George Washington Carver El, Karnack TX

Original Research by School Decision on George Washington Carver El

George Washington Carver Elementary serves students from prekindergarten through eighth grade in Karnack, a small rural community in northeastern Harrison County near Caddo Lake. The school's enrollment is modest, with about a small-medium number of students spread across grades including a notably larger prekindergarten cohort. The student body is diverse by race and ethnicity, split roughly between Black and white students with a smaller Hispanic population. Economic conditions are substantial: a large majority of students qualify for free or reduced-price lunch, a marker of community economic hardship.

The school's test performance shows a mixed picture that varies notably by grade level and subject. In English language arts, proficiency rates range widely. Third and fifth graders show lower results, while seventh graders perform better, and eighth graders reach the highest level. Math proficiency is similarly uneven, with third, fourth, and fifth graders showing low to moderate performance and a pronounced jump at eighth grade, where roughly two-thirds of students score proficiently. Science results are sparse, with only fifth- and eighth-grade testing reported; fifth grade shows very low proficiency while eighth grade reaches about half. Eighth-grade social studies proficiency is near the midpoint. Across all tested subjects, the school reports that most students meet or approach proficiency standards, but the share scoring at the "meets" or "masters" level remains well below half.

Carver's overall proficiency index places it above the midpoint among the six school districts in Harrison County, suggesting academic performance that is not the lowest in its immediate peer set, though the county comparison reflects a small, tight group. Across grades, the eighth-grade cohort consistently outperforms younger grades, which may reflect either stronger student performance, different teaching approaches at that level, or simply a smaller and possibly different student population in that grade.

The school operates as part of Karnack Independent School District, which serves only prekindergarten through eighth grade. Students who advance to high school transfer to Jefferson ISD under an inter-district agreement renewed in 2024. This arrangement is a structural reality families should understand if they have high-school-age children. The district itself has lowered its overall property tax rate over several years and voters approved a transportation bond in 2023 to fund new buses and vehicles, adding a modest property tax obligation going forward.

Karnack is a car-dependent, dispersed rural community without a downtown core or pedestrian infrastructure. The local economy centers on conservation and public-sector employment, including Caddo Lake State Park and the Caddo Lake National Wildlife Refuge. Housing values in the area are substantially below both state and national benchmarks, and home affordability relative to income is notably favorable compared to national standards. The school sits within an environment shaped by natural amenities and outdoor recreation rather than commercial density or urban services.

Eighth graders show strength in reading and science, and the school's aggregate results place it competitively within its county. For families considering the area, the school offers a rural PreK-8 pathway with evidence of stronger student performance in the upper grades. A parent may want to look into the school's instructional approaches in the early elementary grades and in math more broadly, and to clarify what support is available for students whose STAAR results fall below proficiency.

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Academic performance

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

Math

Grade 323%

School 23% · District 23%

▼ 17 pts below state median · ▼ 16 pts below county median

Grade 433%

School 33% · District 33%

▼ 8 pts below state median · ▼ 13 pts below county median

Grade 518%

School 18% · District 18%

▼ 23 pts below state median · ▼ 18 pts below county median

Grade 718%

School 18% · District 18%

▼ 9 pts below state median

Grade 863%

School 63% · District 63%

▲ 21 pts above state median

English language arts

Grade 331%

School 31% · District 31%

▼ 15 pts below state median · ▼ 17 pts below county median

Grade 440%

School 40% · District 40%

▼ 9 pts below state median · ▼ 3 pts below county median

Grade 518%

School 18% · District 18%

▼ 36 pts below state median

Grade 741%

School 41% · District 41%

▼ 8 pts below state median

Grade 875%

School 75% · District 75%

▲ 20 pts above state median

Science

Grade 59%

School 9% · District 9%

▼ 14 pts below state median · ▼ 7 pts below county median

Grade 850%

School 50% · District 50%

▲ 8 pts above state median

Social studies

Grade 838%

School 38% · District 38%

▲ 14 pts above state median

This schoolKARNACK 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 7Lower-income50%Higher-income20%30 pp gap

Mathematics

Grade 7Lower-income25%Higher-income0%25 pp gap