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Parents: what's one thing you'd want the RUSK J H administration to hear?
Community prompt from u/allk12. Replies below.
Enrollment
458
Middle
DISTRICT 411 · STATE 643
SCHOOL COMMUNITY·RUSK ISD·NCES 483836004275
Rusk Junior High School
1345 S MAIN ST, RUSK, TX 75785 · (903) 683-2502 · Cherokee County
GRADES 06–08MIDDLE43-RURALTITLE IREGULAR SCHOOL458 STUDENTS
B+
allk12 Grade
Scored higher than 71% of Texas public middle schools
- B+Test scores Share of students meeting the state standard in reading, math, and other tested subjects, 2023-24 and 2024-25.
- B+Beats expectations How far test scores land above or below what the share of low-income students predicts for a school in this state.
- C+Three-year trend Change in reading and math proficiency over the last three test years.
Grades compare a school only with schools in the same state, because every state gives its own test. How grades work · Top-graded Texas public middle schools
Student : Teacher
12.5:1
37 FTE teachers
DISTRICT 13.5:1 · STATE 14.4:1
Free / Reduced Lunch
62%
285 students
DISTRICT 64% · STATE 65%
Community
1
0 members
Enrollment and student:teacher ratio compared against other middle schools. Free/Reduced Lunch and demographics compared against all schools.
Enrollment by grade, 2024-25
| Grade | Students | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Grade 6 | 141 | 31% |
| Grade 7 | 174 | 38% |
| Grade 8 | 143 | 31% |
Student demographics
51%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
Students here typically continue to
Rusk Junior High School→Rusk High School
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
58.0%
TX avg 54.5% . +26.0pp since 2020
Mathematics
43.0%
TX avg 45.3% . -1.0pp since 2020
What this means: On the STAAR, Texas's statewide test, about 58 of every 100 students at this school read at grade level and about 43 of 100 do math at grade level. Across all Texas schools, those numbers are about 55 and 45. Reading scores are up about 26 points since 2020, while math scores are down about 1 points.
Performance levels, 2025-26
| Subject | Masters Grade Level | Meets Grade Level | Approaches Grade Level | Did Not Meet Grade Level |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Reading | 27.0% | 31.0% | 24.0% | 18.0% |
| Mathematics | 15.0% | 28.0% | 33.0% | 24.0% |
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 | 58.0% | 43.0% |
| 2024-25 | 63.0% | 46.0% |
| 2023-24 | 62.0% | 40.0% |
| 2022-23 | 45.0% | 41.0% |
| 2021-22 | 40.0% | 33.0% |
| 2020-21 | 32.0% | 44.0% |
% 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
50.6%
composite math + reading, all grades
Predicted
47.1%
based on TX schools with similar FRL share
Beats by
+3.5pp
above demographic expectation
What this means: About 51% 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 Junior High School
Rusk Junior High School's state test result (50.6% proficient) is higher than 4 of the 5 schools below with a result.
| School | Students | Low-income | Proficient |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rusk Junior High School this school | 458 | 62.2% | 50.6% |
| Central Junior High School POLLOK | 451 | 64.1% | 39.5% |
| Bruce Junior High School GILMER | 419 | 61.8% | 47.3% |
| Little Cypress Junior High School ORANGE | 523 | 56.4% | 36.4% |
| Gilmer Intermediate School GILMER | 425 | 64.2% | 52.5% |
| Rains Junior High School EMORY | 383 | 60.8% | 39.2% |
Matched among Texas middle 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 Junior High School ranks
Among middle schools| Measure | This school | In Texas | In Cherokee County |
|---|---|---|---|
| State test proficiency ranked highest first | 50.6% | #485 of 1,635 | #3 of 6 |
| Math proficiency ranked highest first | 43.0% | #829 of 1,670 ▼ 169 | #3 of 6 no change |
| Reading proficiency ranked highest first | 58.0% | #669 of 1,670 ▼ 210 | #3 of 6 no change |
| 3-year test score change ranked biggest gain first | +7.5pp | #969 of 1,570 | #4 of 6 |
| Enrollment ranked largest first | 458 | #1,153 of 1,749 | #4 of 6 |
| Students per teacher ranked fewest first | 12.5:1 | #265 of 1,542 | N/A |
| Diversity index ranked most diverse first | 50.8% | #859 of 1,543 | N/A |
| Free and reduced lunch ranked highest share first | 62.2% | #896 of 1,648 | #4 of 6 |
| Enrollment change since 2017-18 ranked steepest decline first | -4.4% | #805 of 942 | N/A |
Ranked against other public middle 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
458
+2 (+0%) vs 2020
+7% since 1990-91, when it was 428
Student : Teacher
12.5:1
was 11.1:1
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 | 458 | 36.5 | 12.5:1 | 62% (285) |
| 2023-24 | 493 | 36 | 13.7:1 | 64% (314) |
| 2022-23 | 478 | 35.9 | 13.3:1 | 65% (309) |
| 2020-21 | 456 | 41 | 11.1:1 | 63% (287) |
| 2017-18 | 479 | 37.2 | 12.9:1 | 59% (285) |
| 2015-16 | 504 | 36 | 14.0:1 | 56% (283) |
| 2010-11 | 472 | 35 | 13.5:1 | 62% (291) |
| 2000-01 | 432 | 37 | 11.7:1 | 46% (199) |
| 1990-91 | 428 | 36 | 11.9:1 | N/A |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data. Rows are the federal collections on file for Rusk Junior High School.
