Perkins Middle, De Leon TX - Test Scores & Data

Original Research by School Decision on Perkins Middle

Perkins Middle serves grades six through eight in De Leon, a small rural Comanche County community in Central Texas. The school is a regular public school embedded in a district that publicly reported a 2024 National Blue Ribbon Award recognition for gap-closing achievement and holds a current top-tier accountability rating. The school itself draws from a modest enrollment and a community where the majority of students qualify for free or reduced-price lunch, reflecting the economic character of the area.

On state testing, the school shows a profile that varies considerably by grade and subject. In English language arts, proficiency ranges from roughly two-thirds of eighth graders to a strong majority of seventh graders. Math shows a more dramatic progression, with sixth-grade proficiency in the low range and eighth-grade proficiency approaching three-quarters. Science proficiency at the eighth grade reaches roughly two-thirds. Social studies, tested only in eighth grade, is notably lower, with only a small portion meeting the proficiency standard. Reading across these results, the school's strongest subjects are ELA and math in the upper grades, while social studies appears as a soft spot that may warrant further attention from the school and families.

The school's overall proficiency index places it in the top quartile among districts in Comanche County. This positioning reflects above-median academic performance relative to its county neighbors, a meaningful signal in a rural district context where comparative data is limited.

The student body is ethnically diverse, with a mix of Hispanic and white students and a small share of multiracial students. Well over half the enrollment qualifies for free or reduced-price lunch, characteristic of rural Texas communities. The school does not report special-education and English-learner enrollment rates in available data; families seeking that information may want to contact the school directly.

De Leon itself is a quiet rural town of roughly a thousand people centered on farm and ranch life, with peanuts, pecans, peaches, and melons as historic crops. Schools are embedded in the town rather than on isolated campuses. The district operates three schools: Perkins Middle, De Leon Elementary serving younger grades, and De Leon High School, which earned the Blue Ribbon recognition. Housing values in the area are below state and national benchmarks, and the local economy is anchored by the school district, healthcare, agriculture, and small retail. This is a stable but modest growth environment with slow population change and an older housing stock.

For a family considering Perkins Middle, the school represents a small, integrated middle school in a rural setting with demonstrated academic momentum in its district and competitive performance among its county peers. The strength in reading and growth across math grade levels suggest instructional consistency, though the social studies outcome signals an area worth exploring with the school about curriculum and support.

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Academic performance

How students perform on state tests, by grade, set against the district.

Math

Grade 638%

School 38% · District 38%

▲ 4 pts above state median

Grade 761%

School 61% · District 61%

▲ 34 pts above state median

Grade 875%

School 75% · District 75%

▲ 33 pts above state median

English language arts

Grade 665%

School 65% · District 65%

▲ 13 pts above state median

Grade 785%

School 85% · District 85%

▲ 36 pts above state median

Grade 867%

School 67% · District 67%

▲ 12 pts above state median

Science

Grade 867%

School 67% · District 67%

▲ 25 pts above state median

Social studies

Grade 816%

School 16% · District 16%

▼ 8 pts below state median

This schoolDE LEON ISD, same grade

Graduation rate (ACGR) reflects the federally published Adjusted Cohort Graduation Rate for the most recent year available. We refresh this data annually at the close of each academic year in June. The federal source publishes a banded rate (for example, "90-94%") instead of an exact number for cohorts small enough to risk identifying individual students. The state distribution chart, where shown, plots every school in the state with a published rate or band; schools whose rate is federally suppressed are excluded. Where the federal source publishes a band rather than an exact rate, the school is placed within its band using a stable, ID-derived offset, so its position is consistent across visits.

Proficiency by household income

English language arts

Grade 6Lower-income61%Higher-income68%7 pp gap

Grade 7Lower-income68%Higher-income100%32 pp gap

Grade 8Lower-income62%Higher-income74%12 pp gap

Mathematics

Grade 6Lower-income30%Higher-income44%14 pp gap

Grade 7Lower-income50%Higher-income70%20 pp gap

Grade 8Lower-income77%Higher-income73%4 pp gap