Wellman-union School, Wellman TX

Original Research by School Decision on Wellman-union School

Wellman-Union School serves pre-K through twelfth grade in a very small rural town on the southern High Plains of West Texas. The school is a single combined campus and is the civic and educational center of Wellman, which has a stable, decades-long population base and sits in cotton and oil country. The school enrollment is small, and about half the student body qualifies for free or reduced-price lunch.

The student body is predominantly white, with a substantial Hispanic population and a handful of students from other backgrounds. The racial composition reflects the region. Data on students with individualized education programs and English learners was not available. The district adopted a four-day school week beginning in the 2024-2025 school year following input from the community and surrounding districts' earlier moves to the same schedule, so families here are working with a Monday-through-Thursday calendar with Friday reserved for weather make-ups.

State test results from 2024-2025 show mixed performance across grades and subjects. Reading (ELA) performance is a relative strength: upper elementary and middle grades earn around half to two-thirds proficiency, with eighth grade at complete proficiency across the board. Math shows more volatility. Third and sixth grade proficiency in math sits well below half, while fourth and seventh grade approach half, and eighth grade math reaches very high proficiency. Science proficiency in fifth grade is low; by eighth grade it climbs substantially. Eighth grade social studies is a notable soft spot, with only a small fraction meeting the standard. Overall, the school shows a clear strength in the upper grades, particularly in eighth-grade reading and math, alongside pockets of lower performance in elementary math and fifth-grade science. A parent may want to look into the school's approach to math instruction in the early and middle elementary years and science support in the upper elementary range.

The school sits in a place with almost no growth and no documented new housing. Wellman is a highway-side rural settlement with only a handful of stores and no separate commercial downtown; the school campus functions as the town's institutional anchor. The nearest public libraries are in larger towns such as Lubbock. Most residents own their homes. Median household income in Wellman is unusually high relative to the broader county. The district participates in Texas's Teacher Incentive Allotment, a program that offers extra pay tied to teacher effectiveness, which in a rural district like this can help retain experienced staff.

Among districts in Terry County, Wellman-Union School ranks in the top cohort for overall proficiency across tested subjects and grades. Four-year graduation rate and chronic absenteeism data were not available. The school's small size means class groups are very small, which shapes the peer environment and the kinds of course offerings and extracurricular breadth that may be possible. High school plays six-man football, typical of very small rural Texas schools. For families seeking a small, tight-knit school environment in a stable rural community with the school at its center, Wellman-Union fits that profile. For those weighing the instruction in early math or elementary science, or the breadth of courses and activities available at larger schools, the school's size and profile warrant direct conversation with staff.

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Academic performance

State test results and graduation outcomes.

Graduation rate (ACGR)

>=50%Cohort of 14 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 336%

School 36% · District 36%

▼ 4 pts below state median

Grade 447%

School 47% · District 47%

▲ 6 pts above state median

Grade 542%

School 42% · District 42%

▲ 1 pts above state median

Grade 629%

School 29% · District 29%

▼ 5 pts below state median

Grade 746%

School 46% · District 46%

▲ 19 pts above state median

Grade 892%

School 92% · District 92%

▲ 50 pts above state median

English language arts

Grade 343%

School 43% · District 43%

▼ 3 pts below state median

Grade 463%

School 63% · District 63%

▲ 14 pts above state median

Grade 554%

School 54% · District 54%

even with state median

Grade 665%

School 65% · District 65%

▲ 13 pts above state median

Grade 748%

School 48% · District 48%

▼ 1 pts below state median

Grade 8100%

School 100% · District 100%

▲ 45 pts above state median

Science

Grade 527%

School 27% · District 27%

▲ 4 pts above state median

Grade 883%

School 83% · District 83%

▲ 41 pts above state median

Social studies

Grade 817%

School 17% · District 17%

▼ 7 pts below state median

This schoolWELLMAN-UNION CISD, 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-income17%Higher-income63%46 pp gap

Grade 4Lower-income50%Higher-income69%19 pp gap

Grade 5Lower-income20%Higher-income79%59 pp gap

Grade 6Lower-income17%Higher-income86%69 pp gap

Grade 7Lower-income40%Higher-income53%13 pp gap

Mathematics

Grade 3Lower-income17%Higher-income50%33 pp gap

Grade 4Lower-income33%Higher-income54%21 pp gap

Grade 5Lower-income20%Higher-income57%37 pp gap

Grade 6Lower-income0%Higher-income40%40 pp gap

Grade 7Lower-income36%Higher-income53%17 pp gap