1
What advice would you give to incoming students at BIG SANDY SCHOOL?
Community prompt from u/allk12. Replies below.
Enrollment
506
Combined
STATE 485
SCHOOL COMMUNITY·BIG SANDY ISD·NCES 481017000472
Big Sandy School
9180 FM 1276, DALLARDSVILLE, TX 77332 · (936) 563-1000 · Polk County
GRADES PK–12COMBINED43-RURALTITLE IREGULAR SCHOOL506 STUDENTS
Student : Teacher
13.7:1
37 FTE teachers
STATE 11.7:1
Free / Reduced Lunch
50%
251 students
STATE 65%
Community
1
0 members
Enrollment and student:teacher ratio compared against other combined schools. Free/Reduced Lunch and demographics compared against all schools.
Enrollment by grade, 2024-25
| Grade | Students | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Pre-K | 26 | 5% |
| Kindergarten | 41 | 8% |
| Grade 1 | 39 | 8% |
| Grade 2 | 39 | 8% |
| Grade 3 | 41 | 8% |
| Grade 4 | 36 | 7% |
| Grade 5 | 46 | 9% |
| Grade 6 | 33 | 7% |
| Grade 7 | 46 | 9% |
| Grade 8 | 42 | 8% |
| Grade 9 | 37 | 7% |
| Grade 10 | 30 | 6% |
| Grade 11 | 24 | 5% |
| Grade 12 | 26 | 5% |
This year's kindergarten class (41) is about the same size as its 8th grade class (42).
Student demographics
58%Diversity index
The chance that two students picked at random belong to different racial or ethnic groups.
STATE 63% · US 70%
Student head counts by race/ethnicity from federal NCES enrollment data. District, state, and US figures are each group's share of all public school students in that area (US excludes territories). Very small groups may be suppressed in the source, so categories do not always sum exactly to total enrollment.
Gender split
Test scores
STAAR 2025-26 . % Meets Grade Level or AboveReading
65.0%
TX avg 54.5% . +4.0pp since 2023
Mathematics
58.0%
TX avg 45.3% . +7.0pp since 2023
What this means: On the STAAR, Texas's statewide test, about 65 of every 100 students at this school read at grade level and about 58 of 100 do math at grade level. Across all Texas schools, those numbers are about 55 and 45. Reading scores are up about 4 points since 2023, while math scores are up about 7 points.
Performance levels, 2025-26
| Subject | Masters Grade Level | Meets Grade Level | Approaches Grade Level | Did Not Meet Grade Level |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Reading | 22.0% | 43.0% | 22.0% | 13.0% |
| Mathematics | 22.0% | 36.0% | 27.0% | 15.0% |
Share of tested students at each STAAR level. Each student counts in one level, so a row adds to about 100%.
STAAR results by year
| School year | Reading | Mathematics |
|---|---|---|
| 2025-26 | 65.0% | 58.0% |
| 2024-25 | 67.0% | 61.0% |
| 2023-24 | 61.0% | 51.0% |
% Meets Grade Level or Above, all students and all tested grades.
Source: STAAR. All students, all grades. See all years and grades →
BeatsExpectations
Demographically-adjusted score · methodologyTier
AS EXPECTED
Performing as predicted given the school's student profile
Actual proficiency
54.1%
composite math + reading, all grades
Predicted
52.5%
based on TX schools with similar FRL share
Beats by
+1.6pp
above demographic expectation
What this means: About 54% of students here test proficient in math and reading, compared with the roughly 53% typical for Texas schools with a similar share of low-income students. BeatsExpectations measures results against demographically similar schools rather than by raw scores, and this school falls within the typical range, neither among Texas's top nor bottom 10%.
BeatsExpectations runs a per-state regression of proficiency on free/reduced-lunch share, then scores each school by residual. How this is calculated →
Schools most like Big Sandy School
Big Sandy School's state test result (54.1% proficient) is higher than 4 of the 5 schools below with a result.
| School | Students | Low-income | Proficient |
|---|---|---|---|
| Big Sandy School this school | 506 | 49.6% | 54.1% |
| Graford School GRAFORD | 339 | 51.6% | 44.8% |
| Garner College and Career Preparatory Academy WEATHERFORD | 357 | 53.5% | 40.0% |
| Avery School AVERY | 304 | 51.3% | 59.0% |
| Perrin School PERRIN | 324 | 49.4% | 48.6% |
| Era School ERA | 499 | 43.3% | 47.8% |
Matched among Texas K-12 schools on enrollment, the share of students from low-income families (eligible for free or reduced-price lunch), and racial and ethnic makeup. Proficient is the average share of students meeting the state standard across all of the school's state tests in 2023-24 and 2024-25, the same combined score our test-score rankings use. Online schools and schools serving specialized populations are not matched.
