Gladewater Independent School District

What Gladewater Independent School District does

Gladewater Independent School District (GISD) is a public K-12 school district and political subdivision of the State of Texas, founded in 1895 and headquartered at 200 E Broadway, Gladewater, Texas. It serves students from Head Start through 12th grade across four campuses — Gladewater Primary School (Head Start-1st grade), Weldon Elementary (2nd-5th), Gladewater Middle School (6th-8th), and Gladewater High School (9th-12th) — plus the Truman W. Smith Center, operating within Gregg, Upshur, and Smith counties in East Texas. The district delivers standard public education free of tuition to resident students, supplemented by Career and Technical Education pathways (Agriculture, Health Science, Education and Training), dual credit courses via a partnership with Kilgore College, dyslexia intervention using Reading by Design, Gifted and Talented services, fine arts (including the Big Bear Band), and a multi-sport athletics program.

The district's technology stack is entirely composed of third-party licensed platforms rather than proprietary systems: Ascender for the Student and Parent Portals (grades, attendance, graduation plans), ParentSquare for district-wide family communication in English and Spanish, ClassLink for single sign-on, Eduphoria for staff development, DMAC for data analytics, Bus View Route Finder for real-time transportation tracking, SchoolCafe for cafeteria management, Balfour for graduation supplies, and GoodSide Health for on-campus telehealth (video consultations, prescriptions, mental health screenings). Instructional content is sourced from the Bluebonnet Learning curriculum approved by the Texas Education Agency.

GISD's revenue model is that of a Texas public school district: tuition-free service to residents funded by a combination of local property taxes (total rate of $1.008536 per $100 of assessed valuation, adopted September 15, 2025, including $0.7552 M&O and $0.253336 I&S), state funding from the Texas Education Agency tied to Average Daily Attendance, federal categorical grants (Title I, Head Start), and voter-approved bond proceeds for capital projects. The May 2, 2026 approval of an $8.1 million, 15-year bond (Bond 2026 / Prop A) — issued without raising the tax rate — funds safety upgrades, HVAC replacement, bus purchases, and facility maintenance. The district is governed by an elected Board of Trustees and is not owned by or affiliated with any parent company or private investor; it is a government entity rather than a commercial enterprise.

Name

Gladewater Independent School District

Legal name

Gladewater Independent School District

Website

https://gladewaterisd.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1895

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Gladewater Independent School District is a Texas public K-12 school district serving Head Start through 12th-grade students across four campuses in Gregg, Upshur, and Smith counties, funded by local property taxes, state formula funding, and federal grants.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

K-12 Public Education

NAICS

Elementary and Secondary Schools (61111), Elementary and Secondary Schools (6111), Educational Support Services (611710)

SIC

Services-Educational Services (8200)

akta.pro primary industry

Public K–12 Combined Schools (EDAJAAAE)

akta.pro secondary industries

Public Special Education Schools & Programs (EDAJAAAH), Learning Disabilities & Dyslexia Schools & Programs (EDAKAAAB)

Keywords

• Public K-12 education
• Early childhood education
• Career technical education
• Special education services
• Student transportation

Headquarters

HQ city

Gladewater

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Infrastructure, Supply Chain, Technology or R&D, Others

Revenue model

1. Local Property Taxes: The district's primary local funding source comes from property taxes. On September 15, 2025, the Board adopted a total tax rate of $1.008536 per $100 of taxable assessed valuation, consisting of $0.7552 for Maintenance and Operations (M&O) and $0.253336 for Interest and Sinking (I&S) to repay voter-approved debt.
2. State Funding: State funding from Texas Education Agency based on average daily attendance and other formulas.
3. Federal Grants and Programs: Federal funding through programs including Title I, Head Start, and other categorical aid. District posted Intent to Apply for Federal Grants for 2026-2027 school year.
4. Bond Proceeds: Voter-approved bond issuance for capital improvements. The $8.1 million Bond 2026 was approved by voters on May 2, 2026 for a 15-year term focused on safety, student experiences, and facility maintenance.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

Gladewater Independent School District provides tuition-free public K-12 education to resident students from Head Start (ages 3-4) through 12th grade across four campuses in East Texas. Core offerings include standard academic instruction aligned with the TEKS Resource System curriculum, Career and Technical Education (CTE) pathways, dual credit courses with Kilgore College, dyslexia intervention, and Gifted and Talented services, supplemented by transportation, school nutrition, fine arts, athletics, and on-campus telehealth.

