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Tarkington Middle

Q: Is Tarkington Middle a good school?

Tarkington Middle ranks 1727 th of 2335 Texas middle schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 1 star out of 5.

Public Grades 6-8

1727^th

SchoolDigger Rank ?

of 2,335 Texas Middle Schools

Better than 26% of Texas middle schools

Summary

Tarkington Middle in Cleveland, TX, serves 411 students in grades 6-8 within the Tarkington Independent School District (Isd), a rural area where over half of students qualify for free or reduced lunch.

This school is at a crossroads, showing a dramatic recent decline from a peak ranking in the 60th percentile statewide to the 26th percentile, now earning a 1-star rating. While it still outperforms struggling nearby schools like Cleveland Middle and Shepherd Middle, it is being outpaced by Hardin J H and Liberty Middle. The most striking issue is a severe gender achievement gap: female students rank in the 40th percentile, while male students rank in the 16th percentile—a 24-point disparity not seen in nearby schools. Additionally, the school's performance with its White student subgroup is critically low, ranking in the 8th percentile, and support for Special Education students has been volatile, swinging from the 92nd percentile to the 11th percentile in recent years.

Despite these challenges, Tarkington Middle has an exceptional advanced math program. In Algebra I, 79% of test-takers were proficient in 2024-2025, far above the state average of 47% and dramatically higher than its own district average of 17%. This creates a "barbell" effect: a strong program for high-achievers exists alongside a struggling core math curriculum, where 7th-grade math proficiency has dropped from 34% to just 8.75% in three years. Reading proficiency has also fallen below state averages across all grades. The school's leadership must urgently address the decline in core instruction while preserving its standout Algebra I program to reverse its downward trajectory.

411

Students ?

15.2

Student/teacher ratio ?

$9,616

Per pupil spending ?

54%

Free/discounted lunch ?

2770 Fm 163
Cleveland, TX 77327

(281) 592-7737

District: Tarkington Independent School District (Isd)

Students who attend Tarkington Middle usually attend:

High:

Tarkington High School

Feeder schools for Tarkington Middle:

Elementary:	Tarkington Early Childhood School
	Tarkington Elementary

Racial breakdown:

White:

74.0%

Hispanic:

20.9%

Two or more races:

4.1%

See top rated Texas middle schools

Compare Tarkington Middle to nearby middle schools!

At a glance

▼ Ranking trend: Declining — 57th percentile in 2016 → 26th in 2026

Worth a look

!Test scores below the Texas average (34% vs 47% meeting standards)

!Ranking has slipped — down 31 percentile points since 2016

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

Students meeting standards (2025-2026) ?

This school34%

District avg34%

Texas avg47%

1,727^th of 2,335

Texas public middle schools ?

Bottom 26%▼ down 31 pts since 2016

From top 43% (2016) to bottom 26% (2026)

See the entire ranking list of Texas Middle 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	29.9	1727 of 2335	26.0%	★☆☆☆☆
2025	30.1	1727 of 2344	26.3%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	41.5	1352 of 2372	43.0%	★★☆☆☆
2023	47.0	1156 of 2330	50.4%	★★★☆☆
2022	49.7	1023 of 2254	54.6%	★★★☆☆
2021	54.5	896 of 2252	60.2%	★★★☆☆
2019	48.5	1041 of 2193	52.5%	★★★☆☆
2018	48.3	1000 of 2080	51.9%	★★★☆☆
2017	41.3	1150 of 2027	43.3%	★★☆☆☆
2016	58.8	856 of 1987	56.9%	★★★☆☆
2015	55.1	943 of 2043	53.8%	★★★☆☆
2014	43.8	1202 of 1987	39.5%	★★☆☆☆
2013	53.7	949 of 1973	51.9%	★★★☆☆
2012	42.0	1230 of 1951	37.0%	★★☆☆☆
2011	49.9	1151 of 1895	39.3%	★★☆☆☆
2010	41.6	1306 of 1803	27.6%	★☆☆☆☆
2009	48.7	1062 of 1763	39.8%	★★☆☆☆
2008	43.2	1163 of 1718	32.3%	★★☆☆☆
2007	39.7	1192 of 1684	29.2%	★☆☆☆☆
2006	46.8	958 of 1585	39.6%	★★☆☆☆
2005	41.2	1058 of 1582	33.1%	★★☆☆☆
2004	38.9	1138 of 1573	27.7%	★☆☆☆☆

