Karnes City J H, Karnes City TX - Test Scores & Data

Original Research by School Decision on Karnes City J H

Karnes City Junior High serves middle grades in a small South Texas county seat, a public school of modest enrollment in a town shaped by oil and gas economy, farming, ranching, and a longtime detention-facility presence. The school sits on a campus cluster away from downtown, on Highway 123, serving students from the town and surrounding rural county.

Academically, the school faces significant challenges that warrant careful attention. English language arts results are mixed: sixth grade reaches proficiency rates that fall in the middle range across the grade levels, while seventh grade lags noticeably behind, and eighth grade rebounds substantially. Mathematics proficiency is considerably weaker across all three grades, with sixth and seventh graders showing low proficiency and eighth grade particularly weak. Science proficiency in eighth grade sits below half, and social studies proficiency in eighth grade is strikingly low. The school's overall proficiency index across all tested subjects and grades places it below the midpoint among the county's districts.

The student body is predominantly Hispanic, with a white minority, a small Black population, and very few Asian or multiracial students. Close to three-fifths of students qualify for free or reduced-price lunch, a marker of substantial economic need. Enrollment is small for a junior high, distributed roughly evenly across the three grades.

The district has recently undertaken meaningful infrastructure investment. Voters approved a bond in 2023 for facility design, construction, renovation and improvement—a property tax increase that carries lasting debt-service implications for families. This bond follows a 2020 bond program that funded a new elementary school, a dedicated Career and Technical Education school, high school additions, a new administration building, and transportation facilities. These projects suggest the district is working to modernize its facilities and expand career pathway offerings.

The surrounding economy mixes traditional agriculture with energy work tied to the Eagle Ford Shale, along with public employment through the school district itself, TxDOT, and detention facilities operated by the GEO Group. Housing in the 78118 zip code is affordable relative to both Texas and national benchmarks. The town itself is small and car-dependent, with civic anchors including a public library and an annual town fair, but limited walkable street life and no fixed-route public transit.

A parent may want to look into the school's current academic support strategies, particularly in mathematics and social studies, to understand how classroom instruction is being adjusted to address these proficiency gaps. The district's recent bond activity and facility expansion, especially the new CTE school, may offer pathways beyond traditional academics that some students find engaging. Enrollment numbers suggest this is small enough that individual students may receive more personal attention, though small schools often face resource constraints as well.

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Academic performance

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

Math

Grade 620%

School 20% · District 20%

▼ 14 pts below state median

Grade 724%

School 24% · District 24%

▼ 3 pts below state median

Grade 813%

School 13% · District 13%

▼ 29 pts below state median

English language arts

Grade 643%

School 43% · District 43%

▼ 9 pts below state median

Grade 731%

School 31% · District 31%

▼ 18 pts below state median

Grade 840%

School 40% · District 40%

▼ 15 pts below state median

Science

Grade 833%

School 33% · District 33%

▼ 9 pts below state median

Social studies

Grade 84%

School 4% · District 4%

▼ 20 pts below state median

This schoolKARNES CITY 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-income38%Higher-income56%18 pp gap

Grade 7Lower-income20%Higher-income43%23 pp gap

Grade 8Lower-income40%Higher-income41%1 pp gap

Mathematics

Grade 6Lower-income19%Higher-income22%3 pp gap

Grade 7Lower-income16%Higher-income33%17 pp gap

Grade 8Lower-income15%Higher-income10%5 pp gap