Original Research by School Decision on Excell Program
Excell Program is an alternative school in Waskom ISD serving grades six through twelve. It operates from a single location on West Texas Avenue in Waskom, a very small, blue-collar East Texas town on the Louisiana border in Harrison County, where the population is multigenerational, homeownership is high, and most residents work in transportation, warehousing, or manufacturing. The town sits at the intersection of Interstate 20 and U.S. Highway 80 and functions as a gateway community where Shreveport commuters and long-haul truckers pass through daily. Housing is predominantly older, with many units built in the 1970s and a large share of occupied units classified as mobile homes.
The school's enrollment data is not available, making it difficult to characterize its size or the breadth of its peer environment. State assessment results, graduation rates, and chronic absenteeism rates are not reported. This absence of academic performance metrics is common for alternative schools, which often serve populations or purposes that fall outside standard testing accountability frameworks. A parent considering this school would want to contact the school directly to understand its mission, curriculum design, academic pathways, and student support services, and to ask what outcomes data the school tracks internally.
Waskom ISD as a whole is in the midst of a significant transformation. In May 2026, voters approved a substantial bond that funds a new pre-K through fifth-grade campus, upgrades to the high school's Career and Technical Education facilities, renovated athletic spaces, eight new buses, and districtwide maintenance and upgrades. District officials noted that some existing buildings do not meet state requirements, so the bond addresses aging infrastructure. Construction on the new elementary school will begin around the existing building to avoid disruption, and the old building will be demolished afterward. The bond will increase the district's property tax rate, but publicly reported estimates suggest that the average homeowner would see no change in school taxes because of recent increases in the homestead exemption; district financial officials stated that the average homeowner pays zero in school taxes with or without the bond.
Beginning in 2024-25, all Waskom ISD campuses operate under the Community Eligibility Provision, which provides free breakfast and lunch to every student regardless of income. This policy eliminates meal applications and reduces cost pressures on families across the board.
Waskom itself is growing very slowly, with minimal new housing construction. The median home value in the ZIP code is somewhat below the Texas state benchmark and well below the national benchmark, placing housing costs among the more affordable in the state. The town has a public library and city parks, but no dedicated public transit; mobility depends on personal vehicles and the Interstate 20 corridor. Major civic anchors include Waskom-Taylor City Park and the Waskom Public Library, and Caddo Lake State Park is a regional draw a short distance north.
A parent seeking to enroll a student in Excell Program should request direct information from the school about its enrollment, academic focus, staffing, disciplinary approach, and how it differs from the district's traditional middle and high schools, since the program's educational philosophy and student outcomes are not reflected in publicly available data.
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