Summary:
The three public schools in zip code 79853 serve the rural community of Tornillo, Texas, and are part of the Tornillo Independent School District (Isd). These schools include Tornillo Intermediate (elementary), Tornillo J H (middle school), and Tornillo High School. The district faces significant challenges due to high economic disadvantage, with an average free/reduced lunch rate of 92.04%.
Tornillo High School stands out as the district's strongest performer, achieving a stable 47th percentile state ranking for two consecutive years. Its most remarkable strength is Algebra I, where proficiency rates reached 87.8% in 2025-2026, far exceeding the state average of 54.03%. The high school also maintains a graduation rate of 89.4%. In contrast, Tornillo J H shows extreme volatility, with 7th-grade math scoring 0% proficiency while advanced 8th graders achieved 100% in Algebra I. Tornillo Intermediate has seen its ranking decline from the 40th to the 35th percentile, though 3rd-grade reading (61.9%) was the only grade level in the district to exceed the state average in that subject.
Key takeaways include a systemic reading weakness across all grade levels, with every other reading assessment falling below state averages. Science is a critical area for improvement, with 5th-grade science at just 10% proficiency and Biology at 50.94% (well below the state's 70.51%). The district benefits from small class sizes (12.8:1 student-teacher ratio) and per-student spending slightly above the state average at $12,682. The Spanish STAAR test results at the intermediate school reveal a bilingual challenge, with 3rd-grade reading in Spanish at only 18.52% proficiency compared to 61.9% in English, highlighting the academic hurdles faced by English learners in this border community.
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