High Island School, High Island TX

Original Research by School Decision on High Island School

High Island School is a small, unified PreK-12 facility serving a quiet, unincorporated coastal community on the upper Texas Gulf Coast. The school enrolls a small student body, with enrollment spread thinly across all grade levels from early childhood through high school. A substantial share of students qualify for free or reduced-price lunch. The student population is predominantly white, with a smaller Hispanic enrollment and very small representation from Asian and multiracial families.

The school's most recent state assessment data shows mixed performance across tested subjects and grades. In English language arts, proficiency runs uneven by grade. Third grade trails noticeably, but fourth and fifth grades show stronger footing. Sixth grade dips again, while seventh and especially eighth grade rise, with eighth-grade ELA proficiency reaching a higher level. Math proficiency is more volatile. Third grade shows modest gains, but fourth grade shows no students meeting proficiency. Fifth and eighth grades recover to stronger rates, while sixth and seventh grades sit at moderate levels. Science proficiency, measured in fifth and eighth grades, runs in the range of roughly half to slightly more than half of students meeting standards. Social studies, measured only in eighth grade, shows less than half the class proficient. Across all tested subjects and grades combined, the school's overall proficiency position sits in the top quartile relative to other districts in Galveston County, a notable strength given the small cohort sizes and the district's rural, economically limited setting.

The school sits within High Island ISD at a moment of major change. In May 2025, voters approved a substantial bond package to replace the district's aged and condemned facilities with a new building designed to house both elementary and high school students under one roof, complete with a shared gymnasium and library. Construction is slated to begin soon, with the new campus expected to open for the 2027-28 school year. Remarkably, the district is implementing a property-tax rate decrease despite the bond passage, meaning families will gain modern facilities without a tax increase. For families considering the district, this combination of facility investment and tax relief is concrete and lasting.

The community itself is small and centered on nature rather than commerce. High Island is famous among birders as a spring migratory stopover; the town's defining civic anchors are the Houston Audubon Society bird sanctuaries, which draw seasonal visitors. The area sits on a salt dome that historically supported oil and gas production. Economically, the town is quiet and car-dependent, with a dispersed residential character. For families, the school is part of a tight-knit, nature-oriented coastal community where school bonds succeed and tax rates move downward, even as the school works to raise proficiency in core academics across the grade spans.

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Academic performance

State test results and graduation outcomes.

Graduation rate (ACGR)

>=80%Cohort of 18 students · Class of 2021

The federal source publishes a banded range instead of an exact rate when the graduating cohort is small enough that an exact number could risk identifying individual students.

How this school compares to all schools in this state

Each dot is one school’s SY 2020-21 graduation rate, binned by integer rate. Taller columns mean more schools at that rate. This school is highlighted.

1,779 schools plotted. 59 additional schools' rates are federally suppressed and not shown. Data: EDFacts SY 2020-21.

Math

Grade 330%

School 30% · District 30%

▼ 10 pts below state median · ▼ 20 pts below county median

Grade 40%

School 0% · District 0%

▼ 41 pts below state median · ▼ 50 pts below county median

Grade 571%

School 71% · District 71%

▲ 30 pts above state median · ▲ 14 pts above county median

Grade 650%

School 50% · District 50%

▲ 16 pts above state median · ▲ 17 pts above county median

Grade 744%

School 44% · District 44%

▲ 17 pts above state median · ▲ 18 pts above county median

Grade 856%

School 56% · District 56%

▲ 14 pts above state median · ▲ 17 pts above county median

English language arts

Grade 340%

School 40% · District 40%

▼ 6 pts below state median · ▼ 15 pts below county median

Grade 456%

School 56% · District 56%

▲ 7 pts above state median · ▲ 3 pts above county median

Grade 571%

School 71% · District 71%

▲ 17 pts above state median · ▲ 5 pts above county median

Grade 640%

School 40% · District 40%

▼ 12 pts below state median · ▼ 10 pts below county median

Grade 756%

School 56% · District 56%

▲ 7 pts above state median · ▲ 6 pts above county median

Grade 875%

School 75% · District 75%

▲ 20 pts above state median · ▲ 21 pts above county median

Science

Grade 557%

School 57% · District 57%

▲ 34 pts above state median · ▲ 24 pts above county median

Grade 858%

School 58% · District 58%

▲ 16 pts above state median · ▲ 18 pts above county median

Social studies

Grade 833%

School 33% · District 33%

▲ 9 pts above state median · ▲ 6 pts above county median

This schoolHIGH ISLAND 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 8Lower-income71%Higher-income80%9 pp gap