Hughes Springs J H, Hughes Springs TX

Original Research by School Decision on Hughes Springs J H

Hughes Springs Junior High serves grades six through eight in a small rural district in Cass County. The school enrolls about one-quarter across three grade cohorts, with roughly half of students qualifying for free or reduced-price lunch. The student body is predominantly white, with smaller Hispanic, Black, and multiracial shares.

On the most recent state testing, the junior high shows a mixed academic picture with a clear pattern: English language arts is a relative strength, while math and social studies present challenges. Sixth graders scored below proficiency in math, with the majority not meeting the standard. Seventh graders performed somewhat better, with a minority meeting proficiency. Eighth graders showed stronger results in math, with about half meeting standard, suggesting upward momentum through the grades. In contrast, ELA proficiency rose steadily from sixth to eighth grade, with eighth graders showing strong performance. Science proficiency in eighth grade was moderate. Social studies presented the steepest difficulty, with eighth-grade proficiency notably low. Across all subjects combined, the school's overall proficiency index placed it above the midpoint among Cass County districts, a meaningful position given the county comparison set.

The grade-level progression in math warrants attention. A parent might want to ask the school about its math curriculum and instructional strategies, particularly for students entering sixth grade, since that cohort faced the most significant difficulty. The improvement visible by eighth grade suggests the school does bring students along, but the entry point is a soft spot.

In English language arts, the school demonstrates real strength, particularly by eighth grade. This consistent performance across the middle grades, and the particularly strong result at the highest tested grade, indicates capable instruction and curriculum in that area.

The school is housed in a public junior high building, part of Hughes Springs ISD. Housing values in the ZIP code are moderate and below both state and national benchmarks. The district operates with a roughly split performance profile across its campuses: the high school earned a strong state accountability rating while the elementary school received a much lower one for 2024-2025, signaling that family experience and outcomes may vary considerably by school level within this district. A parent considering the district would benefit from understanding that profile variation, since the junior high falls between the two in terms of accountability standing.

See more original research from School Decision →

Academic performance

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

Math

Grade 629%

School 29% · District 29%

▼ 5 pts below state median

Grade 736%

School 36% · District 36%

▲ 9 pts above state median

Grade 852%

School 52% · District 52%

▲ 10 pts above state median

English language arts

Grade 668%

School 68% · District 68%

▲ 16 pts above state median

Grade 766%

School 66% · District 66%

▲ 17 pts above state median

Grade 877%

School 77% · District 77%

▲ 22 pts above state median

Science

Grade 854%

School 54% · District 54%

▲ 12 pts above state median

Social studies

Grade 824%

School 24% · District 24%

even with state median

This schoolHUGHES SPRINGS 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-income68%Higher-income68%0 pp gap

Grade 7Lower-income58%Higher-income76%18 pp gap

Grade 8Lower-income66%Higher-income86%20 pp gap

Mathematics

Grade 6Lower-income21%Higher-income36%15 pp gap

Grade 7Lower-income28%Higher-income46%18 pp gap

Grade 8Lower-income43%Higher-income59%16 pp gap