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Austin Discovery School

Q: Is Austin Discovery School a good school?

Austin Discovery School ranks 3399 th of 4651 Texas elementary schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 1 star out of 5.

Public, Charter Grades K-6

3399^th

SchoolDigger Rank ?

of 4,651 Texas Elementary Schools

Better than 27% of Texas elementary schools

Summary

Austin Discovery School is a public charter elementary school serving 261 students in grades K-6 in Austin, Texas. While the school has a relatively small student population compared to nearby public schools, it faces several challenges that impact student outcomes.

Austin Discovery School's test scores are generally lower than the state averages across various STAAR assessments in reading, math, and science. For example, in 2024-2025, only 37.93% of 3rd graders were proficient or better in STAAR Mathematics, compared to the state average of 44.88%. The school's performance also varies significantly across different student subgroups, with Austin Discovery School struggling to support Hispanic, white, and low-income students. Additionally, the school has experienced higher dropout rates in recent years, ranging from 1.5% to 4.2%, which is concerning compared to the state's overall elementary school dropout rate.

When compared to nearby public schools, such as Joseph Gilbert Elementary, Ortega Elementary, and Hornsby-Dunlap Elementary, Austin Discovery School generally underperforms on key metrics like test scores and student demographics. However, the school does have a relatively low student-teacher ratio, ranging from 11.1 to 14.8, which is comparable to or better than the nearby public schools. Additionally, while Austin Discovery School has a lower percentage of students from low socioeconomic backgrounds compared to the nearby public schools, it serves a more diverse student population, with a higher proportion of multi-racial and special education students.

202

Students ?

12.1

Student/teacher ratio ?

$9,821

Per pupil spending ?

2.7%

Free/discounted lunch ?

9303 Fm 969 Rd
Austin, TX 78724

(512) 674-0700

District: Austin Discovery School

Racial breakdown:

White:

62.9%

Hispanic:

28.2%

Two or more races:

6.4%

See top rated Texas elementary schools

Compare Austin Discovery School to nearby elementary schools!

At a glance

▼ Ranking trend: Declining — 37th percentile in 2015 → 27th in 2025

Worth a look

!Test scores below the Texas average (33% vs 47% meeting standards)

!Ranking has slipped — down 10 percentile points since 2015

!Some student groups rank well below the school's overall statewide standing

Students meeting standards (2024-2025) ?

This school33%

District avg33%

Texas avg47%

3,399^th of 4,651

Texas public elementary schools ?

Bottom 27%▼ down 10 pts since 2015

From bottom 37% (2015) to bottom 27% (2025)

See the entire ranking list of Texas Elementary Schools →

★★★★★

SchoolDigger rating ?

769^th of 961Austin Discovery School among Texas districts

Statewide rank percentile over time (100 = the top-ranked school in the state; click a legend item to add a student group)

Elementary school ranking

Show full rank history (all student groups)

All Students

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Texas percentile	Rating
2025	30.4	3399 of 4651	26.9%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	36.4	3068 of 4710	34.9%	★★☆☆☆
2023	44.7	2483 of 4647	46.6%	★★☆☆☆
2022	48.5	2227 of 4581	51.4%	★★★☆☆
2021	39.1	2607 of 4578	43.1%	★★☆☆☆
2019	51.5	1951 of 4479	56.4%	★★★☆☆
2018	54.8	1742 of 4359	60.0%	★★★☆☆
2017	46.8	2140 of 4329	50.6%	★★★☆☆
2016	41.6	2743 of 4286	36.0%	★★☆☆☆
2015	42.7	2716 of 4320	37.1%	★★☆☆☆
2014	69.0	1264 of 4260	70.3%	★★★★☆
2013	64.3	1476 of 4221	65.0%	★★★☆☆
2012	71.5	1055 of 4206	74.9%	★★★★☆
2011	53.9	2198 of 4095	46.3%	★★☆☆☆
2010	59.0	1828 of 3937	53.6%	★★★☆☆
2009	60.0	1712 of 3884	55.9%	★★★☆☆
2008	59.0	1718 of 3768	54.4%	★★★☆☆
2007	25.4	3232 of 3724	13.2%	★☆☆☆☆

At Risk

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Texas percentile	Rating
2019	54.2	1692 of 4295	60.6%	★★★☆☆
2018	65.5	1006 of 4240	76.3%	★★★★☆

