1
What do students at RUSK H S actually talk about outside of class?
Community prompt from u/allk12. Replies below.
Enrollment
621
High
DISTRICT 411 · STATE 796
SCHOOL COMMUNITY·RUSK ISD·NCES 483836004274
Rusk High School
495 EAGLE DR, RUSK, TX 75785 · (903) 683-5401 · Cherokee County
GRADES 09–12HIGH43-RURALTITLE IREGULAR SCHOOL621 STUDENTS
Student : Teacher
13.8:1
45 FTE teachers
DISTRICT 13.5:1 · STATE 15.1:1
Free / Reduced Lunch
62%
382 students
DISTRICT 64% · 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 | 185 | 30% |
| Grade 10 | 151 | 24% |
| Grade 11 | 156 | 25% |
| Grade 12 | 129 | 21% |
Student demographics
57%Diversity index
The chance that two students picked at random belong to different racial or ethnic groups.
DISTRICT 56% · 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
School pathway
Feeds from
Based on grade levels within RUSK ISD. Attendance zones can vary; confirm enrollment with the district.
Test scores
STAAR 2025-26 . % Meets Grade Level or AboveReading
56.0%
TX avg 54.5% . +39.0pp since 2020
Mathematics
30.0%
TX avg 45.3% . -12.0pp since 2020
What this means: On the STAAR, Texas's statewide test, about 56 of every 100 students at this school read at grade level and about 30 of 100 do math at grade level. Across all Texas schools, those numbers are about 55 and 45. Reading scores are up about 39 points since 2020, while math scores are down about 12 points.
Performance levels, 2025-26
| Subject | Masters Grade Level | Meets Grade Level | Approaches Grade Level | Did Not Meet Grade Level |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Reading | 8.0% | 48.0% | 18.0% | 26.0% |
| Mathematics | 6.0% | 24.0% | 50.0% | 20.0% |
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 | 56.0% | 30.0% |
| 2024-25 | 53.0% | 29.0% |
| 2023-24 | 54.0% | 21.0% |
| 2022-23 | 40.0% | 42.0% |
| 2021-22 | 12.0% | 14.0% |
| 2020-21 | 17.0% | 42.0% |
% 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
47.7%
composite math + reading, all grades
Predicted
47.4%
based on TX schools with similar FRL share
Beats by
+0.3pp
above demographic expectation
What this means: About 48% of students here test proficient in math and reading, compared with the roughly 47% 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 Rusk High School
Rusk High School's state test result (47.7% proficient) is higher than 2 of the 5 schools below with a result.
| School | Students | Low-income | Proficient |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rusk High School this school | 621 | 61.5% | 47.7% |
| Malakoff High School MALAKOFF | 426 | 60.3% | 54.5% |
| Gilmer High School GILMER | 895 | 60.3% | 69.2% |
| Coldspring-Oakhurst High School COLDSPRING | 492 | 59.1% | 42.5% |
| Groesbeck High School GROESBECK | 497 | 58.8% | 50.9% |
| Silsbee High School SILSBEE | 789 | 59.9% | 37.4% |
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 Rusk High School ranks
Among high schools| Measure | This school | In Texas |
|---|---|---|
| State test proficiency ranked highest first | 47.7% | #903 of 1,385 |
| Math proficiency ranked highest first | 30.0% | #1,097 of 1,425 ▼ 90 |
| Reading proficiency ranked highest first | 56.0% | #772 of 1,425 ▲ 27 |
| 3-year test score change ranked biggest gain first | +2.0pp | #1,038 of 1,184 |
| Enrollment ranked largest first | 621 | #794 of 2,107 |
| Students per teacher ranked fewest first | 13.8:1 | #531 of 1,344 |
| Diversity index ranked most diverse first | 56.9% | #441 of 1,346 |
| Free and reduced lunch ranked highest share first | 61.5% | #761 of 1,522 |
| Enrollment change since 2017-18 ranked fastest growth first | +3.3% | #564 of 672 |
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
621
+30 (+5%) vs 2020
+42% since 1990-91, when it was 437
Student : Teacher
13.8:1
was 13.7:1
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 | 621 | 45 | 13.8:1 | 62% (382) |
| 2023-24 | 603 | 47.7 | 12.7:1 | 64% (383) |
| 2022-23 | 610 | 45.9 | 13.3:1 | 64% (390) |
| 2020-21 | 591 | 43 | 13.7:1 | 54% (321) |
| 2017-18 | 601 | 42.9 | 14.0:1 | 49% (297) |
| 2015-16 | 597 | 42 | 14.2:1 | 49% (292) |
| 2010-11 | 538 | 46 | 11.7:1 | 46% (248) |
| 2000-01 | 525 | 41 | 12.8:1 | 33% (172) |
| 1990-91 | 437 | 31 | 14.1:1 | N/A |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data. Rows are the federal collections on file for Rusk High School.