At Risk

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Texas percentile	Rating
2022	44.0	1110 of 2182	49.1%	★★☆☆☆
2021	38.7	1272 of 2118	39.9%	★★☆☆☆
2019	33.9	1436 of 2058	30.2%	★★☆☆☆
2018	61.6	473 of 2008	76.4%	★★★★☆

English Language Learner

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Texas percentile	Rating
2025	37.6	886 of 1428	38.0%	★★☆☆☆
2024	48.6	781 of 1770	55.9%	★★★☆☆
2023	57.6	532 of 1720	69.1%	★★★☆☆
2022	60.9	417 of 1643	74.6%	★★★★☆
2021	49.1	629 of 1592	60.5%	★★★☆☆
2019	64.3	309 of 1445	78.6%	★★★★☆
2018	60.3	311 of 1376	77.4%	★★★★☆

Female

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Texas percentile	Rating
2026	40.0	1342 of 2240	40.1%	★★☆☆☆
2025	40.0	1103 of 1825	39.6%	★★☆☆☆
2024	50.4	991 of 2242	55.8%	★★★☆☆
2023	53.1	939 of 2241	58.1%	★★★☆☆
2022	57.7	785 of 2221	64.7%	★★★☆☆
2021	60.3	712 of 2151	66.9%	★★★☆☆
2019	51.5	914 of 2047	55.3%	★★★☆☆
2018	50.2	926 of 2008	53.9%	★★★☆☆

Gifted and Talented

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Texas percentile	Rating
2026	45.9	1013 of 1497	32.3%	★★☆☆☆
2025	49.4	781 of 1230	36.5%	★★☆☆☆
2023	61.3	699 of 1481	52.8%	★★★☆☆
2022	67.0	490 of 1488	67.1%	★★★☆☆
2021	74.4	345 of 1501	77.0%	★★★★☆
2019	51.8	881 of 1446	39.1%	★★☆☆☆
2018	51.8	837 of 1430	41.5%	★★☆☆☆

Hispanic

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Texas percentile	Rating
2026	29.5	1670 of 2141	22.0%	★☆☆☆☆
2025	33.9	1208 of 1731	30.2%	★★☆☆☆
2024	41.8	1208 of 2119	43.0%	★★☆☆☆
2023	51.8	910 of 2116	57.0%	★★★☆☆
2022	47.6	999 of 2077	51.9%	★★★☆☆
2021	59.1	644 of 2043	68.5%	★★★☆☆
2019	50.8	851 of 1935	56.0%	★★★☆☆
2018	56.5	650 of 1895	65.7%	★★★☆☆

Low Socio Economic Status

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Texas percentile	Rating
2026	29.0	1759 of 2253	21.9%	★☆☆☆☆
2025	27.8	1462 of 1820	19.7%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	40.8	1296 of 2235	42.0%	★★☆☆☆
2023	46.1	1170 of 2251	48.0%	★★☆☆☆
2022	45.6	1143 of 2220	48.5%	★★☆☆☆
2021	52.2	891 of 2172	59.0%	★★★☆☆
2019	43.8	1156 of 2073	44.2%	★★☆☆☆
2018	51.4	866 of 2039	57.5%	★★★☆☆

Male

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Texas percentile	Rating
2026	23.8	1886 of 2253	16.3%	★☆☆☆☆
2025	21.9	1546 of 1818	15.0%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	30.1	1642 of 2246	26.9%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	41.7	1273 of 2245	43.3%	★★☆☆☆
2022	39.6	1327 of 2228	40.4%	★★☆☆☆
2021	48.0	1030 of 2168	52.5%	★★★☆☆
2019	44.1	1088 of 2069	47.4%	★★☆☆☆
2018	45.8	1022 of 2030	49.7%	★★☆☆☆

Multi-racial

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Texas percentile	Rating
2026	28.1	633 of 806	21.5%	★☆☆☆☆
2025	27.9	542 of 676	19.8%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	29.2	620 of 818	24.2%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	36.9	544 of 817	33.4%	★★☆☆☆
2022	12.1	791 of 813	2.7%	☆☆☆☆☆
2021	26.2	589 of 743	20.7%	★☆☆☆☆