Female

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Texas percentile	Rating
2025	33.1	2639 of 3744	29.5%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	33.9	3241 of 4658	30.4%	★★☆☆☆
2023	42.5	2643 of 4588	42.4%	★★☆☆☆
2022	47.5	2312 of 4561	49.3%	★★☆☆☆
2021	38.1	2679 of 4499	40.5%	★★☆☆☆
2019	50.0	2050 of 4348	52.9%	★★★☆☆
2018	53.1	1835 of 4306	57.4%	★★★☆☆

Hispanic

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Texas percentile	Rating
2025	12.7	3496 of 3644	4.1%	☆☆☆☆☆
2024	21.1	3935 of 4465	11.9%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	42.9	2563 of 4401	41.8%	★★☆☆☆
2022	49.2	2148 of 4376	50.9%	★★★☆☆
2021	21.1	3829 of 4329	11.6%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	47.3	2169 of 4188	48.2%	★★☆☆☆
2018	35.4	2888 of 4168	30.7%	★★☆☆☆

Low Socio Economic Status

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Texas percentile	Rating
2023	18.7	4152 of 4521	8.2%	☆☆☆☆☆
2022	41.8	2707 of 4477	39.5%	★★☆☆☆
2021	33.6	3147 of 4451	29.3%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	52.6	1862 of 4309	56.8%	★★★☆☆
2018	56.9	1570 of 4264	63.2%	★★★☆☆

Male

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Texas percentile	Rating
2025	30.5	2780 of 3739	25.6%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	40.5	2782 of 4647	40.1%	★★☆☆☆
2023	47.6	2289 of 4585	50.1%	★★★☆☆
2022	47.8	2293 of 4563	49.7%	★★☆☆☆
2021	40.1	2543 of 4498	43.5%	★★☆☆☆
2019	52.2	1878 of 4357	56.9%	★★★☆☆
2018	55.7	1705 of 4319	60.5%	★★★☆☆

Multi-racial

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Texas percentile	Rating
2023	51.8	563 of 1099	48.8%	★★☆☆☆
2019	29.3	861 of 1112	22.6%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	27.1	834 of 1046	20.3%	★☆☆☆☆

Special Education

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Texas percentile	Rating
2025	41.4	2060 of 3549	42.0%	★★☆☆☆
2024	32.6	3095 of 4292	27.9%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	54.8	1370 of 4086	66.5%	★★★☆☆
2022	59.9	1072 of 3952	72.9%	★★★★☆
2021	55.2	1158 of 3799	69.5%	★★★☆☆
2019	52.7	1274 of 3684	65.4%	★★★☆☆
2018	62.0	842 of 3558	76.3%	★★★★☆

White

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Texas percentile	Rating
2025	25.2	2182 of 2612	16.5%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	24.1	2621 of 3108	15.7%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	29.3	2440 of 3106	21.4%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	33.7	2279 of 3082	26.1%	★☆☆☆☆
2021	23.8	2597 of 3082	15.7%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	43.5	1879 of 3142	40.2%	★★☆☆☆
2018	48.8	1635 of 3127	47.7%	★★☆☆☆

Middle school ranking

Show full rank history (all student groups)

All Students

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Texas percentile	Rating
2022	41.0	1297 of 2254	42.5%	★★☆☆☆
2021	53.0	945 of 2252	58.0%	★★★☆☆
2019	35.4	1438 of 2193	34.4%	★★☆☆☆
2018	49.1	971 of 2080	53.3%	★★★☆☆
2017	53.4	807 of 2027	60.2%	★★★☆☆
2016	54.7	949 of 1987	52.2%	★★★☆☆
2015	55.4	933 of 2043	54.3%	★★★☆☆

At Risk

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Texas percentile	Rating
2021	32.4	1544 of 2118	27.1%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	50.0	854 of 2058	58.5%	★★★☆☆
2018	63.8	425 of 2008	78.8%	★★★★☆

Female

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Texas percentile	Rating
2022	18.5	1967 of 2221	11.4%	★☆☆☆☆
2021	40.3	1255 of 2151	41.7%	★★☆☆☆
2019	33.4	1453 of 2047	29.0%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	38.7	1263 of 2008	37.1%	★★☆☆☆

