Petersburg School, Petersburg TX

Original Research by School Decision on Petersburg School

Petersburg School is the sole campus of Petersburg ISD, a single PK–12 building sitting on West 4th Street a short walk west of the town's historic downtown in Petersburg, Texas. It serves a small agricultural community on the Llano Estacado in the southern Texas Panhandle, classified by the UIL as a 1A school, meaning the school draws from one of the smallest enrollment pools in the state. Publicly reported information describes the town as a compact farming community where the school functions as a genuine civic anchor, home to the Petersburg Buffaloes and Lady Buffs, and one of the larger local employers alongside Wylie Manufacturing, a family-owned agricultural-equipment maker that has long defined the town's economic identity.

The student body is predominantly Hispanic, with white students making up a smaller but meaningful share, and a very small number of students from other backgrounds. A large majority of students qualify for free or reduced-price lunch, which the data shows clearly. Special-population counts for English learners and students with IEPs were not available in the data provided.

On Texas STAAR assessments, the academic picture is mixed and worth a candid look. At the "approaches grade level" threshold, roughly three-quarters of students across tested subjects reached that bar in the most recent year, which is the basic passing standard. The share reaching "meets grade level," the more demanding standard, was closer to two-fifths, and the share reaching "masters," the highest level, was quite small across all subjects. Breaking it down by subject, ELA results were modestly stronger than math or science. Science proficiency was low, and eighth-grade social studies proficiency was effectively near zero on the meets-and-above standard. Looking at individual grade-level results, math proficiency at the meets standard ranged from roughly a quarter to about half of tested students depending on the grade, with no grade standing out as strong. ELA by grade showed similar variation, with fifth grade performing relatively better than others.

Relative to the five districts in Hale County, Petersburg School sits below the midpoint on the overall proficiency index, meaning its combined performance across tested subjects and grades is toward the lower end of this county peer set. A parent considering the academic trajectory of a student here, particularly one heading into middle and high school, may want to talk directly with the school about intervention supports, tutoring, and how the district approaches students who are not yet meeting grade-level standards.

A graduation rate was not available in the data provided, which is a meaningful gap for families with high school students. No information on AP courses, dual-credit enrollment, or career pathway programming was included in the data, so those questions are best directed to the district office.

The housing market here is highly affordable by any Texas measure. Home values in the area are well below the statewide median and well below the national median, with an estimated monthly mortgage cost that the data suggests is accessible even at current interest rates. There is no rental price index available for Petersburg, consistent with the town's small size. Home values have declined modestly year over year, reflecting the slow population contraction the town has experienced since roughly 2020. Petersburg is not a growth community; it is a stable-to-shrinking small Panhandle town, and families should factor that context into long-range planning.

No district-level changes of parent-relevant scale, such as bond elections, calendar shifts, or major curriculum adoptions, were found in research. The district did not surface in reporting on such changes, which may simply reflect a small district operating without major public controversy or restructuring. We looked and found nothing to report rather than finding a clean bill of health.

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Academic performance

State test results and graduation outcomes.

Graduation rate (ACGR)

>=50%Cohort of 15 students · Class of 2021

The federal source publishes a banded range instead of an exact rate when the graduating cohort is small enough that an exact number could risk identifying individual students.

How this school compares to all schools in this state

Each dot is one school’s SY 2020-21 graduation rate, binned by integer rate. Taller columns mean more schools at that rate. This school is highlighted.

1,779 schools plotted. 59 additional schools' rates are federally suppressed and not shown. Data: EDFacts SY 2020-21.

Math

Grade 350%

School 50% · District 50%

▲ 10 pts above state median

Grade 430%

School 30% · District 30%

▼ 11 pts below state median

Grade 536%

School 36% · District 36%

▼ 5 pts below state median

Grade 629%

School 29% · District 29%

▼ 5 pts below state median

Grade 737%

School 37% · District 37%

▲ 10 pts above state median

Grade 839%

School 39% · District 39%

▼ 3 pts below state median

English language arts

Grade 343%

School 43% · District 43%

▼ 3 pts below state median

Grade 430%

School 30% · District 30%

▼ 19 pts below state median

Grade 557%

School 57% · District 57%

▲ 3 pts above state median

Grade 636%

School 36% · District 36%

▼ 16 pts below state median

Grade 747%

School 47% · District 47%

▼ 2 pts below state median

Grade 822%

School 22% · District 22%

▼ 33 pts below state median

Science

Grade 521%

School 21% · District 21%

▼ 2 pts below state median

Grade 811%

School 11% · District 11%

▼ 31 pts below state median

Social studies

Grade 80%

School 0% · District 0%

▼ 24 pts below state median

This schoolPETERSBURG 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.