Product overview

Gladewater Independent School District is a public school district providing comprehensive educational services across multiple campuses serving students from Head Start through 12th grade. The district operates five campuses: Gladewater Primary School (Head Start through 1st grade), Weldon Elementary School (2nd-5th grade), Gladewater Middle School (6th-8th grade), Gladewater High School (9th-12th grade), and the Truman W. Smith Center. The district offers technology-enabled parent/student portals via Ascender for grade and attendance tracking, ParentSquare for communication, and various academic programs including CTE pathways, dual credit partnerships with Kilgore College, dyslexia intervention, gifted and talented services, fine arts (Big Bear Band), and athletics. Supporting services include telehealth via GoodSide Health, transportation with real-time route tracking, school nutrition, and comprehensive health services.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• K-12 Public Education Program
• Head Start Program

Quantifiable outcome

• 170,000 miles traveled annually by district bus fleet
• +1 more outcomes

Named customers4 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration12 records

Feature4 records

Partnerships

Four partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• GoodSide HealthcoreTechnology or IntegrationTelehealth partnership providing on-campus health services for students. Medical providers evaluate students via video for conditions including strep, flu, COVID-19, and common illnesses. Prescriptions can be sent to local pharmacies. Mental health screenings available with parental consent.
• Kilgore CollegecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerDual credit partnership allowing high school students to earn college credits while completing high school requirements. Offers both Academic Dual Credit and Workforce Dual Credit programs.
• Region 7 Education Service CenterminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerProvides robotics programs, Innovative Inventions program, and Imagination Fair opportunities for Gifted and Talented students in grades 1-12.
• ESC7 (Education Service Center Region 7)minorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorHead Start program partnership for serving children ages 3 and 4. Contact: Kimberly Thornton at 903-844-1950.

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Direct peers

• Henderson ISD: Public K-12 district serving Henderson, Texas in Rusk County. Comparable small-to-mid sized East Texas public school district with similar funding profile and rural/suburban mix. Operates a similar Head Start through 12th grade model with property tax + state funding revenue streams.
• Kilgore ISD: Public K-12 district in Gregg County serving Kilgore and surrounding areas. Direct peer in size and geography, and notably GISD's dual credit partner institution Kilgore College mirrors this district's higher-ed pathway - closely comparable operating model and catchment.
• Longview ISD: Public K-12 district serving Longview, Texas in Gregg County - the same county as Gladewater ISD. Direct geographic and demographic peer with comparable funding mix (local property tax + state aid) and serves a similar East Texas student population with Head Start through 12th grade programming.
• Pine Tree ISD: Public K-12 district based in Longview, Texas. Direct geographic peer in East Texas. Mentioned in GISD's own data as a prior employer of GISD's new transportation director, indicating closely overlapping labor markets and operating models.
• White Oak ISD: Public K-12 district serving White Oak, Texas in Gregg County. Direct geographic peer and similar scale to GISD; both are smaller districts competing for students in the same East Texas labor and enrollment market along I-20.

Regional players

• Tyler ISD: Larger public K-12 district serving Tyler, Texas in Smith County - one of the three counties GISD serves. Functions as the regional district hub with broader programming options; GISD students are likely to migrate to Tyler ISD or stay based on perceived program quality.
• Grand Prairie ISD: Larger Texas public K-12 district serving the Dallas-Fort Worth metroplex. The transportation director Hunter Hopkins previously worked there. Comparable in operating model but located in a different geography; useful as a peer for transportation and operational scale benchmarking.

Others

• Region 7 Education Service Center: Texas Education Service Center supporting GISD with GT programs, robotics, Head Start, and other shared services. Listed as a strategic partner. Comparable not as a competitor but as the shared-services infrastructure on which small Texas ISDs depend.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/GladewaterISD
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/in/gladewater-isd

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles8 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Gladewater Independent School District