Special Education

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Texas percentile	Rating
2026	25.2	1743 of 1956	10.9%	★☆☆☆☆
2025	34.4	1107 of 1568	29.4%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	78.2	159 of 1891	91.6%	★★★★★
2023	42.5	919 of 1815	49.4%	★★☆☆☆
2022	45.2	808 of 1757	54.0%	★★★☆☆
2021	49.0	638 of 1712	62.7%	★★★☆☆
2019	42.3	818 of 1626	49.7%	★★☆☆☆
2018	53.9	463 of 1597	71.0%	★★★★☆

White

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Texas percentile	Rating
2026	17.3	1587 of 1731	8.3%	☆☆☆☆☆
2025	16.4	1332 of 1439	7.4%	☆☆☆☆☆
2024	25.8	1432 of 1733	17.4%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	29.3	1381 of 1749	21.0%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	35.8	1196 of 1723	30.6%	★★☆☆☆
2021	36.2	1167 of 1700	31.4%	★★☆☆☆
2019	33.0	1231 of 1684	26.9%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	31.0	1269 of 1673	24.1%	★☆☆☆☆

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)

At Risk (2022)49th percentile-5 vs school

Female (2026)40th percentile+14 vs school

English Language Learner (2025)38th percentile+12 vs school

Gifted and Talented (2026)32nd percentile+6 vs school

Hispanic (2026)22nd percentile-4 vs school

Low Socio Economic Status (2026)22nd percentile-4 vs school

Multi-racial (2026)21st percentile-5 vs school

Male (2026)16th percentile-10 vs school

Special Education (2026)11th percentile-15 vs school

White (2026)8th percentile-18 vs school

By subject vs Texas (2025-2026) ?

Algebra I51%-3 vs state

Reading44%-11 vs state

Mathematics24%-15 vs state

Social Studies23%-9 vs state

★

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Schools Near Tarkington Middle

