Best Public Schools in Zip Code 76033

The seven public schools in zip code 76033 (Cleburne, TX) are all part of the Cleburne Independent School District (Isd), serving students from Pre-Kindergarten through 12th grade in a community where economic disadvantage rates are high, ranging from 50% to nearly 85% across schools.

The standout school in the area is Gerard Elementary, which ranks in the 82nd percentile statewide and earns a 4-star rating, significantly outperforming district and state averages in reading and math despite having the lowest poverty rate in the district. In contrast, Cooke Elementary has the highest poverty rate (84.83%) but has shown remarkable improvement, jumping from the 42nd to the 62nd percentile. Coleman Elementary also made a dramatic leap from the 35th to the 64th percentile in one year. At the middle school level, Ad Wheat Middle has an interesting anomaly: its 8th graders taking Algebra I achieve an 88% proficiency rate, far above state averages, yet its general math proficiency rates are well below state norms. Cleburne High School posts a solid 94.7% graduation rate and a low 0.7% dropout rate, but its core academic scores on EOC exams lag behind state averages, suggesting students graduate but may be less prepared for college coursework.

A key takeaway is that poverty does not determine performance, as evidenced by Gerard Elementary’s consistent excellence and Cooke Elementary’s strong improvement. There is also no clear link between spending per student and outcomes—Ad Wheat Middle spends the most ($11,129 per student) but ranks lowest, while Gerard spends the least ($9,084) and ranks highest. This volatility in elementary rankings, with schools like Marti Elementary swinging from the 24th to the 61st percentile, underscores the importance of tracking trends over multiple years rather than relying on a single year’s data.