Zephyr School, Zephyr TX - Test Scores & Data

Original Research by School Decision on Zephyr School

Zephyr School is a small, unified PreK-12 campus in rural southeastern Brown County, about a dozen miles east of Brownwood along U.S. Highway 84. The school serves a dispersed population in a low-density landscape of acreage properties, farm-to-market roads, and scattered settlement rather than a compact town. The district operates as a single school serving the entire community, a common model in rural Texas where one campus houses all grades from pre-K through high school.

The enrollment is small, a few dozen students per grade band in the elementary and middle years. About half the students qualify for free or reduced-price lunch, a marker of economic need in the community. The student body is predominantly white, with a small Hispanic minority and very few students of other backgrounds. Special education and English-learner counts were not reported in the available data, so a parent may want to inquire directly about the school's capacity in those areas.

On state testing in mathematics, proficiency results show considerable variation by grade level. Third-grade math proficiency sat in the low-to-mid range, improving somewhat by fifth grade, then declining again through seventh and eighth grades, with seventh-grade math proficiency quite low. English language arts results are notably stronger: third-grade reading proficiency was above half, and seventh-grade ELA results were similarly solid, though fourth- and sixth-grade ELA showed more modest proficiency. Science testing in fifth and eighth grades was well below the level recorded in ELA, and eighth-grade social studies results were very low. Across all subjects, the school's proficiency index places it above the midpoint for districts within Brown County, though the absolute numbers are modest across the board.

The test results show uneven strength: the school demonstrates better outcomes in reading than in math, and results deteriorate significantly in the middle-grade transition to seventh and eighth grade, particularly in math, science, and social studies. A parent considering this school should recognize these patterns and discuss with the school what targeted support exists for students in those grade levels and subjects.

State data on graduation rate, attendance and chronic absenteeism, course access, and special programs were not available, leaving important questions about high school outcomes and student supports unanswered. The school's website or a direct conversation with administration would be the place to explore those gaps.

Zephyr itself is a small, rural community built on farming and ranching since cotton's decline in the early 1940s. It has no traditional downtown or commercial core; the community is organized along Highway 84 and county roads, with most shopping and services reached by car in Brownwood or Early. The population has remained small and stable in recent decades, though modest growth is occurring through new acreage subdivisions marketed for rural homesites and custom homes. Housing values in the 76890 zip code are modestly above the Texas state average, and the area is seeing new residential development on larger parcels.

The one significant parent-relevant policy issue in recent district news involves the school's dress and grooming code. In July 2024, the ACLU of Texas formally flagged Zephyr ISD's hair-length restrictions as potentially violating the Texas CROWN Act, which bars race-based hair discrimination. The district was asked to revise its policies for the 2024-2025 school year. This remains an open matter with ongoing community attention. Parents concerned about dress-code flexibility or hair-policy matters should review the current code directly with the school and understand how the district has responded to that legal inquiry.

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Academic performance

State test results and graduation outcomes.

Graduation rate (ACGR)

>=80%Cohort of 16 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 339%

School 39% · District 39%

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

Grade 444%

School 44% · District 44%

▲ 3 pts above state median · even with county median

Grade 558%

School 58% · District 58%

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

Grade 631%

School 31% · District 31%

▼ 3 pts below state median

Grade 715%

School 15% · District 15%

▼ 12 pts below state median

Grade 835%

School 35% · District 35%

▼ 7 pts below state median

English language arts

Grade 367%

School 67% · District 67%

▲ 21 pts above state median · ▲ 18 pts above county median

Grade 444%

School 44% · District 44%

▼ 5 pts below state median · even with county median

Grade 553%

School 53% · District 53%

▼ 1 pts below state median · ▼ 5 pts below county median

Grade 662%

School 62% · District 62%

▲ 10 pts above state median

Grade 765%

School 65% · District 65%

▲ 16 pts above state median

Grade 853%

School 53% · District 53%

▼ 2 pts below state median

Science

Grade 532%

School 32% · District 32%

▲ 9 pts above state median · ▲ 3 pts above county median

Grade 824%

School 24% · District 24%

▼ 18 pts below state median

Social studies

Grade 812%

School 12% · District 12%

▼ 12 pts below state median

This schoolZEPHYR 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-income78%Higher-income56%22 pp gap

Grade 4Lower-income25%Higher-income83%58 pp gap

Grade 5Lower-income36%Higher-income75%39 pp gap

Grade 7Lower-income50%Higher-income75%25 pp gap

Grade 8Lower-income45%Higher-income67%22 pp gap

Mathematics

Grade 3Lower-income44%Higher-income33%11 pp gap

Grade 4Lower-income42%Higher-income50%8 pp gap

Grade 5Lower-income45%Higher-income75%30 pp gap

Grade 7Lower-income13%Higher-income17%4 pp gap

Grade 8Lower-income27%Higher-income50%23 pp gap