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Key Middle

Q: Is Key Middle a good school?

Key Middle ranks 1542 nd of 2335 Texas middle schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 2 stars out of 5.

Public Grades 6-8

1542^nd

SchoolDigger Rank ?

of 2,335 Texas Middle Schools

Better than 34% of Texas middle schools

Summary

Key Middle in Houston, TX, is a public school serving 516 students in grades 6-8 within the Houston Independent School District (Isd), located in a community where over 96% of students qualify for free or reduced lunch. The school has historically ranked in the bottom 10% statewide, but recent data shows a promising upward trend, climbing from the 9th percentile in 2022-2023 to the 34th percentile in 2025-2026—its highest ranking in over a decade.

One standout feature is Key Middle’s exceptional performance in advanced mathematics: 91.67% of students taking the Algebra I End-of-Course exam were proficient, far exceeding the district average of 57.63% and the state average of 54.03%. This is a remarkable achievement compared to nearby schools like Hogg Middle (98.63% proficient) and Baylor College Of Medicine Biotech Academy At Rusk (96.67%), but it contrasts sharply with the school’s general math struggles—only 15.96% of 7th graders were proficient in grade-level math. This suggests a strong advanced math track for some students, while the majority in standard classes face significant challenges. Additionally, Key Middle excels at supporting English Language Learner and Special Education students, ranking in the 65th and 60th percentiles respectively, which is notably higher than its overall rank and far better than similar high-poverty schools like Fleming Middle.

Despite these bright spots, Key Middle remains below state averages in most subjects—for example, only 17.52% of 8th graders were proficient in Social Studies compared to 31.69% statewide. The school also faces a high dropout rate of 3.7% for a middle school, much higher than nearby Hogg Middle (0.4%) and Hamilton Middle (0.7%). While Key Middle spends more per student ($10,726) than Hogg Middle ($9,316) and maintains a favorable student-teacher ratio of 13.1, the challenge lies in translating these resources into better outcomes for all students. The school is on the rise, but it has a long way to go to match the performance of consistently high-ranking peers.

516

Students ?

13.1

Student/teacher ratio ?

$18,740

Per pupil spending ?

96.1%

Free/discounted lunch ?

4000 Kelley St
Houston, TX 77026-1534

(713) 636-6000

District: Houston Independent School District (Isd)

Students who attend Key Middle usually attend:

High:

Kashmere High School

Feeder schools for Key Middle:

Elementary:	Cook Junior Elementary
	Elmore Elementary
	Kashmere Gardens Elementary
	McGowen Elementary
	More...
	Roderick R Paige Elementary
	Ross Elementary

Racial breakdown:

African American:

50.4%

Hispanic:

46.1%

White:

2.7%

See top rated Texas middle schools

Compare Key Middle to nearby middle schools!

At a glance

▲ Ranking trend: Improving — 4th percentile in 2016 → 34th in 2026

Strengths

✓Ranking is trending up — up 30 percentile points since 2016

Worth a look

!Test scores below the Texas average (40% vs 47% meeting standards)

!Social Studies scores 14 pts below the Texas average

Students meeting standards (2025-2026) ?

This school40%

District avg48%

Texas avg47%

1,542^nd of 2,335

Texas public middle schools ?

Bottom 34%▲ up 30 pts since 2016

From bottom 4% (2016) to bottom 34% (2026)

See the entire ranking list of Texas Middle Schools →

★★★★★

SchoolDigger rating ?

27^th of 41Middle Schools in the Houston Independent School District (Isd)

438^th of 951Houston Independent School District (Isd) 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)

Show full rank history (all student groups)

All Students

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Texas percentile	Rating
2026	35.7	1542 of 2335	34.0%	★★☆☆☆
2025	30.0	1733 of 2344	26.1%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	21.2	2004 of 2372	15.5%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	14.4	2122 of 2330	8.9%	☆☆☆☆☆
2022	20.1	1932 of 2254	14.3%	★☆☆☆☆
2021	12.7	2093 of 2252	7.1%	☆☆☆☆☆
2019	9.5	2102 of 2193	4.1%	☆☆☆☆☆
2018	8.1	2015 of 2080	3.1%	☆☆☆☆☆
2017	10.7	1937 of 2027	4.4%	☆☆☆☆☆
2016	6.5	1917 of 1987	3.5%	☆☆☆☆☆
2015	4.4	1971 of 2043	3.5%	☆☆☆☆☆
2014	20.4	1720 of 1987	13.4%	★☆☆☆☆
2013	31.2	1536 of 1973	22.1%	★☆☆☆☆
2012	26.5	1583 of 1951	18.9%	★☆☆☆☆
2011	20.0	1750 of 1895	7.7%	☆☆☆☆☆
2010	4.2	1767 of 1803	2.0%	☆☆☆☆☆
2009	47.4	1092 of 1763	38.1%	★★☆☆☆
2008	39.0	1265 of 1718	26.4%	★☆☆☆☆
2007	37.5	1229 of 1684	27.0%	★☆☆☆☆
2006	10.1	1506 of 1585	5.0%	☆☆☆☆☆
2005	5.6	1541 of 1582	2.6%	☆☆☆☆☆
2004	20.1	1393 of 1573	11.4%	★☆☆☆☆

