Gonzales County Schools & Education
Gonzales County, Texas
NCES 2022-23 public school data and FY 2022 school-finance dataSchool Score
59/100
Percentile-style score
Score Band
Midrange Signal
Graduation Rate
93.2%
National avg 87.5%
Education Statistics
Graduation Rate
93.2%
National avg 87.5%
State avg 91.6%
Per-Pupil Spending
$7,047
National avg $13,239
State avg $7,498
School Score
59/100
Percentile-style score
State avg 56/100
State Score Position
#117
of 253 counties by score
Education Data Brief: Gonzales County
Measured School Summary
Gonzales County performs at an average level with a school score of 59/100 and a solid graduation rate of 93.2%.
Funding Context
At $7,047 per pupil, Gonzales County operates with limited funding, which may constrain staffing, materials, and extracurricular offerings.
Neighbor Context
Its school score is 5% above the Texas average, and its graduation rate exceeds the state average by 1.6 percentage points, while per-pupil spending is 6% lower than the state norm.
School Data Brief
How to read Gonzales County before comparing districts
County-level education data is best used as a screening layer. It summarizes the local school environment, then points you toward the district and school records that matter for local review.
Local context that changes the interpretation
14 public schools and 3 districts are represented below. Use those school and district records to confirm whether the county-level context fits the neighborhoods you are actually considering.
Overall screen
59/100
Mixed county signal. Ranks #117 of 253 Texas counties with school score data.
Completion
93.2%
1.6 pts above the state average
Funding context
$7,047
$451 below the state average
School coverage
14
3 districts represented in the county school list.
Start with measured county context
This county needs a closer look at district mix, school level, and local context. Compare the score, graduation rate, and spending together rather than treating any single metric as final.
Check the local school mix
Gonzales County has 14 public schools across 3 districts, so school-level fit can vary inside the county.
Verify local rules
Use this page as county-level context, then confirm attendance zones, transportation, special programs, and current school boundaries with local districts.
What Gonzales County school data means before you move
County averages are useful for screening, but parents choose addresses, grade pathways, and district rules. This brief turns the public data into the checks that matter before you sign a lease or mortgage.
Mixed school landscape
Gonzales County has enough school-level records to compare the local mix, but no single county metric should be treated as the answer. Use district shape, grade span, and data coverage together.
State position
#117
of 253 Texas counties with school score data. The county score is 3 points above the state average.
Data confidence
Usable
3 of 5 county signals are present, and 100% of listed schools report enrollment. Compare schools, then verify missing fields locally.
K-12 continuity check
These are the largest visible district slices in the county data. They show whether elementary, middle, and high school records appear together or whether a family needs to investigate transition points.
GONZALES ISD
Elementary to high school visible
2,605 students
5 listed schools in this county slice.
NIXON-SMILEY CISD
Elementary to high school visible
1,045 students
5 listed schools in this county slice.
WAELDER ISD
Other grade structure
290 students
1 listed school in this county slice.
District reality check
GONZALES ISD is the largest listed district slice, with 5 schools. County pages do not prove address assignment, so verify boundaries with local district tools.
What the data cannot tell you
NCES records do not confirm current attendance zones, private-school options, transfer approvals, program capacity, transportation, or whether a listed school is available to a specific address.
Questions to ask before choosing an address
Which district actually serves the addresses we are considering in Gonzales County?
Do the neighborhoods we like fall inside the same district, or are we comparing different Gonzales County district systems?
What changes at the elementary-to-middle and middle-to-high transitions in the district pathway we would likely use?
Which charter, magnet, or virtual options require a lottery, application window, separate transportation plan, or address eligibility check?
Are the largest listed schools the ones our address can actually attend, or are they only county-level context?
Data Story
Gonzales County Graduation Rate Surpasses State and National Benchmarks
Education data brief for Gonzales County, Texas.
