Summary:
The 8 schools in zip code 79045 (Hereford, TX) serve students from pre-kindergarten through 12th grade, primarily within the Hereford Independent School District (Isd), which ranks in the 25th percentile statewide, alongside the higher-performing Walcott Independent School District (Isd), which ranks in the 75th percentile.
For parents, the standout school in the area is Aikman Elementary, which consistently earns a 4-star rating and ranks in the 82nd percentile, despite serving a student body with the highest economic disadvantage rate (84%) and the largest class sizes in the district. This makes it a remarkable choice compared to other elementary schools like Northwest Elementary, which has received a 0-star rating for two years and ranks in the bottom 4% of Texas elementary schools. Another excellent option is Walcott Elementary, which belongs to the Walcott ISD and boasts exceptional math performance, with 6th-grade proficiency rates nearly 2.5 times the state average. For middle school, Hereford Preparatory Academy (8th grade only) shows strong improvement, driven by near-perfect Algebra I proficiency (96%), while Hereford J H (grades 6-7) struggles significantly, particularly in 7th-grade math where only 5% of students are proficient. Hereford High School maintains a solid 93.6% graduation rate but lags behind state averages on core subject exams.
Key takeaways include a stark educational divide within the same zip code: Walcott Elementary spends $12,769 per student and achieves top-quartile results, while Hereford ISD schools average about $9,700 per student and often underperform. The "Aikman Anomaly" shows that high performance is possible despite high poverty and large class sizes, suggesting strong leadership and culture matter. Conversely, the 7th-grade math crisis at Hereford JH is a critical red flag that demands immediate attention, as it threatens students' future readiness for advanced math and high school success.
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