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What's the most underrated thing about SMITHSON VALLEY H S that outsiders don't know?
Community prompt from u/allk12. Replies below.
Enrollment
2,098
High
DISTRICT 1,055 · STATE 796
SCHOOL COMMUNITY·COMAL ISD·NCES 481473000974
Smithson Valley High School
14001 HWY 46 W, SPRING BRANCH, TX 78070 · (830) 885-1000 · Comal County
GRADES 09–12HIGH42-RURALREGULAR SCHOOL2,098 STUDENTS
Student : Teacher
15.5:1
135 FTE teachers
DISTRICT 13.3:1 · STATE 15.1:1
Free / Reduced Lunch
14%
303 students
DISTRICT 32% · 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 | 548 | 26% |
| Grade 10 | 543 | 26% |
| Grade 11 | 540 | 26% |
| Grade 12 | 467 | 22% |
Student demographics
56%Diversity index
The chance that two students picked at random belong to different racial or ethnic groups.
DISTRICT 58% · 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
82.0%
TX avg 54.5% . +46.0pp since 2020
Mathematics
62.0%
TX avg 45.3% . +32.0pp since 2020
What this means: On the STAAR, Texas's statewide test, about 82 of every 100 students at this school read at grade level and about 62 of 100 do math at grade level. Across all Texas schools, those numbers are about 55 and 45. Reading scores are up about 46 points since 2020, while math scores are up about 32 points.
Performance levels, 2025-26
| Subject | Masters Grade Level | Meets Grade Level | Approaches Grade Level | Did Not Meet Grade Level |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Reading | 21.0% | 61.0% | 10.0% | 8.0% |
| Mathematics | 20.0% | 42.0% | 30.0% | 8.0% |
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 | 82.0% | 62.0% |
| 2024-25 | 78.0% | 50.0% |
| 2023-24 | 79.0% | 58.0% |
| 2022-23 | 28.0% | 22.0% |
| 2021-22 | 36.0% | 22.0% |
| 2020-21 | 36.0% | 30.0% |
% 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
74.7%
composite math + reading, all grades
Predicted
67.5%
based on TX schools with similar FRL share
Beats by
+7.2pp
above demographic expectation
What this means: About 75% of students here test proficient in math and reading, compared with the roughly 68% 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 →
Where Smithson Valley High School ranks
Among high schools| Measure | This school | In Texas | In Comal County |
|---|---|---|---|
| State test proficiency ranked highest first | 74.7% | #155 of 1,385 | #3 of 7 |
| Math proficiency ranked highest first | 62.0% | #250 of 1,425 | #4 of 7 |
| Reading proficiency ranked highest first | 82.0% | #139 of 1,425 | #3 of 7 |
| 3-year test score change ranked biggest gain first | +47.0pp | #4 of 1,184 | N/A |
| Enrollment ranked largest first | 2,098 | #291 of 2,107 | #2 of 12 |
| Students per teacher ranked fewest first | 15.5:1 | #816 of 1,344 | #4 of 6 |
| Diversity index ranked most diverse first | 55.8% | #479 of 1,346 | #4 of 6 |
| Free and reduced lunch ranked highest share first | 14.4% | #1,487 of 1,522 | #7 of 7 |
| Enrollment change since 2017-18 ranked steepest decline first | -24.0% | #77 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.
4-year change
SY 2020-21 vs SY 2024-25Enrollment
2,098
-1,025 (-33%) vs 2020
+146% since 1990-91, when it was 853
Student : Teacher
15.5:1
was 18.9:1
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 | 2,098 | 135.5 | 15.5:1 | 14% (303) |
| 2023-24 | 2,057 | 141.1 | 14.6:1 | 18% (360) |
| 2022-23 | 2,332 | 146.3 | 15.9:1 | 17% (391) |
| 2020-21 | 3,123 | 165 | 18.9:1 | 15% (455) |
| 2017-18 | 2,759 | 152.5 | 18.1:1 | 13% (359) |
| 2015-16 | 2,535 | 140 | 18.1:1 | 13% (331) |
| 2010-11 | 2,070 | 124 | 16.7:1 | 17% (350) |
| 2000-01 | 1,897 | 124 | 15.3:1 | 16% (297) |
| 1990-91 | 853 | 27 | 31.6:1 | N/A |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data. Rows are the federal collections on file for Smithson Valley High School.
