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What's the biggest difference between TARKINGTON H S and what you expected?
Community prompt from u/allk12. Replies below.
Enrollment
544
High
DISTRICT 477 · STATE 796
SCHOOL COMMUNITY·TARKINGTON ISD·NCES 484221004802
Tarkington High School
2770 FM 163, CLEVELAND, TX 77327 · (281) 592-7739 · Liberty County
GRADES 09–12HIGH42-RURALTITLE IREGULAR SCHOOL544 STUDENTS
D
allk12 Grade
Scored higher than 11% of Texas public high schools
- C-Test scores Share of students meeting the state standard in reading, math, and other tested subjects, 2023-24 and 2024-25.
- DBeats expectations How far test scores land above or below what the share of low-income students predicts for a school in this state.
- CThree-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 high schools
Student : Teacher
15.2:1
36 FTE teachers
DISTRICT 15.9:1 · STATE 15.1:1
Free / Reduced Lunch
49%
267 students
DISTRICT 58% · 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 | 145 | 27% |
| Grade 10 | 141 | 26% |
| Grade 11 | 122 | 22% |
| Grade 12 | 136 | 25% |
Student demographics
42%Diversity index
The chance that two students picked at random belong to different racial or ethnic groups.
DISTRICT 40% · 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 TARKINGTON ISD. Attendance zones can vary; confirm enrollment with the district.
Test scores
STAAR 2025-26 . % Meets Grade Level or AboveReading
44.0%
TX avg 54.5% . +1.0pp since 2020
Mathematics
31.0%
TX avg 45.3% . +14.0pp since 2020
What this means: On the STAAR, Texas's statewide test, about 44 of every 100 students at this school read at grade level and about 31 of 100 do math at grade level. Across all Texas schools, those numbers are about 55 and 45. Reading scores are up about 1 points since 2020, while math scores are up about 14 points.
Performance levels, 2025-26
| Subject | Masters Grade Level | Meets Grade Level | Approaches Grade Level | Did Not Meet Grade Level |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Reading | 5.0% | 39.0% | 27.0% | 29.0% |
| Mathematics | 7.0% | 24.0% | 55.0% | 14.0% |
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 | 44.0% | 31.0% |
| 2024-25 | 37.0% | 11.0% |
| 2023-24 | 48.0% | 23.0% |
| 2022-23 | 37.0% | 22.0% |
| 2021-22 | 39.0% | 10.0% |
| 2020-21 | 43.0% | 17.0% |
% 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
42.6%
composite math + reading, all grades
Predicted
52.7%
based on TX schools with similar FRL share
Beats by
-10.2pp
below demographic expectation
What this means: About 43% of students here test proficient in math and reading, compared with the roughly 53% 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 Tarkington High School
Tarkington High School's state test result (42.6% proficient) is higher than 0 of the 5 schools below with a result.
| School | Students | Low-income | Proficient |
|---|---|---|---|
| Tarkington High School this school | 544 | 49.1% | 42.6% |
| Eustace High School EUSTACE | 478 | 51.3% | 59.3% |
| Hardin High School HARDIN | 396 | 48.7% | 47.5% |
| Mildred High School CORSICANA | 453 | 45.7% | 51.6% |
| Winnsboro High School WINNSBORO | 487 | 53.4% | 52.3% |
| Mt Vernon High School MOUNT VERNON | 511 | 53.0% | 59.6% |
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 Tarkington High School ranks
Among high schools| Measure | This school | In Texas | In Liberty County |
|---|---|---|---|
| State test proficiency ranked highest first | 42.6% | #1,062 of 1,385 | #4 of 7 |
| Math proficiency ranked highest first | 31.0% | #1,084 of 1,425 ▲ 307 | #3 of 7 ▲ 1 |
| Reading proficiency ranked highest first | 44.0% | #1,150 of 1,425 ▲ 67 | #5 of 7 ▼ 1 |
| 3-year test score change ranked biggest gain first | +8.0pp | #883 of 1,184 | N/A |
| Enrollment ranked largest first | 544 | #850 of 2,107 | #4 of 9 |
| Students per teacher ranked fewest first | 15.2:1 | #768 of 1,344 | #2 of 6 |
| Diversity index ranked most diverse first | 41.9% | #874 of 1,346 | #4 of 6 |
| Free and reduced lunch ranked highest share first | 49.1% | #1,027 of 1,522 | #8 of 9 |
| Enrollment change since 2017-18 ranked fastest growth first | +4.6% | #515 of 672 | 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. 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
544
+54 (+11%) vs 2020
+33% since 1990-91, when it was 410
Student : Teacher
15.2:1
was 11.4:1
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 | 544 | 35.7 | 15.2:1 | 49% (267) |
| 2023-24 | 552 | 33.4 | 16.5:1 | 55% (306) |
| 2022-23 | 513 | 35.5 | 14.4:1 | 48% (246) |
| 2020-21 | 490 | 43 | 11.4:1 | 47% (231) |
| 2017-18 | 520 | 46.3 | 11.2:1 | 38% (199) |
| 2015-16 | 526 | 47 | 11.2:1 | 38% (200) |
| 2010-11 | 602 | 47 | 12.8:1 | 38% (231) |
| 2000-01 | 472 | 39 | 12.1:1 | 13% (62) |
| 1990-91 | 410 | 27 | 15.2:1 | N/A |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data. Rows are the federal collections on file for Tarkington High School.
