Global Leadership Academy, Terrell TX

Original Research by School Decision on Global Leadership Academy

Global Leadership Academy is a kindergarten-through-fifth-grade school in Terrell, a fast-growing city in Kaufman County, about thirty miles east of Dallas. The school serves a small enrollment across six grades, with roughly balanced representation across white, Hispanic, and Black students, and just over half the students qualifying for free or reduced-price lunch.

State test results from the most recent school year show proficiency across multiple subjects, with particular strength in English language arts and science. In reading, students in grades three through five all met or exceeded proficiency benchmarks, with the strongest performance in fifth grade. Math proficiency is more uneven: third and fifth graders showed strong results, but fourth graders fell to just above half proficient. Across tested subjects, the school's overall proficiency index places it in the top quartile among the seven districts in Kaufman County. Science at the fifth-grade level, the only tested grade in that subject, showed solid results.

The school sits within Terrell ISD, a district now in active expansion mode. Voters approved a major bond in May 2025 to build a new elementary school, acquire land for a middle school, and fund renovations across seven campuses as the district braces for growth from several large master-planned residential communities now under development. That growth is real and sustained: projections show nearly thousand additional students over the coming decade. Global Leadership Academy's current small enrollment means it is not yet at capacity, but the broader district infrastructure is shifting rapidly.

A parent choosing this school should be aware of two district-wide operational changes that affect daily family life. The district moved to a four-day school week (Monday through Thursday) in 2023-24 and renewed it for 2024-25, with campuses closed on Fridays and students doing independent learning. The district arranges free Friday childcare for younger students through an ACE grant, but this schedule is a structural change affecting childcare, work arrangements, and family routines. Also beginning in 2024-25, the district limited school bus transportation to students living three or more miles from their school; families living closer are responsible for their own transportation.

Terrell itself is a city blending a historic downtown with newer suburban and commercial corridors. The community has experienced rapid growth and now hosts significant manufacturing and warehouse operations alongside retail, healthcare, and education sectors. Major new housing developments are moving in, and the city is investing in parks and downtown revitalization. The local character is small-town with metropolitan proximity rather than urbanized, and housing values have remained relatively stable even as population grows.

This school offers elementary education in a small, stable setting within a district undergoing significant change and expansion. For a family valuing a kindergarten-through-fifth environment with mixed demographics and solid core academic performance, it fits. Parents should weigh the four-day school week structure and the bussing policy carefully against their household needs.

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Academic performance

How students perform on state tests, by grade, set against the district.

Math

Grade 379%

School 79% · District 14% · ▲ 65 pts above district

▲ 39 pts above state median · ▲ 40 pts above county median

Grade 455%

School 55% · District 0% · ▲ 55 pts above district

▲ 14 pts above state median · ▲ 15 pts above county median

Grade 581%

School 81% · District 32% · ▲ 49 pts above district

▲ 40 pts above state median · ▲ 44 pts above county median

English language arts

Grade 376%

School 76% · District 32% · ▲ 44 pts above district

▲ 30 pts above state median · ▲ 24 pts above county median

Grade 476%

School 76% · District 32% · ▲ 44 pts above district

▲ 27 pts above state median · ▲ 29 pts above county median

Grade 588%

School 88% · District 42% · ▲ 46 pts above district

▲ 34 pts above state median · ▲ 46 pts above county median

Science

Grade 572%

School 72% · District 21% · ▲ 51 pts above district

▲ 49 pts above state median · ▲ 49 pts above county median

This schoolTERRELL 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 3Lower-income70%Higher-income86%16 pp gap

Grade 4Lower-income72%Higher-income85%13 pp gap

Grade 5Lower-income94%Higher-income81%13 pp gap

Mathematics

Grade 3Lower-income75%Higher-income86%11 pp gap

Grade 4Lower-income56%Higher-income54%2 pp gap

Grade 5Lower-income81%Higher-income81%0 pp gap