About Smithson Valley High School
A large high school in SPRING BRANCH, Texas, Smithson Valley High School is part of COMAL ISD. It educates 2,098 students in grades 9 through 12. The school's enrollment is 164% larger than the 796 average for high schools in Texas.
The district, COMAL ISD, operates 37 schools serving 29,839 students.
Smithson Valley High School's enrollment is 56% White. Other groups make up 35% Hispanic, 4% multiracial, and 2% Black. County-wide, 71% of Comal County residents are White. Smithson Valley High School has a diversity index of 56%, compared with 70% for all US public school students.
At Smithson Valley High School, 135.5 full-time-equivalent teachers work with students, a ratio of about 15.5:1. Across high schools in Texas, the average ratio is about 15.1:1. Roughly 14% of the student body qualifies for free or reduced-price lunch. That rate is below the 32% average among public schools in Comal County.
When test results are adjusted for free or reduced-price lunch eligibility, Smithson Valley High School is 7.2 points above its prediction. Actual: 74.7%. Predicted: 67.5%.
Among Comal County residents, median household income is about $101,889, roughly 43% of adults have a four-year degree or more, and about 4% of residents live below the federal poverty line. Federal data list 49 public schools in Comal County, with a combined enrollment of about 29,653.
Smithson Valley Middle School is the closest public school, about 1.4 miles away in a straight line. Smithson Valley High School is one of several public schools in the area, with 6 others within five miles. Among 8 nearby schools that report test results, Smithson Valley High School ranks 3rd on proficiency.
The school's setting, by NCES definition, is Rural: Distant: in rural territory some distance from an urban area.
From 2020-21 to 2024-25, Smithson Valley High School went from 3,123 students to 2,098. Its ratio of students to teachers was 18.9:1 in 2020-21, and 15.5:1 in 2024-25.
Threads on this page can be about school events, clubs, and volunteer needs. Anyone with firsthand experience at this school can post or comment.
Comal County at a glance
View full county profilePopulation
183,826
Census ACS
Median income
$101,889
Household, ACS
Bachelor's+
43%
Adults 25+
Poverty rate
4%
Below federal line
Schools in county
49
29,653 students
Quick facts
Related schools
Other schools in COMAL ISD
- Canyon High SchoolHigh · 2,414 students
- Pieper High SchoolHigh · 2,093 students
- Canyon Middle SchoolMiddle · 1,251 students
- Davenport High SchoolHigh · 1,233 students
- Johnson Ranch Elementary SchoolElementary · 1,185 students
- Pieper Ranch Middle SchoolMiddle · 1,140 students
Other schools in SPRING BRANCH
- Smithson Valley Middle SchoolMiddle · 880 students
- Bill Brown Elementary SchoolElementary · 799 students
- Arlon R Seay Elementary SchoolElementary · 623 students
- Spring Branch Middle SchoolMiddle · 604 students
- Rebecca Creek Elementary SchoolElementary · 578 students
Nearby schools
- Smithson Valley Middle School1.4 mi · 880
- Sjrc Texas2.0 mi · 10
- Bill Brown Elementary School3.9 mi · 799
- Arlon R Seay Elementary School4.5 mi · 623
- Hill Country College Prep High School4.5 mi · 178
- Spring Branch Middle School4.5 mi · 604
Frequently asked questions
About Smithson Valley High SchoolHow many students attend Smithson Valley High School?
Smithson Valley High School enrolls approximately 2,098 students in grades 09-12.
What age range does Smithson Valley High School serve?
Smithson Valley High School serves students from grade 09 through grade 12.
How many students per teacher at Smithson Valley High School?
Approximately 15.5:1 students per teacher at Smithson Valley High School.
How diverse is Smithson Valley High School?
Smithson Valley High School reports a student body of 56% White, 35% Hispanic, 2% Black, 2% Asian, 4% Two or more.
Is Smithson Valley High School public or private?
Smithson Valley High School is a public K-12 school, overseen by COMAL ISD.
Data sourceSchool profile facts are sourced from the NCES. Community content is posted by allk12 members.