Summary:
Zip code 79013, serving the community of Cactus, Texas, contains a single school, Cactus Elementary, which serves grades PK-4 and is part of the Dumas Independent School District (Isd).
Cactus Elementary is a school facing significant challenges, with 94.05% of its 487 students economically disadvantaged. While its parent district ranks in the 60th percentile statewide, the school itself ranks in the bottom 14% of all Texas schools, indicating highly localized struggles. Academic performance on STAAR tests is well below both district and state averages across all subjects and grade levels. For example, in the most recent year, only 28.41% of 3rd graders and 31.4% of 4th graders were proficient in reading, compared to district averages of 52.65% and 54.7%, respectively. Math scores tell a similar story, with 33.33% of 3rd graders and 37.21% of 4th graders proficient, versus district averages of 42.7% and 58.56%.
Despite the overall low performance, there are some positive signs. Fourth-grade math saw a dramatic 19.4 percentage point improvement from the previous year, and fourth-grade reading also improved by 8.11 points. However, third-grade reading remained stagnant, a critical concern for early literacy. The school's state ranking has declined for three consecutive years, and the profound link between high poverty rates and low academic achievement is evident. With a student-teacher ratio of 14.5:1 and per-student spending of $11,572, the school may need to evaluate whether its resources are sufficient to overcome the deep challenges its students face.
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