Hispanic

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Texas percentile	Rating
2022	35.3	1383 of 2077	33.4%	★★☆☆☆
2019	14.8	1829 of 1935	5.5%	☆☆☆☆☆
2018	36.0	1235 of 1895	34.8%	★★☆☆☆

Low Socio Economic Status

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Texas percentile	Rating
2021	72.5	337 of 2172	84.5%	★★★★☆
2019	9.6	2027 of 2073	2.2%	☆☆☆☆☆
2018	31.2	1559 of 2039	23.5%	★☆☆☆☆

Male

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Texas percentile	Rating
2022	53.5	900 of 2228	59.6%	★★★☆☆
2021	57.1	787 of 2168	63.7%	★★★☆☆
2019	38.4	1276 of 2069	38.3%	★★☆☆☆
2018	59.0	664 of 2030	67.3%	★★★☆☆

Special Education

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Texas percentile	Rating
2019	16.2	1609 of 1626	1.0%	☆☆☆☆☆
2018	49.2	588 of 1597	63.2%	★★★☆☆

White

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Texas percentile	Rating
2022	30.2	1328 of 1723	22.9%	★☆☆☆☆
2021	45.0	934 of 1700	45.1%	★★☆☆☆
2019	32.6	1238 of 1684	26.5%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	49.6	788 of 1673	52.9%	★★★☆☆

How student groups rank statewide ? (each group's percentile vs the same group at other schools — higher is better; the +/- beside each compares the group with this school's overall percentile)

Elementary school

At Risk (2019)61st percentile+4 vs school

Multi-racial (2023)49th percentile~ school

Special Education (2025)42nd percentile+15 vs school

Female (2025)30th percentile+3 vs school

Male (2025)26th percentile~ school

White (2025)16th percentile-10 vs school

Low Socio Economic Status (2023)8th percentile-38 vs school

Hispanic (2025)4th percentile-23 vs school

Middle school

Low Socio Economic Status (2021)84th percentile+26 vs school

Male (2022)60th percentile+17 vs school

Hispanic (2022)33rd percentile-9 vs school

At Risk (2021)27th percentile-31 vs school

White (2022)23rd percentile-20 vs school

Female (2022)11th percentile-31 vs school

Special Education (2019)1st percentile-33 vs school

By subject vs Texas (2024-2025) ?

Reading49%-6 vs state

Mathematics25%-20 vs state

Science7%-22 vs state

2.8

6 ratings · 5 written reviews

5★2

4★1

3★0

2★0

1★3

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What people are saying

by a parent
Friday, May 31, 2019

We came back to this school after trying the shorter commute to our neighborhood school. It's not perfect but for us a far better alternative than the public school assembly line. I want my kids to actually care about this planet and the people that live on it, not just learn how to read and do math. Close Quote

by a parent
Thursday, May 30, 2019

Austin Discovery School changed our lives. Our daughter has grown up in private schools, but the last private school she was at had severe bullying problems. This year has been amazing. From the teachers to the community and everything in between.
She has grown more confident. She is never bullied. She is encouraged to be herself. She studies eco wellness (and loves it) and she loves the Wednesday hikes.
Our daughter is the 98 on her Star test and is overall very bright, and this school has given her reasons to be excited about excelling further. She is not board like she was in other schools. I am impressed with ADS and look forward to having our son attend this coming year in Kinder. I hope you’ll consider ADS, the school focused more on your child then any other school we’ve been to. Close Quote

by a parent
Saturday, May 25, 2019

ADS was a huge disappointment for our family. Our child has special needs and we were made big promises about their social skills program. The staff was ill equipped to actually handle their population of special needs students. Add that to the complete lack of diversity and I would never recommend this school. Close Quote

by a citizen on FaceBook
Wednesday, October 28, 2015

My grandson's have gone there for 3 years. They love it and seem to learn the same as my friends kids. They have gardens and hikes and learn more than just sitting in a classroom. Close Quote

by a parent
Thursday, November 29, 2012

Lot's of play, very little actual learning, zero diversity. Kids are sheltered and a little weird. Poor academics. Kids are behind when they start middle school after ADS. The whole philosophy look great on paper, but it is NOT delivered. Close Quote

Schools Near Austin Discovery School

Choose columns to see: Summary School Students/Teachers Ranking Test Scores Finance All