Since 2017-18: students up 3% (601 to 621); teachers up 5% (42.9 to 45).
About Rusk High School
Rusk High School, a low-enrollment high school, is located in RUSK, Texas. The school has 621 students in 2024-25 across grades 9 through 12. High schools in Texas have about 796 students on average; enrollment here is 22% lower.
Rusk High School sits within RUSK ISD, which has 5 schools and 2,057 students.
Of every 100 students at Rusk High School, about 61 are White. After that, the student body is 21% Hispanic, 14% Black, and 4% multiracial. Measured by the diversity index, the student body scores 57%.
With 45 full-time-equivalent teachers, the student-to-teacher ratio is about 13.8:1. The average for high schools in Texas is 15.1:1, so this school has fewer students per teacher. Student poverty is often measured by lunch eligibility; at Rusk High School, 62% qualify for free or reduced-price lunch.
A school with Rusk High School's lunch-eligibility share in Texas is predicted to score 47.4%. Rusk High School scores 47.7%, within a point of that line.
The county, Cherokee County, is where the school is located. The median household earns about $61,261 a year, the share of adults with a bachelor's degree or higher is 19%, and roughly 15% of residents are in poverty. Cherokee County has 24 public schools with about 10,948 students, including Rusk High School.
Rusk High School's closest public school neighbor is Rusk Junior High School, less than a tenth of a mile away. Within five miles of Rusk High School, there are 4 other public schools. Its average proficiency rate of 47.7% is above the 43.3% average for nearby schools.
NCES describes the area around Rusk High School as Rural: Remote, meaning in rural territory far from an urban area.
The school grew from 591 students in 2020-21 to 621 in 2024-25.
The allk12 page for Rusk High School lets the school community talk about athletics, class schedules, and weather closures. You can also rate the school on this page.
Cherokee County at a glance
View full county profilePopulation
51,886
Census ACS
Median income
$61,261
Household, ACS
Bachelor's+
19%
Adults 25+
Poverty rate
15%
Below federal line
Schools in county
24
10,948 students
Quick facts
Related schools
Other schools in RUSK ISD
- Rusk Junior High SchoolMiddle · 458 students
- Gw Bradford Primary SchoolElementary · 379 students
- Rusk Intermediate SchoolElementary · 301 students
- Rusk Elementary SchoolElementary · 298 students
Other schools in RUSK
- Rusk Junior High SchoolMiddle · 458 students
- Gw Bradford Primary SchoolElementary · 379 students
- Rusk Intermediate SchoolElementary · 301 students
- Rusk Elementary SchoolElementary · 298 students
Nearby schools
- Rusk Junior High School0.1 mi · 458
- Rusk Intermediate School0.2 mi · 301
- Gw Bradford Primary School0.4 mi · 379
- Rusk Elementary School1.3 mi · 298
- Alto Elementary School9.2 mi · 207
- Alto Middle School9.2 mi · 152
Frequently asked questions
About Rusk High SchoolHow large is Rusk High School?
Rusk High School enrolls approximately 621 students in grades 09-12.
What age range does Rusk High School serve?
Rusk High School serves students from grade 09 through grade 12.
How many teachers does Rusk High School have?
Rusk High School employs 45 FTE teachers, for a student-to-teacher ratio of 13.8:1.
What is the student diversity at Rusk High School?
Student demographics at Rusk High School are roughly 61% White, 21% Hispanic, 14% Black, 0% Asian, 4% Two or more.
Is Rusk High School public or private?
Rusk High School is a public K-12 school, overseen by RUSK ISD.
Data sourceSchool profile facts are sourced from the NCES. Community content is posted by allk12 members.