Enrollment
232
Combined
STATE 485
SCHOOL COMMUNITY·SANDS CISD·NCES 483912004462
Sands Cisd
101 FIRST ST, ACKERLY, TX 79713 · (432) 353-4888 · Dawson County
GRADES PK–12COMBINED43-RURALTITLE IREGULAR SCHOOL232 STUDENTS
Student : Teacher
9.9:1
23 FTE teachers
STATE 11.7:1
Free / Reduced Lunch
59%
136 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 | 15 | 6% |
| Kindergarten | 20 | 9% |
| Grade 1 | 14 | 6% |
| Grade 2 | 13 | 6% |
| Grade 3 | 14 | 6% |
| Grade 4 | 17 | 7% |
| Grade 5 | 18 | 8% |
| Grade 6 | 19 | 8% |
| Grade 7 | 23 | 10% |
| Grade 8 | 18 | 8% |
| Grade 9 | 24 | 10% |
| Grade 10 | 8 | 3% |
| Grade 11 | 14 | 6% |
| Grade 12 | 15 | 6% |
This year's kindergarten class (20) is 11% larger than its 8th grade class (18).
Student demographics
54%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
61.0%
TX avg 54.5% . +16.0pp since 2020
Mathematics
40.0%
TX avg 45.3% . -1.0pp since 2020
What this means: On the STAAR, Texas's statewide test, about 61 of every 100 students at this school read at grade level and about 40 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 down about 1 points.
Performance levels, 2025-26
| Subject | Masters Grade Level | Meets Grade Level | Approaches Grade Level | Did Not Meet Grade Level |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Reading | 21.0% | 40.0% | 27.0% | 12.0% |
| Mathematics | 17.0% | 23.0% | 41.0% | 19.0% |
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 | 61.0% | 40.0% |
| 2024-25 | 62.0% | 45.0% |
| 2023-24 | 58.0% | 38.0% |
| 2022-23 | 65.0% | 50.0% |
| 2021-22 | 65.0% | 50.0% |
| 2020-21 | 45.0% | 41.0% |
% 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
51.0%
composite math + reading, all grades
Predicted
48.7%
based on TX schools with similar FRL share
Beats by
+2.3pp
above demographic expectation
What this means: About 51% of students here test proficient in math and reading, compared with the roughly 49% 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 Sands Cisd
Sands Cisd's state test result (51.0% proficient) is higher than 4 of the 5 schools below with a result.
| School | Students | Low-income | Proficient |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sands Cisd this school | 232 | 58.6% | 51.0% |
| Texline School TEXLINE | 225 | 62.7% | 70.9% |
| Rotan K-12 ROTAN | 273 | 58.2% | 38.4% |
| Eden Cisd EDEN | 219 | 62.6% | 35.2% |
| Crowell School CROWELL | 189 | 58.2% | 48.8% |
| Wheeler School WHEELER | 372 | 61.3% | 46.8% |
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 Sands Cisd ranks
Among K-12 schools| Measure | This school | In Texas |
|---|---|---|
| State test proficiency ranked highest first | 51.0% | #57 of 211 |
| Math proficiency ranked highest first | 40.0% | #112 of 218 ▼ 28 |
| Reading proficiency ranked highest first | 61.0% | #70 of 218 ▼ 9 |
| 3-year test score change ranked biggest drop first | -7.0pp | #13 of 134 |
| Enrollment ranked largest first | 232 | #119 of 280 |
| Students per teacher ranked fewest first | 9.9:1 | #25 of 141 |
| Diversity index ranked most diverse first | 53.7% | #39 of 144 |
| Free and reduced lunch ranked highest share first | 58.6% | #113 of 226 |
| Enrollment change since 2017-18 ranked steepest decline first | -5.3% | #45 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
232
-31 (-12%) vs 2020
+7% since 1990-91, when it was 216
Student : Teacher
9.9:1
was 13.2:1
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 | 232 | 23.5 | 9.9:1 | 59% (136) |
| 2023-24 | 246 | 20.9 | 11.8:1 | 59% (145) |
| 2022-23 | 240 | 21.2 | 11.3:1 | 59% (142) |
| 2020-21 | 263 | 20 | 13.2:1 | 61% (161) |
| 2017-18 | 245 | 19.8 | 12.4:1 | 50% (123) |
| 2015-16 | 257 | 19 | 13.5:1 | 57% (146) |
| 2010-11 | 246 | 22 | 11.2:1 | 59% (145) |
| 2000-01 | 120 | 11 | 10.9:1 | 57% (69) |
| 1990-91 | 216 | 18 | 12.0:1 | N/A |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data. Rows are the federal collections on file for Sands Cisd.
Since 2017-18: students down 5% (245 to 232); teachers up 19% (19.8 to 23.5).
About Sands Cisd
Sands Cisd is a combined-grade school with a street address in ACKERLY, Texas. Students in pre-K through 12 attend, and enrollment is 232 students. The school's enrollment is 52% smaller than the 485 average for combined schools in Texas.
Federal records list Sands Cisd as its own district.
The most common group at Sands Cisd is White students, at 48%. Other groups make up 48% Hispanic and 2% multiracial. County-wide, about 50% of residents are White. The school's diversity index is 54%, meaning two students picked at random have a 54% chance of belonging to different racial or ethnic groups.
At Sands Cisd, 23.5 full-time-equivalent teachers work with students, a ratio of about 9.9:1. That is lower than the 11.7:1 average for combined schools in Texas. Roughly 59% of the student body qualifies for free or reduced-price lunch. The gap from the 68% average for public schools in Dawson County is 9 points.
Schools in Texas with a similar free or reduced-price lunch share are predicted to score about 48.7%. Sands Cisd scores 51.0%.
Among Dawson County residents, the median household income is $54,360, roughly 13% of adults have a four-year degree or more, and the share of residents below the poverty line is 17%. Sands Cisd is one of 4 public schools in the county.
Of nearby public schools, Klondike ISD is the closest, at about 14.7 miles. The nearest schools with test data average 46.5%, lower than Sands Cisd's 51.0%.
Federal data place Sands Cisd in the Rural: Remote locale, which means it is in rural territory far from an urban area.
Sands Cisd's enrollment dropped from 263 in 2020-21 to 232 in 2024-25. In 2020-21, the student-to-teacher ratio was 13.2:1; by 2024-25 it was 9.9:1.
Community posts for Sands Cisd can cover enrollment questions, class placement, and PTA news. Alumni can share how the school prepared them.
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
Nearby schools
- Klondike ISD14.7 mi · 261
- Grady School19.8 mi · 241
- Lamesa Schools20.8 mi · 1,484
- Borden County School22.9 mi · 249
- Big Spring Junior High School23.8 mi · 490
- Big Spring High School24.1 mi · 982
Frequently asked questions
About Sands CisdWhat is the total enrollment at Sands Cisd?
Sands Cisd enrolls approximately 232 students in grades PK-12.
What grades does Sands Cisd serve?
Sands Cisd serves grades PK-12.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Sands Cisd?
The student-to-teacher ratio at Sands Cisd is approximately 9.9:1 (23 FTE teachers).
What is the racial breakdown of students at Sands Cisd?
At Sands Cisd, the student body is approximately 48% White, 48% Hispanic, 0% Black, 2% Two or more.
Is Sands Cisd public or private?
Sands Cisd is a public K-12 school, overseen by SANDS CISD.
Data sourceSchool profile facts are sourced from the NCES. Community content is posted by allk12 members.