Original Research by School Decision on The Larry Brown School
The Larry Brown School is a public alternative school operated by Jourdanton ISD, serving seventh and eighth graders in Jourdanton, Texas. Its enrollment at the time of the most recent data was extremely small, with only two students on record. That context shapes almost everything a parent needs to understand about this place.
Because the school's enrollment is so small, state assessment results are suppressed across all tested subjects. Texas reported participation in eighth-grade science and social studies testing, but the proficiency results are withheld to protect student privacy when group sizes fall below state reporting thresholds. This is not a reflection of performance in any direction; it is a data protection practice standard in Texas and most other states. Multi-year trend data is similarly unavailable for the same reason. A parent who wants to understand academic outcomes here would need to ask the school directly, since published test data simply cannot tell that story.
Demographic information on free-and-reduced-price lunch eligibility, special education status, and English learner status is also missing from the available data. The two enrolled students are reported as Hispanic. No staffing, attendance, or discipline data was reported, and no program offerings were on record.
The school's alternative designation is itself meaningful context. Alternative schools in Texas typically serve students who need a different educational setting from a traditional campus, whether because of disciplinary placement, credit recovery needs, or other circumstances. Jourdanton ISD is the parent district, and a family seeking to understand why a student would be enrolled here, or what the path forward looks like, would want to have that conversation directly with the district.
On the housing and community side, Jourdanton is the county seat of Atascosa County, a small town with a suburban-rural character where most residents own their homes. The civic center is anchored by a Mission Revival-style county courthouse, publicly reported as the only surviving example of that style in Texas. Commercial life is modest, with a small cluster of locally owned businesses along Oak Street. San Antonio lies roughly 38 miles to the north along State Highway 16 and serves as the regional hub for larger retail and employment. The local economy draws from county government, healthcare, and energy work tied to the Eagle Ford Shale. New residential construction has appeared in recent years, including subdivisions from both a local developer and a national homebuilder, reflecting measured growth.
Home values in the area run below the Texas statewide benchmark and well below the national benchmark, and values have dipped modestly in the most recent year, consistent with a broader cooling in Texas markets. Rental data was not available. The price-to-income ratio sits at a level that suggests relative affordability compared to national norms.
For the 2025-2026 school year, Jourdanton ISD publicly adopted a tax rate that includes a small levy tied to storm damage from 2024; despite that addition, the district publicly reported that taxpayers would see a net reduction in their overall bill. Separately, the district issued a request for qualifications for architects in spring 2026 to begin pre-bond and long-range facilities planning. No bond has yet been put to voters, but families considering buying into the district may want to follow that process, since a future bond election could carry a debt-service tax component.
Comparison data relative to districts in Atascosa County was not applicable here because proficiency, graduation, and absenteeism figures are all missing or suppressed given the school's type and size.
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