Best Public Schools in Zip Code 76265

The two public schools in zip code 76265, serving the rural community of Saint Jo, Texas, are both part of the Saint Jo Independent School District (Isd) and present a clear contrast in performance and trajectory. Saint Jo High School (grades 7-12, 145 students) is the standout, showing strong improvement by jumping from the 37th to the 56th percentile in state rankings over the past year. It boasts a perfect 100% graduation rate and a 0% dropout rate, and it significantly outperforms state averages in 8th Grade Reading (79.17% vs. 58.69%) and Biology (72.73% vs. 70.51%). In contrast, Saint Jo Elementary (PK-6, 181 students) has experienced a sharp decline, dropping from the 66th to the 29th percentile in state rankings, and consistently underperforms state averages in core subjects like 4th Grade Math (22.22% vs. 49.28% state).

Key metrics reveal a district with moderate economic need, as about 40% of students at both schools receive free or reduced lunch. A notable disparity exists in spending: the High School receives $12,839 per student, which is $2,909 more than the Elementary school's $9,930 per student. Both schools benefit from small class sizes, with student-teacher ratios of 9.4:1 at the High School and 13.9:1 at the Elementary school. However, the data shows extreme year-over-year volatility in test scores due to the small student populations, such as 5th Grade Reading at the Elementary school dropping from 59.09% to 31.25% in one year.

The most critical finding is the "7th Grade Math" anomaly at the High School, which recorded a 0% proficiency rate for the 2025-2026 school year, an extreme outlier that demands immediate investigation. Overall, the district appears more effective in upper grades, with the High School excelling in reading and science, while the Elementary school struggles with foundational math and reading. This suggests a potential disconnect in the educational pipeline, where the Elementary school's weaknesses may create a "learning debt" that the High School must address. The spending paradox, where the better-performing High School receives significantly more funding, raises questions about whether reallocating resources could help reverse the Elementary school's decline.