School													Students/Teachers											Ranking (2025)				Ranking (2024)				STAAR Spanish Reading (2025)			STAAR Spanish Mathematics (2025)			STAAR Spanish Science (2025)	STAAR Reading (2025)				STAAR Mathematics (2025)				STAAR Science (2025)	Per Pupil Expenditures (2024)
Name	Type	Grades	Address	City	Zip	County	District	Is Charter	Is Magnet	Is Virtual	Is Title I	Phone	Enrollment	Full-time Teachers	Student/ Teacher Ratio	Free/Discounted Lunch Recipients	White	Black	Hispanic	Asian	American Indian	Pacific Islander	Two or More Races	Average Standard Score (2025)	Statewide Rank (2025)	State Percentile (2025)	SchoolDigger Rating (2025)	Average Standard Score (2024)	Statewide Rank (2024)	State Percentile (2024)	Rank Change from Previous Year	STAAR Spanish Reading 3rd Grade	STAAR Spanish Reading 4th Grade	STAAR Spanish Reading 5th Grade	STAAR Spanish Mathematics 3rd Grade	STAAR Spanish Mathematics 4th Grade	STAAR Spanish Mathematics 5th Grade	STAAR Spanish Science 5th Grade	STAAR Reading 3rd Grade	STAAR Reading 4th Grade	STAAR Reading 5th Grade	STAAR Reading 6th Grade	STAAR Mathematics 3rd Grade	STAAR Mathematics 4th Grade	STAAR Mathematics 5th Grade	STAAR Mathematics 6th Grade	STAAR Science 5th Grade	Total
Austin Discovery School	Public, Charter	K-6	9303 Fm 969 Rd	Austin	78724	Travis County	Austin Discovery School	Yes	No	(n/a)	Yes	(512) 674-0700	202	17	12.1		127 (62.9%)	3 (1.5%)	57 (28.2%)	2 (1.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	13 (6.4%)	30.4	3399^th of 4651 public elementary schools	26.9%		36.4	3068^th of 4710 public elementary schools	34.9%	331								55.2	36.7	55.6		37.9	32.3	3.7		7.4	$9,821
KIPP Alegria Pri	Public, Charter	PK, KG-4	8509 Fm 969 Bldg 629	Austin	78724	Travis County	KIPP Texas Public Schools	Yes	No	(n/a)	Yes	(512) 651-2168	532	27	19.4	91.9%	30 (5.6%)	58 (10.9%)	425 (79.9%)	9 (1.7%)	2 (0.4%)	0 (0.0%)	8 (1.5%)	26.7	3630^th of 4651 public elementary schools	22.0%		22	3961^st of 4710 public elementary schools	15.9%	331								39.3	25.0			38.1	35.0				$6,446
Oak Meadows Elementary	Public	PK, KG-5	5600 Decker Ln	Austin	78724	Travis County	Manor Independent School District (Isd)	No	No	(n/a)	Yes	(512) 278-4175	477	31	15.2	83.0%	13 (2.7%)	37 (7.8%)	408 (85.5%)	9 (1.9%)	3 (0.6%)	1 (0.2%)	6 (1.3%)	15.2	4283^rd of 4651 public elementary schools	7.9%		21.3	3996^th of 4710 public elementary schools	15.2%	287	0.0	46.7	11.8	5.6	26.7	7.7	0.0	25.5	36.2	36.8		14.8	32.2	30.1		4.2	$11,285
Overton Elementary	Public	PK, KG-5	7201 Colony Loop Dr	Austin	78724	Travis County	Austin Independent School District (Isd)	No	No	(n/a)	Yes	(512) 841-9300	440	32	13.7	92.5%	7 (1.6%)	65 (14.8%)	364 (82.7%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	4 (0.9%)	8.5	4533^rd of 4651 public elementary schools	2.5%		13.8	4373^rd of 4710 public elementary schools	7.2%	160	12.5	31.4	16.7	33.3	5.9	0.0	0.0	15.4	34.3	22.6		28.2	17.0	4.8		0.0	$11,544
The East Austin College Prep At Southwest Key	Public, Charter	PK, KG-6	5800 Mlk Blvd	Austin	78721	Travis County	Valere Public Schools	Yes	No	(n/a)	Yes	(512) 287-5000	159	8	19.7	95.6%	1 (0.6%)	5 (3.1%)	153 (96.2%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	8.2	4538^th of 4651 public elementary schools	2.4%		7.9	4600^th of 4710 public elementary schools	2.3%	62								23.1	18.2	40.0	25.0	30.8	9.1	10.0	0.0	0.0	$8,076