African American

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Texas percentile	Rating
2026	47.7	584 of 1295	54.9%	★★★☆☆
2024	44.3	633 of 1280	50.5%	★★★☆☆
2023	24.2	1044 of 1273	18.0%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	33.1	869 of 1251	30.5%	★★☆☆☆
2021	21.6	1092 of 1213	10.0%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	19.7	1081 of 1193	9.4%	☆☆☆☆☆
2018	15.5	1113 of 1167	4.6%	☆☆☆☆☆

At Risk

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Texas percentile	Rating
2022	36.6	1433 of 2182	34.3%	★★☆☆☆
2021	23.3	1870 of 2118	11.7%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	18.7	1942 of 2058	5.6%	☆☆☆☆☆
2018	18.8	1913 of 2008	4.7%	☆☆☆☆☆

English Language Learner

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Texas percentile	Rating
2026	53.9	483 of 1390	65.3%	★★★☆☆
2024	35.9	1138 of 1770	35.7%	★★☆☆☆
2023	24.2	1459 of 1720	15.2%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	38.7	975 of 1643	40.7%	★★☆☆☆
2021	31.6	1188 of 1592	25.4%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	20.9	1347 of 1445	6.8%	☆☆☆☆☆
2018	22.7	1276 of 1376	7.3%	☆☆☆☆☆

Female

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Texas percentile	Rating
2026	33.3	1569 of 2240	30.0%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	32.6	1589 of 2242	29.1%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	15.4	2044 of 2241	8.8%	☆☆☆☆☆
2022	23.5	1827 of 2221	17.7%	★☆☆☆☆
2021	14.1	1998 of 2151	7.1%	☆☆☆☆☆
2019	11.4	1964 of 2047	4.1%	☆☆☆☆☆
2018	8.5	1975 of 2008	1.6%	☆☆☆☆☆

Gifted and Talented

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Texas percentile	Rating
2026	59.0	732 of 1497	51.1%	★★★☆☆
2023	30.4	1215 of 1481	18.0%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	45.7	1001 of 1488	32.7%	★★☆☆☆
2021	17.1	1338 of 1501	10.9%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	4.1	1430 of 1446	1.1%	☆☆☆☆☆
2018	5.3	1408 of 1430	1.5%	☆☆☆☆☆

Hispanic

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Texas percentile	Rating
2026	46.4	1052 of 2141	50.9%	★★★☆☆
2024	36.3	1388 of 2119	34.5%	★★☆☆☆
2023	20.1	1872 of 2116	11.5%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	27.0	1670 of 2077	19.6%	★☆☆☆☆
2021	19.1	1835 of 2043	10.2%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	13.8	1851 of 1935	4.3%	☆☆☆☆☆
2018	12.7	1830 of 1895	3.4%	☆☆☆☆☆

Low Socio Economic Status

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Texas percentile	Rating
2026	49.5	1033 of 2253	54.2%	★★★☆☆
2024	40.0	1322 of 2235	40.9%	★★☆☆☆
2023	20.1	1997 of 2251	11.3%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	29.7	1719 of 2220	22.6%	★☆☆☆☆
2021	17.5	2001 of 2172	7.9%	☆☆☆☆☆
2019	14.2	1988 of 2073	4.1%	☆☆☆☆☆
2018	11.8	1974 of 2039	3.2%	☆☆☆☆☆

Male

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Texas percentile	Rating
2026	38.2	1412 of 2253	37.3%	★★☆☆☆
2024	26.9	1743 of 2246	22.4%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	13.5	2072 of 2245	7.7%	☆☆☆☆☆
2022	16.9	1990 of 2228	10.7%	★☆☆☆☆
2021	12.8	2049 of 2168	5.5%	☆☆☆☆☆
2019	9.0	2007 of 2069	3.0%	☆☆☆☆☆
2018	7.9	1981 of 2030	2.4%	☆☆☆☆☆

