Original Research by School Decision on Pleasant Grove H S
Pleasant Grove High School serves students in grades 9 through 12 in Texarkana, a mixed-use city straddling the Texas-Arkansas state line. The school sits on McKnight Road on the city's west side, away from the downtown civic core.
The school's enrollment is modest for a public high school, distributed fairly evenly across the four grades. About a third of the student body qualifies for free or reduced-price lunch. The student population is predominantly white, with a meaningful African American enrollment, smaller shares of Asian, Hispanic, and multiracial students, and very few students from other groups. Data on students receiving special education services or English learner support was not available.
State testing results are available for the school year just ended. Across all tested subjects, a solid majority of students reached the "meets" proficiency level, and roughly a quarter reached the "masters" level, with the remainder approaching the standard. Performance varied by subject. In science and social studies, proficiency was especially strong at the top end; in mathematics, the proficiency rate was lower and the share reaching mastery quite modest. English language arts proficiency sat in the middle range. The school reports no multi-year trend data, so it is not possible to gauge whether results are moving up, holding steady, or declining.
A graduation rate for the school was not provided in the data. The comparison set for high schools in Bowie County did not include either a four-year graduation rate or a chronic absenteeism rate suitable for benchmarking against the school's peers.
Texarkana sits in a regional economy anchored by the Red River Army Depot, healthcare systems, and manufacturing and logistics firms. The broader area is on a growth trajectory; Texas leads the nation in homebuilding, and Texarkana is cited as one of the more affordable places to buy land or a home, which is driving new residential construction. Home values in the Texarkana zip code are below the state median and well below the national one. Rents are low relative to income. This affordability is attracting new families and new subdivisions, while regional employers like Texas A&M University-Texarkana are expanding, signaling continued demand for housing and local services.
The city itself is car-dependent, with limited walkability; most everyday walking is concentrated in the downtown Main Street district. Public transit is available through the Texarkana Urban Transit District. Schools are situated on separated campuses away from downtown, and Pleasant Grove High School's McKnight Road location reflects this pattern. A planned Active Transportation Master Plan prioritizing State Line Avenue and areas around schools is in early stages, with sidewalk and bike-lane work slated to begin in 2026.
The parent district, Pleasant Grove ISD, made a notable facility upgrade when it opened a new elementary school, Margaret Fischer Davis Elementary, in 2020, replacing the previous Pleasant Grove Elementary School. Beyond that change, limited information on recent district-wide curriculum shifts, bond measures, or other strategic initiatives was available.
See more original research from School Decision →