Marlin El, Marlin TX - Test Scores & Data

Original Research by School Decision on Marlin El

Marlin Elementary serves a small school population spanning pre-K through fifth grade in a low-income, high-poverty town. Nearly all of its students qualify for free or reduced-price lunch, and the school reflects the demographic composition of Marlin: about half its enrollment is Black, roughly a third Hispanic, and a small share white. The school's size is modest, with roughly two-thirds the typical grade-level enrollment of schools its type.

Academic performance on state testing presents a clear picture. Proficiency in math ranges widely by grade, starting at a low baseline in third grade, climbing substantially in fifth, and settling in the middle ranges for sixth grade. Reading scores are similarly uneven: very low in third and fourth grades, improving to about one-third proficiency by fifth, then holding steady in sixth. In science, fifth-grade results are markedly weak. Overall across all subjects and grades, the proficiency index sits below the midpoint when compared to other districts in Falls County, a signal that students here are arriving at tested grade levels with foundational gaps.

The uneven grade-level performance across math and reading suggests students struggle most in the early tested grades and make partial ground by fifth. A parent may want to look into what interventions or support structures exist in the school's early grades, since those are where the performance floor is lowest. The science data offers only one tested grade and shows exceptional weakness there, though the limited window makes it hard to assess whether this reflects school-level challenge or a particular cohort effect.

Marlin itself is a small county-seat town with a long history tied to now-faded mineral-water tourism and a century-old downtown centered on a courthouse square. The population is stable to slightly declining, and poverty is pervasive; median home values are very low. The Texas Department of Criminal Justice operates two large prison facilities in the area, and the school district is a meaningful employer. There is little current evidence of new housing development or outside investment pressure. Families choosing this school are likely doing so because they live in the community, not because they are relocating there. The school serves a concentrated, economically stressed population with few competing school options nearby.

The Elementary offers what the Marlin ISD provides for its early grades: traditional classroom instruction across core subjects. No specialized programs, magnet pathways, or alternative pedagogy was identified. State testing participation data were not available, so we cannot confirm whether all eligible students were assessed. The school operates as a regular public elementary in a small district with limited resources by state comparison.

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Academic performance

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

Math

Grade 312%

School 12% · District 12%

▼ 28 pts below state median

Grade 426%

School 26% · District 26%

▼ 15 pts below state median

Grade 554%

School 54% · District 54%

▲ 13 pts above state median

Grade 631%

School 31% · District 31%

▼ 3 pts below state median

English language arts

Grade 317%

School 17% · District 17%

▼ 29 pts below state median

Grade 417%

School 17% · District 17%

▼ 32 pts below state median

Grade 533%

School 33% · District 33%

▼ 21 pts below state median

Grade 631%

School 31% · District 31%

▼ 21 pts below state median

Science

Grade 52%

School 2% · District 2%

▼ 21 pts below state median

This schoolMARLIN 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 4Lower-income15%Higher-income40%25 pp gap

Mathematics

Grade 4Lower-income26%Higher-income40%14 pp gap