Wells School

Wells School in Wells, TX, is a small, rural PK-12 alternative school within the Wells Independent School District (Isd), serving 239 students in an area with a high level of economic disadvantage, where about 66% of students qualify for free or reduced lunch.

The school’s most remarkable achievement is its perfect record of student retention: for five consecutive school years, it has reported a 100% graduation rate and a 0% dropout rate. This success in keeping students in school, however, contrasts sharply with its academic performance on state assessments (STAAR), which is generally well below state averages and significantly lower than nearby Douglass School. For example, in 8th Grade Reading, Douglass achieved 86.21% proficiency versus Wells’ 60%, and in 8th Grade Math, the gap was even wider at 62.5% versus 26.32%. Wells also spends considerably more per student—$23,639 compared to Douglass’s $9,662—yet this high investment has not translated into high academic outcomes, raising questions about how instructional dollars are used.

Despite these challenges, there are some bright spots. In the most recent year, Wells’ 8th Grade Social Studies score of 45% was significantly higher than the state average of 31.69%, and performance on some End-of-Course exams, like Biology (70.59%) and English II (60%), was near state averages. The school’s low student-teacher ratio of 11.2 supports individualized attention, but the comparison to Douglass—which has a lower poverty rate, lower spending, and a more favorable ratio of 9.5—suggests that factors like curriculum quality and school culture play a decisive role in student success. For parents, Wells offers a caring environment that ensures students graduate, but they should be aware that academic proficiency, especially in math, may require additional support at home.