1840	45.6%	★★☆☆☆
2019	65.3	468 of 1824	74.3%	★★★★☆
2018	60.3	547 of 1803	69.7%	★★★☆☆

Multi-racial

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Texas percentile	Rating
2026	13.1	644 of 713	9.7%	☆☆☆☆☆
2025	2.9	590 of 598	1.3%	☆☆☆☆☆
2024	16.8	637 of 731	12.9%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	7.9	631 of 677	6.8%	☆☆☆☆☆
2021	26.1	459 of 588	21.9%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	56.4	237 of 604	60.8%	★★★☆☆
2018	30.3	418 of 582	28.2%	★☆☆☆☆

Special Education

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Texas percentile	Rating
2026	33.6	1068 of 1581	32.4%	★★☆☆☆
2025	25.2	1069 of 1299	17.7%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	81.3	131 of 1548	91.5%	★★★★★
2023	59.1	403 of 1478	72.7%	★★★★☆
2022	47.1	597 of 1418	57.9%	★★★☆☆
2021	46.7	600 of 1382	56.6%	★★★☆☆
2019	71.5	192 of 1357	85.9%	★★★★☆
2018	73.4	195 of 1347	85.5%	★★★★☆

White

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Texas percentile	Rating
2026	21.7	1313 of 1584	17.1%	★☆☆☆☆
2025	11.4	1165 of 1294	10.0%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	17.6	1342 of 1556	13.8%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	40.8	973 of 1576	38.3%	★★☆☆☆
2022	33.0	1096 of 1525	28.1%	★☆☆☆☆
2021	27.8	1170 of 1510	22.5%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	42.5	919 of 1526	39.8%	★★☆☆☆
2018	46.5	835 of 1539	45.7%	★★☆☆☆

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)

Gifted and Talented (2026)84th percentile+49 vs school

English Language Learner (2025)52nd percentile+27 vs school

At Risk (2022)43rd percentile-14 vs school

Female (2026)40th percentile+5 vs school

Low Socio Economic Status (2026)35th percentile~ school

Hispanic (2026)34th percentile~ school

Special Education (2026)32nd percentile-3 vs school

Male (2026)30th percentile-5 vs school

White (2026)17th percentile-18 vs school

Multi-racial (2026)10th percentile-25 vs school

By subject vs Texas (2025-2026) ?

U.S. History70%~ state avg

English II Reading60%~ state avg

Biology55%-15 vs state

English I Reading39%-17 vs state

Algebra I34%-20 vs state

1.0

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What people are saying

by a parent
Wednesday, April 30, 2014

Little focus and attention is directed towards education. Minorities are bullied by administrators and staff until they leave the area or the student drops out. The same discrimination occurs for students who do not participate in extra-curricular activities. The handbook only applies to students that are not related to the staff. Bullying is frequently ignored by staff and administrators. Tarkington is a great place to live if you don't have school-aged children. Many parents choose to home-school, which is highly recommended. Otherwise, I would look elsewhere to live! Close Quote

