The top reported proficiency rate is 66% in Math. The lowest is 54% in English language arts.
Original Research by School Decision on Gus Birdwell El
Gus Birdwell Elementary is a small, regular public elementary school in Spearman, a rural Texas Panhandle town where civic and school life center around a walkable downtown. The school serves pre-kindergarten through fifth grade in a close-knit community setting. About a third of the school's enrollment is white and roughly two-thirds is Hispanic or Latino. The student body is economically mixed, with a substantial share of students qualifying for free or reduced-price lunch. The school sits at a specific address within town on South Townsend Street rather than on a remote campus.
Academically, Gus Birdwell's performance on the 2024-25 STAAR assessments shows a mixed profile. In math, fourth and fifth graders showed proficiency rates that hover around two-thirds, a solid floor but not exceptional. ELA performance is more variable by grade: third-grade readers achieved a lower proficiency rate, while fifth-grade reading proficiency is appreciably stronger. Across both subjects, a meaningful share of students at each grade level did not meet proficiency, which a parent may want to explore in conversation with school staff about instruction, tutoring, or support services. Looking at broader achievement levels across all tested subjects, the school met with proficiency in roughly half its students, with another significant band approaching that threshold but not yet there. The school's overall proficiency index places it above the midpoint among the three public school districts in Hansford County, meaning it is performing better than the county median but not at the very top.
The school is embedded in a town where the local economy centers on agriculture and energy, with meaningful employment also in education and healthcare. Housing is accessible and affordable relative to the state and nation, with reasonable purchase prices and homeownership as the norm. Spearman itself has experienced population decline over recent decades, though it retains institutional anchors including the county courthouse, library, and hospital. The town is car-dependent and rural, with no fixed-route public transit; most families drive to school and to work.
At the district level, Spearman ISD held a three-bond election in May 2025 that touches infrastructure and property taxes. The propositions addressed athletic facility upgrades, transportation and roofing at Gus Birdwell and the junior high, and long-term M&O debt refinancing. The district has experienced enrollment decline since 2021, which affects state funding and is a factor in the district's financial planning. These are changes a family considering the area or the school should understand when evaluating the district's trajectory and tax picture.
The testing data available does not include trend comparisons to prior years, so it is unclear whether performance is improving, stable, or shifting. The school grades three through five on the STAAR assessments; younger grades are not state-tested. Information on special education services, English learner support, discipline, attendance, and staffing was not available in the data, so a parent may want to ask the school directly about these areas and how the school identifies and serves students who are behind or working ahead.
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