Summary:
Zip code 79762 in Odessa, Texas, is home to two high schools within the Ector County Independent School District (Isd): the large, traditional Permian High School (serving grades 9-12 with 4,138 students) and the small, alternative Alter Educational Center (serving grades 6-12 with just 85 students).
These two schools serve vastly different student populations and have distinct missions. Permian High School is the dominant comprehensive high school, ranking in the 21st percentile statewide with a graduation rate of 88.8% and a dropout rate of 1.8%. While its academic performance on STAAR exams is below state averages (e.g., only 24.49% proficient in Algebra I vs. 54.03% statewide), it outperforms its district averages. In stark contrast, Alter Educational Center ranks in the 7th percentile and has critically low test scores (0% proficient in 7th and 8th-grade Math), but it boasts an exceptionally low dropout rate of just 0.1%. This suggests its primary focus is on student retention and recovery for a high-need population, with 90.59% of its students economically disadvantaged.
The most striking difference is financial: Alter Educational Center spends an extraordinary $119,207 per student—over 12 times the $9,727 spent at Permian High School. This high cost reflects the intensive resources needed for small class sizes (11:1 student-teacher ratio) and specialized interventions. Together, these schools illustrate how the Ector County Independent School District (Isd) (ranked 634 out of 951 in Texas) operates two very different educational models: a standard comprehensive high school for the majority and a high-cost alternative for a small, at-risk population.
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