The top reported proficiency rate is 24% in English language arts. The lowest is 8% in Science.
Original Research by School Decision on Tekoa Academy of Accelerated Studies Stem School
Tekoa Academy of Accelerated Studies STEM School is a charter district serving pre-K through high school students across multiple campuses in Jefferson County. The enrollment spans just over four hundred students, with the highest concentration in pre-K, kindergarten, and early elementary grades, and a steep taper through the high school years. The student body is predominantly Black, with smaller populations of Hispanic, white, Asian, and multiracial students. Data on free-or-reduced-price-lunch eligibility and special populations (English learners, students with IEPs) are not available.
State test results for 2024-25 show a pattern of low proficiency across math, English language arts, science, and social studies at all tested grade levels. In elementary math, proficiency reaches about one-third in grades four and five but falls to single digits in grade three and the mid-range grades. In English, a similar distribution appears, with grade eight performing noticeably better at around one-half proficient, while grades three through six cluster between about one-fifth and one-quarter proficient. Science results are sparse: grade five shows zero proficiency, while grade eight reaches about one-sixth. Overall across all tested subjects, fewer than one-quarter of students reach the "meets grade level" threshold, and only about one-twentieth achieve "masters" status. Only one year of data is available, so trend direction cannot be assessed.
A critical recent development shapes the context for any parent considering enrollment. The district's Texas Education Agency accountability rating dropped sharply from an A in 2022-23 to an F for 2024-25. In response, the district has implemented a formal recovery plan. As of 2025-26, the academy adopted the state-developed Bluebonnet curriculum to better align instruction with Texas standards and the STAAR test, added staff (eight teachers and three interventionists) focused on individualized support, and launched Family Academic Nights to provide parents with STAAR preparation resources to use at home. These are curriculum and instructional shifts meant to address the underlying proficiency gaps evident in the test data. Whether these changes will move results is not yet measurable.
Among Jefferson County's nine districts, Tekoa's overall proficiency index places it at the bottom quartile when compared to its neighbors. Chronic absenteeism sits below the county midpoint, a relative strength. Per-pupil spending is in the upper range for the county, meaning resources allocated are not scarce.
The district operates four schools across its service area. The steep decline in grade-level enrollment from early elementary to high school, combined with the recent accountability crisis and the ongoing recovery efforts, presents a landscape of active remediation. A parent weighing enrollment should understand that this is a school system in transition, with new curriculum and staffing support deployed to reverse recent performance losses, but with results from those interventions not yet in evidence. The grade-by-grade proficiency data shows significant struggle across foundational skills, and the rating drop is a tangible signal of the severity of that struggle. How the Bluebonnet curriculum and added interventionists reshape outcomes will be an important measure in coming years.
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