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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 English I Reading (2026)	STAAR Reading (2026)			STAAR Mathematics (2026)			STAAR Social Studies (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 English I Reading End of Course	STAAR Reading 6th Grade	STAAR Reading 7th Grade	STAAR Reading 8th Grade	STAAR Mathematics 6th Grade	STAAR Mathematics 7th Grade	STAAR Mathematics 8th Grade	STAAR Social Studies 8th Grade	Total
Tarkington Middle	Public	6-8	2770 Fm 163	Cleveland	77327	Liberty County	Tarkington Independent School District (Isd)	No	No	(n/a)	Yes	(281) 592-7737	411	27	15.2	54.0%	304 (74.0%)	0 (0.0%)	86 (20.9%)	0 (0.0%)	3 (0.7%)	1 (0.2%)	17 (4.1%)	29.9	1727^th of 2335 public middle schools	26.0%		30.1	1727^th of 2344 public middle schools	26.3%		51.2		43.5	37.0	53.1	21.2	8.8	36.8	23.1	$9,616
Cleveland Middle	Public	6-8	2000 E Houston St	Cleveland	77327	Liberty County	Cleveland Independent School District (Isd)	No	No	(n/a)	Yes	(281) 593-1148	1,446	94	15.3	91.7%	147 (10.2%)	68 (4.7%)	1,203 (83.2%)	3 (0.2%)	4 (0.3%)	0 (0.0%)	21 (1.5%)	10.8	2238^th of 2335 public middle schools	4.2%		9.9	2230^th of 2344 public middle schools	4.9%	8	80.7		23.8	23.2	31.1	17.6	5.2	20.3	9.0	$9,263
Iltexas Msg Ramirez Middle	Public, Charter	6-8	1954 Rd 5714	Cleveland	77327	Liberty County	International Leadership Of Texas (Iltexas)	Yes	(n/a)	(n/a)	(n/a)	(972) 479-9078	455	25	17.9	95.2%	11 (2.4%)	11 (2.4%)	421 (92.5%)	11 (2.4%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (0.2%)	10.3	2248^th of 2335 public middle schools	3.7%		6.7	2280^th of 2344 public middle schools	2.7%	32	29.5	100.0	27.1	24.7	20.0	23.7		11.7	9.2	$10,590
Santa Fe Middle	Public	6-8	7581 Rd 3540	Cleveland	77327	Liberty County	Cleveland Independent School District (Isd)	No	(n/a)	(n/a)	(n/a)	(281) 592-8717	1,117	69	16.1	96.2%	27 (2.4%)	20 (1.8%)	1,062 (95.1%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (0.1%)	0 (0.0%)	7 (0.6%)	7.7	2276^th of 2335 public middle schools	2.5%		8.6	2252^nd of 2344 public middle schools	3.9%	24	70.5		21.0	20.5	28.6	10.2	3.3	14.5	6.7	$10,692
Iltexas Bg Ramirez Middle	Public, Charter	6-8	4114 Rd 5200	Cleveland	77327	Liberty County	International Leadership Of Texas (Iltexas)	Yes	(n/a)	(n/a)	(n/a)	(979) 264-8311	418	23	18.3	95.5%	2 (0.5%)	7 (1.7%)	402 (96.2%)	1 (0.2%)	2 (0.5%)	1 (0.2%)	3 (0.7%)	13.4	2193^rd of 2335 public middle schools	6.1%		9.6	2238^th of 2344 public middle schools	4.5%	45	46.2	92.3	30.9	41.4	27.5	15.4		12.3	8.6	$9,678
Shepherd Middle	Public	6-8	1401 S Byrd Ave	Shepherd	77371	San Jacinto County	Shepherd Independent School District (Isd)	No	No	(n/a)	Yes	(936) 628-3377	448	30	14.8	72.5%	200 (44.6%)	18 (4.0%)	212 (47.3%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	18 (4.0%)	18.5	2083^rd of 2335 public middle schools	10.8%		17.3	2093^rd of 2344 public middle schools	10.7%	10	65.6		34.7	30.7	31.9	28.2	6.3	29.9	15.0	$7,436
Splendora J H	Public	7-8	23411 Fm 2090	Splendora	77372	Montgomery County	Splendora Independent School District (Isd)	No	No	(n/a)	Yes	(281) 689-6343	877	52	16.8	39.9%	371 (42.3%)	69 (7.9%)	411 (46.9%)	7 (0.8%)	0 (0.0%)	2 (0.2%)	17 (1.9%)	28.7	1765^th of 2335 public middle schools	24.4%		27.5	1819^th of 2344 public middle schools	22.4%	54	77.0			38.2	52.1		22.8	17.5	17.0	$8,380
Hardin J H	Public	6-8	395 Fm 834 E	Hardin	77561	Liberty County	Hardin Independent School District (Isd)	No	No	(n/a)	Yes	(936) 298-2054	297	19	15.3	55.2%	211 (71.0%)	11 (3.7%)	65 (21.9%)	1 (0.3%)	1 (0.3%)	0 (0.0%)	8 (2.7%)	45	1208^th of 2335 public middle schools	48.3%		39.5	1414^th of 2344 public middle schools	39.7%	206	65.5		43.8	65.8	69.3	19.2	25.2	13.6	26.1	$8,147
Liberty Middle	Public	6-8	2515 Jefferson	Liberty	77575	Liberty County	Liberty Independent School District (Isd)	No	No	(n/a)	Yes	(936) 336-3582	534	32	16.7	57.3%	216 (40.4%)	57 (10.7%)	227 (42.5%)	6 (1.1%)	3 (0.6%)	0 (0.0%)	25 (4.7%)	33.9	1599^th of 2335 public middle schools	31.5%		29.9	1735^th of 2344 public middle schools	26.0%	136	100.0		42.9	49.0	54.2	22.5	12.1	34.6	24.0	$7,437
Wilson J H	Public	6-8	309 S Hwy 146	Dayton	77535	Liberty County	Dayton Independent School District (Isd)	No	No	(n/a)	Yes	(936) 258-2309	1,295	77	16.7	73.4%	483 (37.3%)	99 (7.6%)	665 (51.4%)	6 (0.5%)	6 (0.5%)	1 (0.1%)	35 (2.7%)	24.5	1916^th of 2335 public middle schools	17.9%		27.7	1808^th of 2344 public middle schools	22.9%	108	73.5		35.5	45.3	45.9	22.1	11.2	31.7	12.5	$7,660

Frequently Asked Questions about Tarkington Middle

What is the racial makeup of Tarkington Middle?

Students at Tarkington Middle are 74% White, 21% Hispanic, 4% Two or more races.

What district is Tarkington Middle in?

Tarkington Independent School District (Isd)

How many students attend Tarkington Middle?

In the 2024-25 school year, 411 students attended Tarkington Middle.

What high school do graduates of Tarkington Middle attend?

Students who attend Tarkington Middle usually go on to attend Tarkington High School

Is Tarkington Middle a good school?

Tarkington Middle ranks 1727^th of 2335 Texas middle schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 1 star out of 5.

Rate 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.