Since 2017-18: students down 4% (479 to 458); teachers down 2% (37.2 to 36.5).
About Rusk Junior High School
Rusk Junior High School is a public middle school run by RUSK ISD in RUSK, Texas. It is open to students in grades 6 through 8 and enrolls 458 students. Middle schools in Texas have about 643 students on average; enrollment here is 29% lower.
Rusk Junior High School is part of a district of 5 schools: RUSK ISD, with 2,057 students.
The student body at Rusk Junior High School is 67% White. Beyond that, enrollment is 17% Hispanic, 9% Black, and 6% multiracial. Among Cherokee County residents, the White share is about 65%. Its diversity index, the chance that two randomly chosen students belong to different racial or ethnic groups, is 51%.
The school had 36.5 full-time-equivalent teachers in 2024-25. Its student-to-teacher ratio is 12.5:1. The gap from the 14.4:1 average for middle schools in Texas is 1.8 students per teacher. The school reported 62% of students eligible for free or reduced-price lunch in 2024-25.
Among Texas public middle schools, Rusk Junior High School outscored 71%, which works out to a B+ on the allk12 Grade.
Rusk Junior High School's actual average proficiency rate across its state test results (50.6%) and its predicted rate (47.1%) put it outside the top and bottom 10% of Texas schools.
Cherokee County is the school's county. There, median household income comes to about $61,261, the share of adults with a bachelor's degree or higher is 19%, and about 15% of people live in poverty. Cherokee County's 24 public schools enroll about 10,948 students and include Rusk Junior High School.
Straight-line distance to the nearest public school, Rusk High School, is less than a tenth of a mile. There are 4 other public schools within five miles. By average proficiency, Rusk Junior High School is 2nd among 8 schools close by.
On the NCES locale scale, the school is Rural: Remote.
The student count changed little between 2020-21 (456) and 2024-25 (458). The ratio of students to teachers went from 11.1:1 to 12.5:1 over the same years.
People can post here about open houses, carpools, and field trips and other school topics. Parents, students, alumni, and staff are welcome to post.
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 High SchoolHigh · 621 students
- Gw Bradford Primary SchoolElementary · 379 students
- Rusk Intermediate SchoolElementary · 301 students
- Rusk Elementary SchoolElementary · 298 students
Other schools in RUSK
- Rusk High SchoolHigh · 621 students
- Gw Bradford Primary SchoolElementary · 379 students
- Rusk Intermediate SchoolElementary · 301 students
- Rusk Elementary SchoolElementary · 298 students
Nearby schools
- Rusk High School0.1 mi · 621
- Rusk Intermediate School0.3 mi · 301
- Gw Bradford Primary School0.5 mi · 379
- Rusk Elementary School1.4 mi · 298
- Alto Elementary School9.1 mi · 207
- Alto Middle School9.2 mi · 152
Frequently asked questions
About Rusk Junior High SchoolWhat is the total enrollment at Rusk Junior High School?
Rusk Junior High School enrolls approximately 458 students in grades 06-08.
Is Rusk Junior High School an elementary, middle, or high school?
Rusk Junior High School is a middle school covering grades 06-08.
How many teachers does Rusk Junior High School have?
Rusk Junior High School employs 37 FTE teachers, for a student-to-teacher ratio of 12.5:1.
How diverse is Rusk Junior High School?
Rusk Junior High School reports a student body of 67% White, 17% Hispanic, 9% Black, 0% Asian, 6% Two or more.
Is Rusk Junior High School public or private?
Rusk Junior 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.