1
Which teacher or staff member at PALO DURO H S deserves more recognition?
Community prompt from u/allk12. Replies below.
Enrollment
1,949
High
DISTRICT 1,417 · STATE 796
SCHOOL COMMUNITY·AMARILLO ISD·NCES 480813000170
Palo Duro High School
1400 N GRANT, AMARILLO, TX 79107 · (806) 326-2400 · Potter County
GRADES 09–12HIGH12-CITYTITLE IREGULAR SCHOOL1,949 STUDENTS
Student : Teacher
14.6:1
133 FTE teachers
DISTRICT 11.5:1 · STATE 15.1:1
Free / Reduced Lunch
87%
1,697 students
DISTRICT 74% · STATE 65%
Community
1
0 members
Enrollment and student:teacher ratio compared against other high schools. Free/Reduced Lunch and demographics compared against all schools.
Enrollment by grade, 2024-25
| Grade | Students | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Grade 9 | 589 | 30% |
| Grade 10 | 473 | 24% |
| Grade 11 | 455 | 23% |
| Grade 12 | 432 | 22% |
Student demographics
59%Diversity index
The chance that two students picked at random belong to different racial or ethnic groups.
DISTRICT 65% · 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
49.0%
TX avg 54.5% . +15.0pp since 2020
Mathematics
52.0%
TX avg 45.3% . +18.0pp since 2020
What this means: On the STAAR, Texas's statewide test, about 49 of every 100 students at this school read at grade level and about 52 of 100 do math at grade level. Across all Texas schools, those numbers are about 55 and 45. Reading scores are up about 15 points since 2020, while math scores are up about 18 points.
Performance levels, 2025-26
| Subject | Masters Grade Level | Meets Grade Level | Approaches Grade Level | Did Not Meet Grade Level |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Reading | 6.0% | 43.0% | 20.0% | 31.0% |
| Mathematics | 15.0% | 37.0% | 38.0% | 10.0% |
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 | 49.0% | 52.0% |
| 2024-25 | 44.0% | 45.0% |
| 2023-24 | 47.0% | 44.0% |
| 2022-23 | 28.0% | 35.0% |
| 2021-22 | 22.0% | 33.0% |
| 2020-21 | 34.0% | 34.0% |
% 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
OUTPERFORMING
Top 10% of TX schools after controlling for student poverty
Actual proficiency
52.5%
composite math + reading, all grades
Predicted
36.5%
based on TX schools with similar FRL share
Beats by
+16.0pp
above demographic expectation
What this means: About 53% of students here test proficient in math and reading, well above the roughly 37% typical for Texas schools with a similar share of low-income students. BeatsExpectations ranks schools against others at the same poverty level, not by raw scores, so a school can post high scores and still fall short of its prediction, or post lower scores and still beat it. This school clears its prediction by about 16 points, placing it in Texas's top 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 Palo Duro High School
Palo Duro High School's state test result (52.5% proficient) is higher than 4 of the 5 schools below with a result.
| School | Students | Low-income | Proficient |
|---|---|---|---|
| Palo Duro High School this school | 1,949 | 87.1% | 52.5% |
| Cypress Ridge High School HOUSTON | 2,861 | 79.4% | 55.2% |
| Wisdom High School HOUSTON | 1,965 | 96.1% | 32.3% |
| Emmett J Conrad High School DALLAS | 1,321 | 96.4% | 43.9% |
| Hastings High School HOUSTON | 3,786 | 82.2% | 37.6% |
| Taylor High School HOUSTON | 2,838 | 79.4% | 46.7% |
Matched among Texas high 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 Palo Duro High School ranks
Among high schools| Measure | This school | In Texas | In Potter County |
|---|---|---|---|
| State test proficiency ranked highest first | 52.5% | #727 of 1,385 | N/A |
| Math proficiency ranked highest first | 52.0% | #475 of 1,425 ▲ 87 | N/A |
| Reading proficiency ranked highest first | 49.0% | #993 of 1,425 ▲ 45 | N/A |
| 3-year test score change ranked biggest gain first | +19.0pp | #436 of 1,184 | N/A |
| Enrollment ranked largest first | 1,949 | #347 of 2,107 | #2 of 7 |
| Students per teacher ranked fewest first | 14.6:1 | #661 of 1,344 | N/A |
| Diversity index ranked most diverse first | 59.5% | #367 of 1,346 | N/A |
| Free and reduced lunch ranked highest share first | 87.1% | #252 of 1,522 | #1 of 6 |
| Enrollment change since 2017-18 ranked steepest decline first | -2.9% | #471 of 557 | N/A |
Ranked against other public high 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
1,949
+34 (+2%) vs 2020
+36% since 1990-91, when it was 1,428
Student : Teacher
14.6:1
was 14.3:1
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 | 1,949 | 133.3 | 14.6:1 | 87% (1,697) |
| 2023-24 | 1,902 | 127.2 | 14.9:1 | 85% (1,624) |
| 2022-23 | 1,923 | 126.1 | 15.3:1 | 84% (1,624) |
| 2020-21 | 1,915 | 134 | 14.3:1 | 80% (1,528) |
| 2017-18 | 2,008 | 137.2 | 14.6:1 | 87% (1,752) |
| 2015-16 | 2,097 | 141 | 14.9:1 | 85% (1,782) |
| 2010-11 | 1,989 | 135 | 14.7:1 | 82% (1,625) |
| 2000-01 | 1,739 | 115 | 15.1:1 | 54% (937) |
| 1990-91 | 1,428 | 92 | 15.5:1 | N/A |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data. Rows are the federal collections on file for Palo Duro High School.
