Summary:
Zip code 78342 is home to a single high school, Ben Bolt-Palito Blanco High School, which serves grades 7 through 12 as part of the Ben Bolt-Palito Blanco Independent School District (Isd) in a small, rural community. With a total enrollment of 206 students, this school offers a very low student-teacher ratio of 10.2:1, allowing for significant individualized attention. The school has shown a dramatic academic turnaround in recent years, with state ranking improving from the 36th percentile in 2023-2024 to the 46th percentile in 2025-2026, despite a high rate of economic disadvantage where nearly 85% of students qualify for free or reduced lunch.
Key metrics reveal a school with notable strengths and targeted challenges. The graduation rate is strong at 92.3%, with a very low dropout rate of just 0.5%, indicating that the school effectively keeps students on track. In the 2025-2026 school year, the school significantly outperformed state averages in 7th Grade Math (51.72% vs. 29.41%), 8th Grade Math (62.75% vs. 47.24%), 7th Grade Reading (62.07% vs. 54.04%), English II Reading (66.67% vs. 59.88%), and U.S. History (80% vs. 70.17%). However, it struggles in areas like 8th Grade Social Studies (14% vs. 31.69%), Algebra I (25% vs. 54.03%), and Biology (51.85% vs. 70.51%), pointing to a need for additional support in science and high school-level math.
The most compelling finding is the school's rapid improvement in core subjects between the 2024-2025 and 2025-2026 school years. For example, 7th Grade Reading proficiency jumped from 30.61% to 62.07%, and 8th Grade Math soared from just 7.41% to 62.75%. This suggests that recent instructional changes or targeted interventions have been highly effective. The school spends $12,274 per student, a moderate amount that, combined with the low student-teacher ratio, appears to be yielding positive results. While challenges remain in End of Course exams, the overall trajectory is one of strong progress in a supportive, small-school environment.
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