Enrollment
140
Combined
STATE 485
SCHOOL COMMUNITY·DAWSON ISD·NCES 481635001399
Dawson School
600 BROWNFIELD HWY, WELCH, TX 79377 · (806) 489-7461 · Dawson County
GRADES PK–12COMBINED43-RURALTITLE IREGULAR SCHOOL140 STUDENTS
Student : Teacher
10.4:1
13 FTE teachers
STATE 11.7:1
Free / Reduced Lunch
65%
91 students
STATE 65%
Community
0
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 | 9 | 6% |
| Kindergarten | 8 | 6% |
| Grade 1 | 13 | 9% |
| Grade 2 | 9 | 6% |
| Grade 3 | 13 | 9% |
| Grade 4 | 11 | 8% |
| Grade 5 | 6 | 4% |
| Grade 6 | 12 | 9% |
| Grade 7 | 12 | 9% |
| Grade 8 | 10 | 7% |
| Grade 9 | 13 | 9% |
| Grade 10 | 9 | 6% |
| Grade 11 | 9 | 6% |
| Grade 12 | 6 | 4% |
Student demographics
34%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
36.0%
TX avg 54.5% . +16.0pp since 2020
Mathematics
16.0%
TX avg 45.3% . +16.0pp since 2020
What this means: On the STAAR, Texas's statewide test, about 36 of every 100 students at this school read at grade level and about 16 of 100 do math at grade level. Across all Texas schools, those numbers are about 55 and 45. Reading scores are up about 16 points since 2020, while math scores are up about 16 points.
Performance levels, 2025-26
| Subject | Masters Grade Level | Meets Grade Level | Approaches Grade Level | Did Not Meet Grade Level |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Reading | 8.0% | 28.0% | 45.0% | 19.0% |
| Mathematics | 6.0% | 10.0% | 33.0% | 51.0% |
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 | 36.0% | 16.0% |
| 2024-25 | 36.0% | 20.0% |
| 2023-24 | 41.0% | 11.0% |
| 2022-23 | 50.0% | 13.0% |
| 2021-22 | 7.0% | 0.0% |
| 2020-21 | 20.0% | 0.0% |
% 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
UNDERPERFORMING
Bottom 10% of TX schools after controlling for student poverty
Actual proficiency
27.5%
composite math + reading, all grades
Predicted
45.9%
based on TX schools with similar FRL share
Beats by
-18.4pp
below demographic expectation
What this means: About 27% of students here test proficient in math and reading, below the roughly 46% typical for Texas schools with a similar share of low-income students. BeatsExpectations compares each school with others at the same poverty level, not by raw scores, so a school lands here when its results trail those comparable schools, which is not the same as having low scores. A higher-scoring school can still fall in this tier if similar schools score higher still.
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 Dawson School
Dawson School's state test result (27.5% proficient) is higher than 2 of the 5 schools below with a result.
| School | Students | Low-income | Proficient |
|---|---|---|---|
| Dawson School this school | 140 | 65.0% | 27.5% |
| Anton School ANTON | 175 | 65.7% | 27.2% |
| Grandfalls-Royalty School GRANDFALLS | 157 | 62.4% | 16.5% |
| Rocksprings K-12 ROCKSPRINGS | 200 | 62.0% | 35.0% |
| Meadow School MEADOW | 230 | 63.9% | 36.5% |
| Adrian School ADRIAN | 141 | 65.2% | 37.0% |
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 Dawson School ranks
Among K-12 schools| Measure | This school | In Texas |
|---|---|---|
| State test proficiency ranked highest first | 27.5% | #183 of 211 |
| Math proficiency ranked highest first | 16.0% | #203 of 218 ▼ 8 |
| Reading proficiency ranked highest first | 36.0% | #193 of 218 no change |
| 3-year test score change ranked biggest drop first | -5.5pp | #14 of 134 |
| Enrollment ranked largest first | 140 | #192 of 280 |
| Free and reduced lunch ranked highest share first | 65.0% | #86 of 226 |
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
140
-11 (-7%) vs 2020
+82% since 1990-91, when it was 77
Student : Teacher
10.4:1
was 12.6:1
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 | 140 | 13.4 | 10.4:1 | 65% (91) |
| 2023-24 | 132 | 13.4 | 9.9:1 | 78% (103) |
| 2022-23 | 139 | 13.7 | 10.2:1 | 74% (103) |
| 2020-21 | 151 | 12 | 12.6:1 | 71% (107) |
| 2017-18 | 130 | 14.6 | 8.9:1 | 69% (90) |
| 2015-16 | 176 | 17 | 10.3:1 | 49% (87) |
| 2010-11 | 164 | 18 | 9.1:1 | 2% (3) |
| 2000-01 | 167 | 18 | 9.3:1 | 23% (38) |
| 1990-91 | 77 | 13 | 5.9:1 | N/A |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data. Rows are the federal collections on file for Dawson School.