Idea Health Professions Academy	Public, Charter	K-5	5816 Wilcab Rd	Austin	78721	Travis County	Idea Public Schools	Yes	No	(n/a)	Yes	(512) 822-4350	294	15	19.7	90.8%	10 (3.4%)	49 (16.7%)	229 (77.9%)	4 (1.4%)	1 (0.3%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (0.3%)	23.2	3836^th of 4651 public elementary schools	17.5%		13	4411^th of 4710 public elementary schools	6.3%	575								30.0	32.7	50.0		32.5	27.1	32.6		16.3	$15,981
Norman-Sims Elementary	Public	PK, KG-5	4001 Tannehill Ln	Austin	78721	Travis County	Austin Independent School District (Isd)	No	No	(n/a)	Yes	(512) 414-2347	274	26	10.5	95.3%	6 (2.2%)	109 (39.8%)	144 (52.6%)	2 (0.7%)	2 (0.7%)	0 (0.0%)	11 (4.0%)	7.8	4547^th of 4651 public elementary schools	2.2%		10.7	4515^th of 4710 public elementary schools	4.1%	32	15.4	44.4	42.9	0.0		20.0	0.0	17.9	16.7	24.3		15.6	15.8	25.0		7.7	$13,011
Jordan Elementary	Public	PK, KG-5	6711 Johnny Morris Rd	Austin	78724	Travis County	Austin Independent School District (Isd)	No	No	(n/a)	Yes	(512) 414-2578	492	25	19.6	97.2%	22 (4.5%)	118 (24.0%)	326 (66.3%)	16 (3.3%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	10 (2.0%)	3.1	4642^nd of 4651 public elementary schools	0.2%		4.8	4681^st of 4710 public elementary schools	0.6%	39	12.9	0.0	0.0	5.0	0.0	0.0	0.0	18.9	8.8	17.0		19.2	2.8	1.7		0.0	$11,051
Joseph Gilbert Elementary	Public	PK, KG-5	5412 Gilbert Rd	Austin	78724	Travis County	Del Valle Independent School District (Isd)	No	No	(n/a)	Yes	(512) 386-3800	664	46	14.4	90.4%	56 (8.4%)	67 (10.1%)	515 (77.6%)	9 (1.4%)	1 (0.2%)	0 (0.0%)	16 (2.4%)	27	3602^nd of 4651 public elementary schools	22.6%		26.3	3695^th of 4710 public elementary schools	21.5%	93	10.0	31.0	30.6		0.0	0.0	0.0	48.3	37.3	51.8		36.5	26.5	25.5		15.3	$10,744
Ortega Elementary	Public	PK, KG-6	1135 Garland Ave	Austin	78721	Travis County	Austin Independent School District (Isd)	No	No	(n/a)	Yes	(512) 414-4417	242	28	8.5	88.8%	19 (7.9%)	46 (19.0%)	176 (72.7%)	1 (0.4%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	26.7	3627^th of 4651 public elementary schools	22.0%		28.9	3529^th of 4710 public elementary schools	25.1%	98	0.0	0.0	0.0	0.0	14.3			42.9	45.0	31.3	11.8	46.7	23.8	35.3	29.4	17.7	$15,501

Frequently Asked Questions about Austin Discovery School

What district is Austin Discovery School in?

Austin Discovery School

What is the racial makeup of Austin Discovery School?

Students at Austin Discovery School are 63% White, 28% Hispanic, 6% Two or more races, 1% African American.

How many students attend Austin Discovery School?

In the 2024-25 school year, 202 students attended Austin Discovery School.

Is Austin Discovery School a good school?

Austin Discovery School ranks 3399^th of 4651 Texas elementary schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 1 star out of 5.

Rate Austin Discovery School!

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SchoolDigger data sources: National Center for Education Statistics, U.S. Department of Education, the U.S. Census Bureau and the Texas Education Agency.

IMPORTANT DISCLAIMERS: Not all boundaries are included. We make every effort to ensure that boundaries are up-to-date. But it's important to note that these are approximations and are for general informational purposes only. To verify legal descriptions of boundaries or school locations, contact your local tax assessor's office and/or school district.