The top reported proficiency rate is 43% in Math. The lowest is 42% in English language arts.
Original Research by School Decision on Cecil Everett El
Cecil Everett Elementary is now closed. The school previously served middle grade students in Paris, Texas, as part of North Lamar Independent School District. State testing data from the school's final year of operation shows that in grade three mathematics and English language arts, fewer than half of tested students achieved proficiency on the state assessment. This performance reflects broader challenges in early literacy and numeracy that parents may have observed.
The school's closure was not a sudden failure but rather part of a strategic district facilities shift. North Lamar ISD voters approved a substantial bond in 2021 to renovate the Cecil Everett building specifically to house prekindergarten and first grade students, reorganizing where the district's youngest learners receive instruction. The district completed this renovation and reopened the facility in August 2025 with a new mission focused on early-grade education. The property tax rate for the district declined from one year to the next, a detail that factors into families' overall cost of living in the area.
Paris itself is the county seat of Lamar County and a small manufacturing-based city in northeast Texas. The downtown centers on a historic plaza with civic anchors including the Paris Public Library and a parks system with playgrounds, athletic fields, and splash pads. The city has pursued pedestrian-friendly improvements downtown, including a Saturday farmers market and regular summer concerts. Outside the historic core, the built environment is car-oriented, organized around highway corridors. Major employers include Paris Regional Medical Center, which serves a regional population across northeast Texas and southeast Oklahoma, as well as manufacturers such as Campbell's Soup, Kimberly-Clark, and Huhtamaki. The housing market is comparatively affordable for Texas, and the city is seeing moderate growth driven by manufacturing expansion and infrastructure investment rather than rapid suburban sprawl.
Because Cecil Everett Elementary no longer operates as a standalone middle-grade school, enrollment data and fuller demographic information were not available. Parents seeking early-grade instruction in North Lamar ISD would now look to the renovated Cecil Everett facility, while those needing middle-grade placement would attend the district's other schools.
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