TARKINGTON H S

TARKINGTON H S is one of the compact high schools in CLEVELAND, Texas, operated by TARKINGTON ISD, with 544 students on its rolls from grades 9 through 12. Compared to the state average of about 796 students per school, that is 32% leaner than typical.

Within TARKINGTON ISD, which oversees 4 schools and 1,907 students, TARKINGTON H S is one campus in the system.

Demographically, TARKINGTON H S shows that White students make up the majority at 72%; the rest is composed of 24% Hispanic, 2% multiracial. The wider county runs roughly 57% White, putting the school's mix meaningfully more White than the area baseline.

Looking at the economic backdrop, TARKINGTON H S lists 36 full-time-equivalent teachers, putting the student-to-teacher ratio at about 15.2:1. That tracks the state average closely. Roughly 49% of students at TARKINGTON H S qualify for free or reduced-price lunch, which schools and policymakers use as a rough income-mix signal. By comparison, Liberty County runs at roughly 80%, so the school's eligibility rate is below the surrounding baseline.

With demographic context factored in, TARKINGTON H S sits in the middle band of the BeatsExpectations distribution. Schools with this campus's student mix typically land near 52.4%; this one delivers 45.0%.

Zooming out to the county, the surrounding county (Liberty County) logs that median household income runs about $68,703, about 12% of the adult population holds a bachelor's degree or above, and roughly 16% of residents live below the federal poverty line. Across Liberty County's 41 public schools (combined enrollment of about 27,599 students), TARKINGTON H S is one campus in the mix.

TARKINGTON MIDDLE is the nearest neighboring public school, about 0.2 miles from this campus. Counting just inside five miles, 3 other public schools cluster around TARKINGTON H S. Among the 6 schools in that immediate cluster with test data (this one included), TARKINGTON H S ranks 1st on composite proficiency, ahead of the local average of 30.0%.

The school occupies a countryside site.

Looking at the recent track record. TARKINGTON H S's enrollment has increased 5% since 2018, when it stood at 520 (now 544). The White share of enrollment edged down from 88% to 72% over that span. Class-load math has loosened: from 11.2:1 in 2018 to 15.2:1 in 2025.

On this page, members of the TARKINGTON H S community share and discuss enrollment questions, classroom assignments, and PTA news. Members of the school community can share what they know.