Since 2017-18: students down 3% (2,008 to 1,949); teachers down 3% (137.2 to 133.3).
About Palo Duro High School
Palo Duro High School is a high-enrollment high school with an address in AMARILLO, Texas. The school's enrollment of 1,949 students covers grades 9 through 12. Enrollment is 145% higher than the average for high schools in Texas, which is about 796.
The 55 schools of AMARILLO ISD, including Palo Duro High School, enroll 29,321 students.
Hispanic students are the majority at Palo Duro High School, with 60% of enrollment. Enrollment also includes 18% Black, 10% White, 10% Asian, and 2% multiracial. The school's Hispanic share is 20 points above the 39% share among Potter County residents. The school's diversity index is 59%, meaning two students picked at random have a 59% chance of belonging to different racial or ethnic groups.
The teaching staff at Palo Duro High School is 133.3 full-time-equivalent teachers, and the ratio is 14.6:1. That is close to the 15.1:1 average for high schools in Texas. About 87% of students, or 1,697, qualify for free or reduced-price lunch. Across public schools in Potter County, the average is 74%.
On BeatsExpectations, which compares test results with what a school's student poverty level would predict, Palo Duro High School ranks in the top 10% in Texas. Its average proficiency rate on state tests is 52.5%, against a prediction of 36.5%.
Within Potter County, the median household income is $53,249, about 19% of adults have at least a bachelor's degree, and the poverty rate is about 15%. In all, Potter County has 49 public schools and roughly 21,501 students.
Nearest public school: Rogers Elementary School, about 0.5 miles away. A five-mile radius around the school includes at least 8 other public schools. Palo Duro High School's average proficiency of 52.5% compares with 35.3% for its nearest scored neighbors.
Its location is classified as City: Mid-size by the National Center for Education Statistics.
In 2020-21, Palo Duro High School enrolled 1,915; in 2024-25, 1,949.
Parents and students can post about sports tryouts, band and choir, and theater at Palo Duro High School. Alumni can share how the school prepared them.
Potter County at a glance
View full county profilePopulation
115,975
Census ACS
Median income
$53,249
Household, ACS
Bachelor's+
19%
Adults 25+
Poverty rate
15%
Below federal line
Schools in county
49
21,501 students
Quick facts
Related schools
Other schools in AMARILLO ISD
- Tascosa High SchoolHigh · 2,176 students
- Amarillo High SchoolHigh · 2,161 students
- Caprock High SchoolHigh · 2,058 students
- Bonham Middle SchoolMiddle · 892 students
- Crockett Middle SchoolMiddle · 823 students
- Bowie Middle SchoolMiddle · 721 students
Other schools in AMARILLO
- Tascosa High SchoolHigh · 2,176 students
- Amarillo High SchoolHigh · 2,161 students
- Caprock High SchoolHigh · 2,058 students
- West Plains High SchoolHigh · 1,221 students
- Randall High SchoolHigh · 1,126 students
- Bonham Middle SchoolMiddle · 892 students
Nearby schools
- Rogers Elementary School0.5 mi · 490
- Park Hills Elementary School0.5 mi · 174
- Johnny N Allen-6th Grade Campus0.6 mi · 210
- Mann Middle School0.7 mi · 419
- Emerson Elementary School0.8 mi · 500
- Hamlet Elementary School1.0 mi · 280
Frequently asked questions
About Palo Duro High SchoolWhat is the total enrollment at Palo Duro High School?
Palo Duro High School enrolls approximately 1,949 students in grades 09-12.
What age range does Palo Duro High School serve?
Palo Duro High School serves students from grade 09 through grade 12.
How many students per teacher at Palo Duro High School?
Approximately 14.6:1 students per teacher at Palo Duro High School.
What is the racial breakdown of students at Palo Duro High School?
At Palo Duro High School, the student body is approximately 10% White, 60% Hispanic, 18% Black, 10% Asian, 2% Two or more.
Who oversees Palo Duro High School?
Palo Duro High School is overseen by AMARILLO ISD in Potter County.
Data sourceSchool profile facts are sourced from the NCES. Community content is posted by allk12 members.