Where Big Sandy School ranks
Among K-12 schools| Measure | This school | In Texas |
|---|---|---|
| State test proficiency ranked highest first | 54.1% | #43 of 211 |
| Math proficiency ranked highest first | 58.0% | #33 of 218 ▼ 9 |
| Reading proficiency ranked highest first | 65.0% | #44 of 218 ▼ 7 |
| Enrollment ranked largest first | 506 | #38 of 280 |
| Students per teacher ranked fewest first | 13.7:1 | #103 of 141 |
| Diversity index ranked most diverse first | 57.9% | #21 of 144 |
| Free and reduced lunch ranked highest share first | 49.6% | #153 of 226 |
| Enrollment change since 2017-18 ranked steepest decline first | -0.4% | #60 of 60 |
Ranked against other public K-12 schools. Online schools are left out of every list, and test-score lists leave out schools that serve specialized populations. Each rank links to the full list. Arrows under a test-score rank show places moved since the prior test year, among schools tested both years.
4-year change
SY 2020-21 vs SY 2024-25Enrollment
506
+10 (+2%) vs 2020
+45% since 1990-91, when it was 349
Student : Teacher
13.7:1
was 11.8:1
Source: NCES Common Core of Data
Enrollment and staffing by year
| School year | Students | Teachers (FTE) | Students per teacher | Free and reduced lunch |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2024-25 | 506 | 36.9 | 13.7:1 | 50% (251) |
| 2023-24 | 524 | 41.8 | 12.5:1 | 61% (319) |
| 2022-23 | 512 | 41.3 | 12.4:1 | 63% (320) |
| 2020-21 | 496 | 42 | 11.8:1 | 53% (263) |
| 2017-18 | 508 | 43.1 | 11.8:1 | 62% (317) |
| 2015-16 | 494 | 40 | 12.3:1 | 55% (273) |
| 2010-11 | 485 | 39 | 12.4:1 | 47% (227) |
| 2000-01 | 429 | 33 | 13.0:1 | 39% (169) |
| 1990-91 | 349 | 22 | 15.9:1 | N/A |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data. Rows are the federal collections on file for Big Sandy School.
Since 2017-18: students unchanged (508 to 506); teachers down 14% (43.1 to 36.9).
About Big Sandy School
Big Sandy School, located in DALLARDSVILLE, Texas, is a mid-sized school serving multiple grade levels. The school enrolls 506 students in pre-K through 12.
The local education agency for Big Sandy School is BIG SANDY ISD.
Federal enrollment data show Big Sandy School is 60% White. Other groups include 20% Native American, 12% Hispanic, and 7% multiracial. The county population is about 75% White. Its diversity index, the chance that two randomly chosen students belong to different racial or ethnic groups, is 58%.
Big Sandy School reports a ratio of 13.7 students per teacher, from 36.9 full-time-equivalent teachers. The gap from the 11.7:1 average for combined schools in Texas is 2.0 students per teacher. Student poverty is often measured by lunch eligibility; at Big Sandy School, 50% qualify for free or reduced-price lunch. Compared with the 65% average for public schools in Polk County, the school's rate is lower.
Given its share of students eligible for free or reduced-price lunch, Big Sandy School would be expected to post about 52.5%. Its actual average proficiency rate across its state test results is 54.1%.
In the surrounding county, Polk County, the median household earns about $62,259 a year, 16% of adults hold a bachelor's degree or higher, and about 15% of people live in poverty. Polk County has 19 public schools with about 7,045 students, including Big Sandy School.
Of the public schools around it, Big Sandy School is closest to Warren Elementary School, about 14.3 miles away. Ranked by average proficiency, Big Sandy School places 2nd out of 8 schools in its immediate area.
Big Sandy School is in rural territory far from an urban area, a location NCES labels Rural: Remote.
From 2020-21 to 2024-25, enrollment held near 506, starting from 496. The student-to-teacher ratio went up from 11.8:1 to 13.7:1.
Big Sandy School has a community page on allk12 for topics such as athletics, class schedules, and weather closures. Teachers and staff are welcome to share updates too.
Polk County at a glance
View full county profilePopulation
52,800
Census ACS
Median income
$62,259
Household, ACS
Bachelor's+
16%
Adults 25+
Poverty rate
15%
Below federal line
Schools in county
19
7,045 students
Quick facts
Related schools
Other Big Sandy schools
One other US public school is named Big Sandy. Big Sandy School is the largest of the 2.
- Big Sandy SchoolBig Sandy, TN · 243 students
Nearby schools
- Warren Elementary School14.3 mi · 389
- Warren High School14.3 mi · 339
- Warren Junior High School14.4 mi · 286
- Woodville Middle School16.0 mi · 301
- Woodville High School16.0 mi · 360
- Woodville Intermediate School16.5 mi · 232
Frequently asked questions
About Big Sandy SchoolHow large is Big Sandy School?
Big Sandy School enrolls approximately 506 students in grades PK-12.
Is Big Sandy School an elementary, middle, or high school?
Big Sandy School is a combined-grade school covering grades PK-12.
How many teachers does Big Sandy School have?
Big Sandy School employs 37 FTE teachers, for a student-to-teacher ratio of 13.7:1.
What is the student diversity at Big Sandy School?
Student demographics at Big Sandy School are roughly 60% White, 12% Hispanic, 1% Black, 7% Two or more.
What district is Big Sandy School in?
Big Sandy School is part of BIG SANDY ISD.
Data sourceSchool profile facts are sourced from the NCES. Community content is posted by allk12 members.