Schools Near Tarkington 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
Tarkington High School	Public	9-12	2770 Fm 163	Cleveland	77327	Liberty County	Tarkington Independent School District (Isd)	No	No	(n/a)	No	(281) 592-7739	544	36	15.2	49.1%	393 (72.2%)	4 (0.7%)	132 (24.3%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (0.2%)	1 (0.2%)	13 (2.4%)	37.5	1303^rd of 2009 public high schools	35.1%		26.1	1494^th of 1974 public high schools	24.3%	191	33.9	55.5	38.6	60.0	70.3	$10,025
Cleveland High School	Public	9-12	1600 E Houston St	Cleveland	77327	Liberty County	Cleveland Independent School District (Isd)	No	No	(n/a)	Yes	(281) 592-8752	3,627	208	17.4	90.6%	260 (7.2%)	126 (3.5%)	3,199 (88.2%)	6 (0.2%)	5 (0.1%)	1 (0.0%)	30 (0.8%)	15.2	1724^th of 2009 public high schools	14.2%		14.2	1708^th of 1974 public high schools	13.5%	16	19.6	48.5	31.3	29.6	49.4	$8,404
Frederick A Douglass Learning Academy	Public	9-12	1309 Jefferson Ave	Cleveland	77327	Liberty County	Cleveland Independent School District (Isd)	No	No	(n/a)	No	(281) 592-7595	129	6	22.3	93.8%	13 (10.1%)	5 (3.9%)	109 (84.5%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (0.8%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (0.8%)	4.9	1886^th of 2009 public high schools	6.1%		3.2	1908^th of 1974 public high schools	3.3%	22	0.0	16.7	6.7	17.4	39.1	$14,475
Shepherd High School	Public	9-12	#1 Pirate Ln	Shepherd	77371	San Jacinto County	Shepherd Independent School District (Isd)	No	No	(n/a)	No	(936) 628-3371	616	46	13.5	74.4%	289 (46.9%)	26 (4.2%)	274 (44.5%)	3 (0.5%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	24 (3.9%)	29.1	1496^th of 2009 public high schools	25.5%		27	1469^th of 1974 public high schools	25.6%	27	24.4	53.3	39.0	43.2	66.7	$9,384
Splendora High School	Public	9-12	23747 Fm 2090	Splendora	77372	Montgomery County	Splendora Independent School District (Isd)	No	No	(n/a)	Yes	(281) 689-8008	1,647	104	15.8	35.6%	686 (41.7%)	108 (6.6%)	804 (48.8%)	5 (0.3%)	0 (0.0%)	2 (0.1%)	42 (2.6%)	26.4	1552^nd of 2009 public high schools	22.7%		20.6	1604^th of 1974 public high schools	18.7%	52	29.6	60.1	43.5	42.7	48.9	$9,592
Hardin High School	Public	9-12	501 Fm 834 E	Hardin	77561	Liberty County	Hardin Independent School District (Isd)	No	No	(n/a)	Yes	(936) 298-2118	396	23	17.3	48.7%	292 (73.7%)	10 (2.5%)	74 (18.7%)	1 (0.3%)	5 (1.3%)	0 (0.0%)	14 (3.5%)	35	1360^th of 2009 public high schools	32.3%		33.9	1300^th of 1974 public high schools	34.1%	60	27.9	70.8	45.2	55.8	53.9	$9,620
Dayton High School	Public	9-12	3200 N Cleveland	Dayton	77535	Liberty County	Dayton Independent School District (Isd)	No	No	(n/a)	Yes	(936) 258-2510	1,674	92	18.1	70.5%	624 (37.3%)	107 (6.4%)	891 (53.2%)	6 (0.4%)	7 (0.4%)	1 (0.1%)	38 (2.3%)	36.7	1318^th of 2009 public high schools	34.4%		37.5	1225^th of 1974 public high schools	37.9%	93	43.7	65.1	46.4	52.2	54.9	$8,733
Premier H S Of Dayton	Public, Charter	9-12	1707 County Rd 611	Dayton	77535	Liberty County	Premier High Schools	Yes	No	(n/a)	Yes	(936) 257-8017	112	6	17.6	54.5%	81 (72.3%)	5 (4.5%)	22 (19.6%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (0.9%)	1 (0.9%)	2 (1.8%)	7.8	1830^th of 2009 public high schools	8.9%		8.9	1797^th of 1974 public high schools	9.0%	33	9.5	40.0	26.9	26.9	25.9	$10,333
Fredda Nottingham Alternative Education Center	Public	12	302 S Cleveland St	Dayton	77535	Liberty County	Dayton Independent School District (Isd)	No	No	(n/a)	No	(936) 258-2309	5	1	5.1		3 (60.0%)	0 (0.0%)	2 (40.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)								(n/a)						$10,149
Liberty High School	Public	9-12	2615 Jefferson Dr	Liberty	77575	Liberty County	Liberty Independent School District (Isd)	No	No	(n/a)	Yes	(936) 336-6483	768	42	18.4	49.6%	338 (44.0%)	85 (11.1%)	317 (41.3%)	8 (1.0%)	3 (0.4%)	0 (0.0%)	17 (2.2%)	37.4	1305^th of 2009 public high schools	35.0%		31.2	1368^th of 1974 public high schools	30.7%	63	40.9	67.0	45.0	51.8	58.5	$9,265

Frequently Asked Questions about Tarkington High School

What district is Tarkington High School in?

Tarkington Independent School District (Isd)

Is Tarkington High School a good school?

Tarkington High School ranks 1303^rd of 2009 Texas high schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 2 stars out of 5.

How many students attend Tarkington High School?

In the 2024-25 school year, 544 students attended Tarkington High School.

What is the racial makeup of Tarkington High School?

Students at Tarkington High School are 72% White, 24% Hispanic, 2% Two or more races.

What schools feed into Tarkington High School?

Tarkington High School is fed by the following schools:

Elementary : Tarkington Early Childhood School
Elementary : Tarkington Elementary
Middle : Tarkington Middle

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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.