Best Public Schools in Zip Code 79744

The three public schools in zip code 79744 serve the Iraan, Texas area and are all part of the Iraan-Sheffield Collegiate Independent School District (Isd), which has a low state ranking and a 1-star rating. These schools—Iraan Elementary (PK-5), Iraan J H (6-8), and Iraan High School (9-12)—enroll a total of 333 students, with a significant economic disadvantage rate averaging 47.7% across the district. The district maintains very small class sizes, with an average student-teacher ratio of 10.3:1, but there is a massive disparity in per-student spending, with the high school spending $27,614 per student—more than double the spending at the elementary ($14,069) and junior high ($12,991) schools.

Iraan High School stands out as the strongest performer in the district, achieving a 100% graduation rate and a 0% dropout rate, along with strong scores in Algebra I and Biology that exceed state averages. In contrast, Iraan Elementary is the weakest performer, with a consistent 1-star rating and alarmingly low test scores, particularly in 5th grade where only 10% of students were proficient in Reading and 5% in Mathematics. Iraan J H shows extreme volatility, jumping from a 1-star to a 2-star rating and back, with a persistent and severe problem in 7th-grade Mathematics where 0% of students were proficient in the most recent school year.

The most striking finding is the inverse relationship between spending and performance: the high school spends the most and performs the best, while the lower grades spend half as much and perform the worst. This suggests the high school may be highly effective at remediation, acting as a "lifeboat" for students from a struggling K-8 pipeline. The year-to-year volatility in test scores, especially at the junior high, indicates that the performance of a single small cohort can dramatically skew overall statistics, making it difficult to assess the true effectiveness of the school programs. Overall, parents should be aware that while the high school offers strong outcomes, the elementary and middle schools face significant academic challenges that require attention.