Summary:
The Cross Plains Independent School District (Isd) in zip code 76443 serves a small, rural community with two schools—Cross Plains Elementary (grades PK-6) and Cross Plains High School (grades 7-12)—and a total enrollment of 365 students, where a high percentage of students come from economically disadvantaged backgrounds.
Cross Plains Elementary stands out for its strong upper-grade performance, particularly in 6th grade where 75% of students are proficient in math and 69.57% in reading—well above state averages. However, the school shows a concerning year-over-year decline in early grades, with 3rd and 4th-grade reading scores dropping sharply from the previous year. In contrast, Cross Plains High School maintains a stable but lower overall ranking (45th-46th percentile) and excels in Biology with 77.78% proficiency, yet struggles significantly in Algebra I where only 29.03% of students are proficient compared to the state average of 54.03%. The high school boasts an impressive 96% graduation rate and a very low dropout rate of 0.6%, despite test scores that often fall below state averages.
A key takeaway is the stark contrast in math performance between the two schools: the elementary school’s 6th-grade math is a standout strength, but this foundation does not carry over to high school Algebra I, suggesting a breakdown in the math pipeline. Additionally, the high school spends more per student ($13,615 vs. $11,250) and has a smaller student-teacher ratio (7.4:1 vs. 10.5:1) than the elementary school, yet its overall ranking is lower, indicating that resource allocation does not always translate directly into higher test scores. For parents, this district offers small class sizes and a strong graduation rate, but families should be aware of the specific academic challenges in early elementary math and high school algebra.
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