Since 2017-18: students up 5% (520 to 544); teachers down 23% (46.3 to 35.7).
About Tarkington High School
Tarkington High School is a high school in CLEVELAND, Texas, according to federal school records. The grade span is 9 through 12, and enrollment is 544 students. Average enrollment for high schools in Texas is about 796, so this school runs 32% smaller than that.
The district, TARKINGTON ISD, operates 4 schools serving 1,907 students.
A majority of students at Tarkington High School, 72%, are White. Next come 24% Hispanic and 2% multiracial. The county population is about 57% White. The chance that two students picked at random at Tarkington High School belong to different racial or ethnic groups, known as the diversity index, is 42%.
Staffing totals 35.7 full-time-equivalent teachers, and the student-to-teacher ratio is 15.2:1. High schools in Texas have a similar average ratio of 15.1:1. The free or reduced-price lunch rate at Tarkington High School is 49%. Compared with the 80% average for public schools in Liberty County, the school's rate is lower.
Measured against Texas public high schools, Tarkington High School receives a D. The grade weighs proficiency most heavily, then how results compare with what the school's low-income share predicts, then the three-year change.
After adjusting for student poverty, Tarkington High School lands between the top and bottom 10% of Texas schools. Its average proficiency rate on state tests is 42.6%; the prediction is 52.7%.
According to the American Community Survey, in Liberty County, median household income is about $68,703, the share of adults with a bachelor's degree or higher is 12%, and about 16% of people live in poverty. A total of 41 public schools operate in Liberty County, serving about 27,599 students.
Of nearby public schools, Tarkington Middle School is the closest, at about 0.2 miles. The count of other public schools within five miles is 3. In a group of 6 nearby schools with scores, Tarkington High School ranks 1st on average proficiency.
The NCES locale for Tarkington High School is Rural: Distant, which covers schools in rural territory some distance from an urban area.
Between 2020-21 and 2024-25, the student count climbed from 490 to 544. In 2020-21, the student-to-teacher ratio was 11.4:1; by 2024-25 it was 15.2:1.
The allk12 site hosts a discussion page for Tarkington High School covering things like school events, clubs, and volunteer needs. Reviews and ratings from people who know the school are welcome.
Liberty County at a glance
View full county profilePopulation
103,380
Census ACS
Median income
$68,703
Household, ACS
Bachelor's+
12%
Adults 25+
Poverty rate
16%
Below federal line
Schools in county
41
27,599 students
Quick facts
Related schools
Other schools in TARKINGTON ISD
- Tarkington Elementary SchoolElementary · 738 students
- Tarkington Middle SchoolMiddle · 411 students
- Tarkington Early Childhood SchoolElementary · 214 students
Other schools in CLEVELAND
- Cleveland High SchoolHigh · 3,627 students
- Cleveland Middle SchoolMiddle · 1,446 students
- Santa Fe Middle SchoolMiddle · 1,117 students
- Northside Elementary SchoolElementary · 1,073 students
- Santa Fe Elementary SchoolElementary · 1,072 students
- Cottonwood Elementary SchoolElementary · 1,023 students
Nearby schools
- Tarkington Middle School0.2 mi · 411
- Tarkington Elementary School0.3 mi · 738
- Tarkington Early Childhood School0.3 mi · 214
- Cleveland Middle School6.3 mi · 1,446
- Cleveland High School6.5 mi · 3,627
- Eastside Elementary School6.6 mi · 867
Frequently asked questions
About Tarkington High SchoolHow large is Tarkington High School?
Tarkington High School enrolls approximately 544 students in grades 09-12.
Is Tarkington High School an elementary, middle, or high school?
Tarkington High School is a high school covering grades 09-12.
How many teachers does Tarkington High School have?
Tarkington High School employs 36 FTE teachers, for a student-to-teacher ratio of 15.2:1.
How diverse is Tarkington High School?
Tarkington High School reports a student body of 72% White, 24% Hispanic, 1% Black, 2% Two or more.
Is Tarkington High School public or private?
Tarkington High School is a public K-12 school, overseen by TARKINGTON ISD.
Data sourceSchool profile facts are sourced from the NCES. Community content is posted by allk12 members.