Southland School, Southland TX - Test Scores & Data

Original Research by School Decision on Southland School

Southland School serves a small rural district in an unincorporated community in Garza County, located on the Llano Estacado along U.S. Highway 84. The school is a consolidated campus running kindergarten through grade twelve, with an enrollment of about a hundred students. It is the sole instructional facility for Southland ISD, which operates within Garza, Lynn, and Lubbock counties. The community itself is sparse and agricultural in character, with its civic and commercial life centered in Post, the county seat, a few miles to the southeast.

The student body is roughly evenly split between Hispanic and white students, with a substantial share of students qualifying for free or reduced-price lunch, reflecting the economic realities of rural agricultural West Texas. The school serves its community as the primary institution beyond the family and ranch.

Recent state assessment results show uneven proficiency across tested subjects and grade levels. In English language arts, the school performs better in the upper middle grades, with proficiency rates around the midpoint for grades six and seven. In math, proficiency is low in the primary grades but improves progressively through middle school, reaching the midpoint by grade seven. Science proficiency is quite low overall, particularly at grade five, where only a small share of students meet the proficiency threshold. Social studies proficiency is minimal, with no students meeting proficiency at grade eight. Across all subjects combined, only a small share of students achieved the highest proficiency level, while a substantial share reached the "approaches" level, indicating students are attempting to meet standards but often falling short of full proficiency.

A parent considering this school should know that it operates within a district whose state accountability rating has declined markedly over the past several years. The district received strong ratings consistently through the early 2020s but has received lower ratings in each of the last several years, including an F rating in closing performance gaps. This pattern reflects sustained challenges in raising achievement across the student body and narrowing disparities.

The school's small size means limited course variety and fewer specialized program offerings than larger districts can provide. The setting is rural and distant from urban services and amenities. At the same time, the school remains rooted in its community and serves families who have deep ties to the area. Families considering whether to stay in or move to the Southland area will want to discuss current instructional priorities and any recent district initiatives with school and district leadership, as accountability trends and proficiency data suggest that academic improvement remains a significant work in progress.

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Academic performance

State test results and graduation outcomes.

Graduation rate (ACGR)

>=50%Cohort of 10 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 325%

School 25% · District 25%

▼ 15 pts below state median

Grade 417%

School 17% · District 17%

▼ 24 pts below state median

Grade 522%

School 22% · District 22%

▼ 19 pts below state median

Grade 636%

School 36% · District 36%

▲ 2 pts above state median

Grade 747%

School 47% · District 47%

▲ 20 pts above state median

Grade 840%

School 40% · District 40%

▼ 2 pts below state median

English language arts

Grade 325%

School 25% · District 25%

▼ 21 pts below state median

Grade 433%

School 33% · District 33%

▼ 16 pts below state median

Grade 539%

School 39% · District 39%

▼ 15 pts below state median

Grade 636%

School 36% · District 36%

▼ 16 pts below state median

Grade 760%

School 60% · District 60%

▲ 11 pts above state median

Grade 850%

School 50% · District 50%

▼ 5 pts below state median

Science

Grade 56%

School 6% · District 6%

▼ 17 pts below state median

Grade 830%

School 30% · District 30%

▼ 12 pts below state median

Social studies

Grade 80%

School 0% · District 0%

▼ 24 pts below state median

This schoolSOUTHLAND 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 5Lower-income27%Higher-income57%30 pp gap

Grade 7Lower-income40%Higher-income100%60 pp gap

Mathematics

Grade 5Lower-income18%Higher-income29%11 pp gap

Grade 7Lower-income40%Higher-income60%20 pp gap