Best High Schools in Zip Code 79357

Zip code 79357 is home to a single high school, Ralls High School, which serves grades 9-12 in the small, rural community of Ralls, Texas, as part of the Ralls Independent School District (Isd).

With only 113 students, Ralls High School is a very small school that offers an extremely low student-to-teacher ratio of 7.1:1, which can allow for more individualized attention. However, the school faces significant academic challenges. It consistently ranks in the bottom quartile of Texas high schools, currently sitting at the 22nd percentile. This is particularly striking given that the district spends a very high $18,980 per student—well above the state average. The school's test scores lag behind state averages in most subjects, with the largest gaps in Algebra I (24% proficient vs. 54% state) and U.S. History (50% vs. 70%). A notable exception is Biology, where 63% of students were proficient in the most recent year, much closer to the state average of 71% and representing a significant improvement from the prior year.

The school serves a predominantly economically disadvantaged population, with nearly 79% of students eligible for free or reduced lunch. While the graduation rate of 91.4% is only slightly below the state average, the dropout rate of 1.8% is a concern for a school this size. The high spending paired with low performance suggests that the fixed costs of running a small, rural district may not be translating into academic gains, likely due to the challenges of poverty. The recent success in Biology offers a glimmer of hope, but overall, Ralls High School is a small, high-poverty school that is struggling to achieve proficiency in core subjects despite significant financial investment.