Summary:
Zip code 76667 in Mexia, Texas, is home to two elementary schools within the Mexia Independent School District (Isd), serving a combined 926 students from Pre-Kindergarten through 5th grade in a community where over 79% of students face economic disadvantage.
A B McBay Elementary (PK-2) serves as the foundational early childhood center, but because it does not administer STAAR tests, its academic performance is not directly measurable. In contrast, R Q Sims Intermediate (3-5) provides the only available test data, revealing significant challenges. While both schools maintain low student-teacher ratios (13.3:1 at McBay and 13.5:1 at Sims), the academic outcomes at Sims are well below state averages. For the 2025-2026 school year, reading proficiency at Sims stands at 38.95% (state: 54.20%), and math proficiency is just 26.88% (state: 47.00%). Notably, Sims spends more per student ($10,574) than McBay ($9,751), yet this higher investment has not translated into competitive scores, raising questions about resource allocation.
The data points to a systemic "pipeline" issue: students entering Sims in 3rd grade are already behind, suggesting that early education at McBay may not be adequately preparing them. Math is a particular crisis, with a 20-point deficit compared to the state, and 5th-grade science hit a low of only 8.82% proficiency in 2024-2025. Sims' volatile ranking—dropping to a 0-star rating in 2024-2025 before recovering to 1-star—indicates an ongoing struggle to find effective instructional strategies. For parents, this area presents a clear need for targeted academic support, especially in math and science, despite the district's efforts to maintain small class sizes.
Thank you for your feedback!