Summary:
In zip code 77859, there is one elementary school, Hearne Elementary, serving grades PK through 6 in the Hearne Independent School District (Isd), an area with a very high level of economic need where nearly 95% of students qualify for free or reduced lunch.
Hearne Elementary has a favorable student-teacher ratio of 11.8:1 and spends $12,488 per student, which is above the state average. Despite these resources, academic outcomes are among the lowest in Texas, with the school ranking in the 9th percentile statewide for the 2025-2026 school year. The most critical weakness is in 5th-grade Science, where only 1.96% of students were proficient in 2024-2025, compared to the state average of 29.57%. Math scores are also persistently low across all grades, with 5th-grade Math proficiency at just 15.15% in 2025-2026 (state: 47.38%).
There is a notable bright spot in 3rd-grade Reading, which more than doubled from 16.07% proficiency in 2024-2025 to 36.84% in 2025-2026, suggesting a possible successful new reading initiative. However, performance varies significantly by grade level, with 3rd graders outperforming 4th graders in Reading, indicating inconsistent instructional quality or cohort challenges. Overall, Hearne Elementary faces immense challenges tied to student poverty, and while its spending and class sizes are positive factors, they have not yet translated into strong academic results. The most urgent areas for improvement are Science and Math instruction, while the 3rd-grade Reading trend offers a potential model for replication.
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