Summary:
Zip code 75644 in Gilmer, Texas, is home to two high schools: Gilmer High School and Union Hill High School, serving grades 9-12 and 6-12 respectively, in a rural East Texas area.
The standout school in this zip code is Gilmer High School, which holds a 4-star rating and ranks in the 71st percentile statewide. It consistently outperforms state averages in all core subjects, including Algebra I (73% proficient vs. 54% state average) and Biology (78% vs. 71%). In contrast, Union Hill High School is a very small school (141 students) with a 1-star rating, ranking in the 20th percentile. Despite a perfect 100% graduation rate and 0% dropout rate, Union Hill's academic proficiency falls significantly below state averages in every subject—for example, only 40% of students are proficient in Algebra I and U.S. History. Both schools serve similar percentages of economically disadvantaged students (60% at Gilmer, 57% at Union Hill) and have identical student-to-teacher ratios of 11.8:1, yet the academic gap is stark.
An interesting finding is that Union Hill Independent School District (Isd) spends $1,963 more per student ($17,025) than Gilmer Independent School District (Isd) ($15,062), yet achieves far lower outcomes. This suggests that higher spending does not automatically translate to better academic results, possibly due to the challenges of running a very small district. For parents, Gilmer High School offers a proven track record of strong, consistent performance, while Union Hill High School provides a close-knit environment with perfect graduation rates but struggles to prepare students for state assessments.
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