Digital Academy of Texas, Texarkana TX

Original Research by School Decision on Digital Academy of Texas

Digital Academy of Texas is an alternative school for grades five through twelve operated by Texarkana ISD and located on Summerhill Road in Texarkana. As an alternative school, it serves a different purpose than a traditional campus: it offers students who have struggled in conventional settings or face barriers to attendance a pathway to earn a diploma through a non-traditional structure, most likely with online or flexible instructional delivery given the school's name and format.

The school enrolls a moderate population, with the largest grade clusters in the middle and high school years. About half the enrollment qualifies for free or reduced-price lunch, indicating a student body from families with lower incomes. The racial and ethnic composition is diverse, with no single group forming a majority; the largest shares are white and Hispanic students, followed by smaller populations of Black, Asian, and multiracial students.

State testing results show an uneven profile across subjects. In English language arts, proficiency is solid, ranging from roughly half of fifth graders to a strong majority of eighth graders meeting or exceeding proficiency standards. In math, performance is lower, particularly in the elementary grades where only a small fraction meet proficiency standards; results improve gradually through middle school. Science results are mixed: fifth graders show very low proficiency, while eighth graders perform substantially better. Social studies proficiency is weak across the tested grades. Overall, the school's proficiency index sits below the midpoint when compared to other districts in Bowie County, a position that suggests Academic performance is a soft spot a parent may want to discuss directly with the school.

The nature of alternative schools means they typically serve students with specific needs or circumstances—such as students who are significantly behind academically, have attendance barriers, face behavioral challenges, or need a more flexible schedule—rather than a general cross-section of the district. This context is important because state test proficiency comparisons apply less directly to alternative schools, which exist to serve populations traditional schools do not. A parent considering Digital Academy should ask the school directly what students it is designed for, what its attendance model is, and how it approaches credit recovery or acceleration for students working to catch up or graduate on time.

The school is part of a district that has recently invested in modernization. Texarkana ISD passed a bond in November 2022 that is funding facility upgrades and security improvements across the system. Additionally, Texas High School in the same district now offers a P-TECH (Pathways in Technology Early College High School) program, in which students can earn both a high school diploma and an associate degree at no cost, with dual-credit coursework through Texarkana College. This dual-credit option is available to qualifying students and represents a substantive cost-saving academic pathway that families in the district can pursue.

Housing costs in Texarkana are comparatively affordable relative to Texas and national benchmarks, and the region is experiencing modest population growth driven by new construction. State testing participation data was not available for the school, and no graduation rate data is reported—a common gap for alternative schools serving lower grades or students working toward completion across a longer timeline. Information about advanced placement course offerings, specific career pathways, staffing ratios, or daily attendance requirements was not in the available data and would be worth requesting from the school directly.

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Academic performance

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

Math

Grade 525%

School 25% · District 40% · ▼ 15 pts below district

▼ 16 pts below state median · ▼ 11 pts below county median

Grade 614%

School 14% · District 16% · ▼ 2 pts below district

▼ 20 pts below state median · ▼ 22 pts below county median

Grade 731%

School 31% · District 30% · ▲ 1 pts above district

▲ 4 pts above state median · ▼ 2 pts below county median

Grade 844%

School 44% · District 21% · ▲ 23 pts above district

▲ 2 pts above state median · ▼ 4 pts below county median

English language arts

Grade 555%

School 55% · District 46% · ▲ 9 pts above district

▲ 1 pts above state median · even with county median

Grade 661%

School 61% · District 34% · ▲ 27 pts above district

▲ 9 pts above state median · ▲ 4 pts above county median

Grade 763%

School 63% · District 36% · ▲ 27 pts above district

▲ 14 pts above state median · ▲ 9 pts above county median

Grade 880%

School 80% · District 41% · ▲ 39 pts above district

▲ 25 pts above state median · ▲ 9 pts above county median

Science

Grade 55%

School 5% · District 0% · ▲ 5 pts above district

▼ 18 pts below state median · ▼ 13 pts below county median

Grade 863%

School 63% · District 33% · ▲ 30 pts above district

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

Social studies

Grade 824%

School 24% · District 15% · ▲ 9 pts above district

even with state median · ▼ 6 pts below county median

This schoolTEXARKANA 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.