Gonzales County reports a graduation rate of 93.2%, a figure that exceeds the Texas state average of 91.6% and the national average of approximately 87.0%. This graduation outcome occurs alongside a per-pupil expenditure of $7,047, which is lower than the state average of $7,498 and significantly below the national average of $13,000. The county's public education system comprises 14 schools serving 3,991 students across three school districts. Gonzales ISD is the largest district in the county, enrolling 2,605 students across five schools, including Gonzales High School, the county's largest campus with 791 students. The school directory indicates a predominantly rural and town-based infrastructure, with nine schools classified as rural and five as town locales. One charter school and five alternative schools operate within the county. The composite school score for the county stands at 58.7, compared to a state average of 56.3 and a national median of 50.0. Interested parties may consult the NCES Common Core of Data for specific school-level performance records.
Sources
- NCES Common Core of Data
- U.S. Census Bureau ACS
School Overview
Total Schools
14
in Gonzales County
Reported Enrollment
3,991
14 schools reporting
School Districts
3
districts
Charter Schools
1
7% of total
School Level Breakdown
3 School Districts in Gonzales County
GONZALES ISD
NIXON-SMILEY CISD
WAELDER ISD
14 Public Schools in Gonzales County
Sorted by reported enrollment. Every NCES public school remains listed here; no school-level profile pages are included in the current generated coverage for this county.
NCES 2022-23 public school data and FY 2022 school-finance dataLevel
Showing 14 of 14 matching schools
| School Name | Profile | District | Location | Grades | Type / Flags | Reported Enrollment |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| GONZALES H S | Record | GONZALES ISD | GONZALES, 78629Town: Distant | 8–12 | High | 791 |
| GONZALES J H | Record | GONZALES ISD | GONZALES, 78629Town: Distant | 6–8 | Middle | 567 |
| GONZALES NORTH AVENUE | Record | GONZALES ISD | GONZALES, 78629Town: Distant | 3–5 | Primary | 549 |
| GONZALES EL | Record | GONZALES ISD | GONZALES, 78629Town: Distant | KG–2 | Primary | 537 |
| NIXON SMILEY EL | Record | NIXON-SMILEY CISD | NIXON, 78140Rural: Remote | PK–4 | Primary | 458 |
| NIXON-SMILEY MIDDLE | Record | NIXON-SMILEY CISD | NIXON, 78140Rural: Remote | 5–8 | Middle | 300 |
| WAELDER SCHOOL | Record | WAELDER ISD | WAELDER, 78959Rural: Remote | PK–12 | Other | 290 |
| NIXON-SMILEY H S | Record | NIXON-SMILEY CISD | NIXON, 78140Rural: Remote | 9–12 | High | 283 |
| GONZALES PRI ACADEMY | Record | GONZALES ISD | GONZALES, 78629Town: Distant | PK | Other | 161 |
| JHW INSPIRE ACADEMY - LEGACY RANCH | Record | INSPIRE ACADEMIES | GONZALES, 78629Rural: Fringe | KG–12 | Charter | 40 |
| MARION ALTERNATIVE CENTER | Record | MARION ISD | MARION, 78124Rural: Remote | 6–12 | Alternative | 10 |
| NIXON-SMILEY CISD DAEP | Record | NIXON-SMILEY CISD | NIXON, 78140Rural: Remote | 6–9 | Alternative | 4 |
| NIXON-SMILEY DAEP | Record | RUNGE ISD | RUNGE, 78151Rural: Remote | 10 | Alternative | 1 |
| NIXON-SMILEY PACE | Record | NIXON-SMILEY CISD | NIXON, 78140Rural: Remote | 9–12 | Alternative | 0 |
JHW INSPIRE ACADEMY - LEGACY RANCH
INSPIRE ACADEMIES
GONZALES, 78629 / Rural: Fringe
Education Funding Detail
Annual Per-Pupil Expenditure
$7,047
State avg $7,498
Compare Nearby Counties
Review Gonzales County against other counties using the same NCES-backed metrics.
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See school-level enrollment, grade ranges, school type, and district affiliation.
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What is the graduation rate in Gonzales County?
How much does Gonzales County spend per student?
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Data Sources
Education data sourced from the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) Common Core of Data and School District Finance Survey. School scores are derived composite metrics based on available NCES graduation-rate and school-finance signals.
Data is informational only. Coverage varies by county and reporting year. Not for use as the sole basis for educational decisions.