The reported proficiency rate for Math is 52%.
Original Research by School Decision on Libby El
Libby Elementary serves grades two and three in Carthage, a small East Texas county seat with a mixed character of historic downtown and residential neighborhoods set in piney-woods country. The school itself sits on a separated campus west of the town center, part of a Carthage ISD system that operates five campuses across Panola County.
The school's current enrollment is small, with roughly equal numbers of second and third graders spread across both grades. A substantial majority of students qualify for free or reduced-price lunch. The student body is predominantly white, with a significant African American student population and a smaller Hispanic enrollment, reflecting the broader demographics of the Carthage area.
Academic performance in 2024-25 shows mixed results. In third-grade math, measured proficiency sits at roughly half of students. In third-grade English language arts, proficiency is also near half. Looking across all tested performance levels, the school reports that the vast majority of students approach grade-level standards, while a smaller share meet them at the higher mastery level. When the school's overall proficiency index is compared to other districts in Panola County, Libby sits above the midpoint, placing it in a middle-to-stronger position among its county peers.
A key limitation: English-learner and special-education enrollment counts are not reported in available data, so a complete picture of how the school serves all student populations is not available. Trend data across multiple years is also not yet available, making it difficult to assess whether proficiency is rising, stable, or declining. The state testing results themselves come from only one year of assessment, so they represent a snapshot rather than an established pattern.
The community context matters for families considering this school. Carthage's population has been essentially flat over recent years, with the local economy anchored by oil-and-gas companies and a Tyson processing plant. Housing values in the area are modest and below state and national benchmarks, and homeownership is common. The school tax rate dropped substantially in 2023 due to state-mandated compression, and voters approved two bonds in the past three years (one in 2023, another in 2025) for facility upgrades and technology, without raising tax rates, signaling district investment in school infrastructure.
Daily life in Carthage is car-dependent, though the historic downtown square offers pedestrian-oriented shops and events. The town has slow, steady growth, with civic anchors including Anderson Park downtown and Panola College. For families in Carthage's second and third grades, Libby offers a small-town educational setting with mid-range proficiency performance, a student body that reflects East Texas demographics, and a district backing facility improvements through voter-approved bonds. A parent may want to look into current or future trend data with the school and district to understand whether proficiency is moving in a particular direction.
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