Ira School, Ira TX - Test Scores & Data

Original Research by School Decision on Ira School

Ira School sits at the center of a small, unincorporated West Texas community in southwestern Scurry County, about ten miles southwest of Snyder. There is no downtown to speak of in Ira itself; the school campus functions as the community's primary civic gathering point. The surrounding economy runs on oil, gas, ranching, and farming, and the community has experienced long-term population decline rather than growth. Families here are car-dependent, with county-level civic resources like the Scurry County Library and Youth Center located in Snyder.

The school is a single-campus PK-through-12 operation, a true one-school district, with total enrollment that places it among the smallest schools in Texas. Class sizes at each grade level are very small, which can mean close student-teacher relationships but also a narrower peer group and fewer course electives. The student body is predominantly white with a meaningful Hispanic population, and less than a fifth of students qualify for free or reduced-price lunch, which is low relative to many rural Texas schools. Data on English learner enrollment and special education rates were not available in this data set.

On Texas STAAR assessments, the picture is genuinely mixed and worth reading carefully by grade and subject. In reading and language arts, the school performs well: proficiency rates across tested grades from third through eighth are strong, with fourth, fifth, and sixth grade ELA results that are notably high. The overall ELA approach rate across all grades is very strong. In math, the pattern is more uneven. Fourth and fifth grade math results are excellent, but third, seventh, and eighth grade math proficiency rates are low enough that a parent with a child entering middle school would want to ask the school directly about its math support systems. Seventh grade math in particular stands out as a weak spot. Eighth grade science is solid, while fifth grade science sits at a more modest level. Eighth grade social studies proficiency is low. Across all tested subjects combined, the school lands above the midpoint relative to the other districts in Scurry County, based on the comparison set of districts in that county, but that context is a small one with only a handful of districts.

The overall "approaches grade level" rate across all subjects is high, meaning most students are clearing the minimum bar. The "meets grade level" rate is more moderate, and the "masters" rate is lower, suggesting that while most students reach basic proficiency, fewer are hitting the top performance tier. Trend data covers only a single year in this set, so it is not possible to say whether results are improving, declining, or holding steady. A parent should ask the district about multi-year trajectory directly.

On the high school side, graduation rate data was not available in this data set. The school serves grades nine through twelve, so those results should exist, and a family weighing this school for a high schooler would want to request that figure from Ira ISD. Information on AP course availability, dual credit, or career and technical pathways was not provided and is worth asking about given how much those offerings matter for college preparation in a small rural school.

One concrete development publicly reported: Texas passed a school funding law in 2025 (HB 2) that delivers permanent, recurring pay raises for teachers, with increases weighted toward very small districts like Ira ISD. Teachers with experience receive raises locked into base pay starting in the 2026-2027 school year. For a small rural district that has historically paid below the state average, this matters for staff retention over time.

Housing in the area is well below both the Texas and national medians, and estimated monthly mortgage costs are modest relative to national income benchmarks. The market has seen some year-over-year appreciation recently. Rental data for the immediate Ira area was not available.

This school fits a family that values a tight-knit, single-campus K-12 community, a rural West Texas setting, and relatively affordable housing. The strong ELA results and above-county-midpoint overall proficiency are genuine positives. The middle school math results and the absent high school outcome data are the places where a parent should dig in with the school before drawing conclusions.

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Academic performance

State test results and graduation outcomes.

Graduation rate (ACGR)

>=50%Cohort of 12 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

Grade 473%

School 73% · District 73%

▲ 32 pts above state median

Grade 590%

School 90% · District 90%

▲ 49 pts above state median

Grade 684%

School 84% · District 84%

▲ 50 pts above state median

Grade 723%

School 23% · District 23%

▼ 4 pts below state median

Grade 829%

School 29% · district not reported

▼ 13 pts below state median

English language arts

Grade 365%

School 65% · District 65%

▲ 19 pts above state median

Grade 487%

School 87% · District 87%

▲ 38 pts above state median

Grade 585%

School 85% · District 85%

▲ 31 pts above state median

Grade 688%

School 88% · District 88%

▲ 36 pts above state median

Grade 764%

School 64% · District 64%

▲ 15 pts above state median

Grade 874%

School 74% · District 74%

▲ 19 pts above state median

Science

Grade 540%

School 40% · District 40%

▲ 17 pts above state median

Grade 870%

School 70% · District 70%

▲ 28 pts above state median

Social studies

Grade 830%

School 30% · District 30%

▲ 6 pts above state median

This schoolIRA 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 3Lower-income83%Higher-income57%26 pp gap

Grade 5Lower-income60%Higher-income93%33 pp gap

Grade 6Lower-income100%Higher-income83%17 pp gap

Grade 8Lower-income80%Higher-income71%9 pp gap

Mathematics

Grade 3Lower-income33%Higher-income29%4 pp gap

Grade 5Lower-income60%Higher-income100%40 pp gap

Grade 6Lower-income100%Higher-income78%22 pp gap