Since 2017-18: students up 8% (130 to 140); teachers down 8% (14.6 to 13.4).
About Dawson School
Families in WELCH, Texas, are served by Dawson School, a very small school serving multiple grade levels. The school counted 140 students in 2024-25, covering pre-K through 12. That is 71% below the average of about 485 students for combined schools in Texas.
Dawson School is a school in DAWSON ISD.
The share of Hispanic students at Dawson School is 79%, a majority. After that, the student body is 21% White. Census figures show Dawson County is about 56% Hispanic. A diversity index of 34% means there is a 34% chance two randomly chosen students at Dawson School are from different groups.
Staffing at Dawson School comes to 13.4 full-time-equivalent teachers, or 10.4:1. Combined schools in Texas have an average ratio of 11.7:1. On the income side, 65% of students qualify for free or reduced-price lunch.
The allk12 BeatsExpectations score for Dawson School is -18.4 points, in the bottom 10% of Texas. Its average proficiency rate across its state test results is 27.5%, and the predicted rate is 45.9%.
The school's county is Dawson County. According to Census Bureau estimates, median household income comes to about $54,360, 13% of adults hold a bachelor's degree or higher, and about 17% of residents live below the federal poverty line. Dawson County's 4 public schools enroll about 2,117 students and include Dawson School.
The closest school to Dawson School is Lamesa Schools, located about 16.1 miles away. Ranking the closest schools with test data puts Dawson School at 6th of 7.
Federal records code the school's setting as Rural: Remote.
Since 2020-21, enrollment has fallen 7%, from 151 to 140. Over the same period, the student-to-teacher ratio dropped to 10.4:1, from 12.6:1.
Use the discussion section to ask about open houses, carpools, and field trips at Dawson School. Current and former families are welcome to add their experience.
Dawson County at a glance
View full county profilePopulation
12,134
Census ACS
Median income
$54,360
Household, ACS
Bachelor's+
13%
Adults 25+
Poverty rate
17%
Below federal line
Schools in county
4
2,117 students
Quick facts
Related schools
Other Dawson schools
One other US public school is named Dawson. Dawson School is the 2nd largest of the 2.
- DawsonHolden, MA · 487 students
Nearby schools
- Lamesa Schools16.1 mi · 1,484
- Loop School16.9 mi · 150
- O'Donnell School17.5 mi · 253
- Colonial Heights Elementary School18.5 mi · 117
- Wellman-Union School19.1 mi · 248
- Brownfield Education Center19.2 mi · 29
Frequently asked questions
About Dawson SchoolWhat is the total enrollment at Dawson School?
Dawson School enrolls approximately 140 students in grades PK-12.
What grades does Dawson School serve?
Dawson School serves grades PK-12.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Dawson School?
The student-to-teacher ratio at Dawson School is approximately 10.4:1 (13 FTE teachers).
What is the student diversity at Dawson School?
Student demographics at Dawson School are roughly 21% White, 79% Hispanic, 1% Black.
Who oversees Dawson School?
Dawson School is overseen by DAWSON ISD in Dawson County.
Data sourceSchool profile facts are sourced from the NCES. Community content is posted by allk12 members.