Special Education

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Texas percentile	Rating
2026	48.5	781 of 1956	60.1%	★★★☆☆
2024	72.3	258 of 1891	86.4%	★★★★☆
2023	25.8	1578 of 1815	13.1%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	37.4	1061 of 1757	39.6%	★★☆☆☆
2021	25.5	1503 of 1712	12.2%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	28.2	1316 of 1626	19.1%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	23.8	1456 of 1597	8.8%	☆☆☆☆☆

White

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Texas percentile	Rating
2021	3.5	1683 of 1700	1.0%	☆☆☆☆☆

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)

English Language Learner (2026)65th percentile+31 vs school

Special Education (2026)60th percentile+26 vs school

African American (2026)55th percentile+21 vs school

Low Socio Economic Status (2026)54th percentile+20 vs school

Gifted and Talented (2026)51st percentile+17 vs school

Hispanic (2026)51st percentile+17 vs school

Male (2026)37th percentile+3 vs school

At Risk (2022)34th percentile+20 vs school

Female (2026)30th percentile-4 vs school

White (2021)1st percentile-6 vs school

By subject vs Texas (2025-2026) ?

Algebra I92%+38 vs state

Reading44%-11 vs state

Mathematics36%-3 vs state

Social Studies18%-14 vs state

★

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Schools Near Key Middle

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

School													Students/Teachers											Ranking (2026)				Ranking (2025)				STAAR EOC Algebra I (2026)	STAAR Reading (2026)				STAAR Mathematics (2026)				STAAR Social Studies (2026)	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 (2026)	Statewide Rank (2026)	State Percentile (2026)	SchoolDigger Rating (2026)	Average Standard Score (2025)	Statewide Rank (2025)	State Percentile (2025)	Rank Change from Previous Year	STAAR EOC Algebra I End of Course	STAAR Reading 5th Grade	STAAR Reading 6th Grade	STAAR Reading 7th Grade	STAAR Reading 8th Grade	STAAR Mathematics 5th Grade	STAAR Mathematics 6th Grade	STAAR Mathematics 7th Grade	STAAR Mathematics 8th Grade	STAAR Social Studies 8th Grade	Total
Key Middle	Public	6-8	4000 Kelley St	Houston	77026	Harris County	Houston Independent School District (Isd)	No	No	(n/a)	Yes	(713) 636-6000	516	39	13.1	96.1%	14 (2.7%)	260 (50.4%)	238 (46.1%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	4 (0.8%)	35.7	1542^nd of 2335 public middle schools	34.0%		30	1733^rd of 2344 public middle schools	26.1%	191	91.7		41.3	43.6	46.7		31.2	16.0	54.0	17.5	$18,740
Fleming Middle	Public, Magnet	6-8	4910 Collingsworth St	Houston	77026	Harris County	Houston Independent School District (Isd)	No	Yes	(n/a)	Yes	(713) 671-4170	319	23	13.7	98.1%	8 (2.5%)	196 (61.4%)	112 (35.1%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	3 (0.9%)	23.7	1952^nd of 2335 public middle schools	16.4%		24	1914^th of 2344 public middle schools	18.3%	38	71.4		24.0	36.2	42.1		20.0		40.4	15.1	$22,423
Marshall Middle	Public, Magnet	6-8	1115 Noble St	Houston	77009	Harris County	Houston Independent School District (Isd)	No	Yes	(n/a)	Yes	(713) 226-2600	456	33	13.8	94.3%	7 (1.5%)	72 (15.8%)	374 (82.0%)	1 (0.2%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (0.2%)	1 (0.2%)	46	1172^nd of 2335 public middle schools	49.8%		36.9	1492^nd of 2344 public middle schools	36.3%	320	100.0		41.8	55.2	56.5		24.3		48.7	27.6	$10,811
Secondary Daep	Public	6-8	1510 Jensen Dr	Houston	77020	Harris County	Houston Independent School District (Isd)	No	No	(n/a)	No	(713) 556-4988	38	21	1.8	97.4%	1 (2.6%)	20 (52.6%)	15 (39.5%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	2 (5.3%)	5.7	2294^th of 2335 public middle schools	1.8%		5	2297^th of 2344 public middle schools	2.0%	3	30.0		18.8	22.0	21.5		4.3	4.1	4.3	4.6	$73,435
McReynolds Middle	Public	6-8	5910 Market St	Houston	77020	Harris County	Houston Independent School District (Isd)	No	No	(n/a)	Yes	(713) 671-3650	297	25	11.7	98.0%	4 (1.3%)	97 (32.7%)	194 (65.3%)	1 (0.3%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (0.3%)	29.5	1742^nd of 2335 public middle schools	25.4%		23.1	1940^th of 2344 public middle schools	17.2%	198	86.8		41.4	38.7	52.1		28.7		33.0	16.7	$23,286
Burbank Middle	Public, Magnet	6-8	315 Berry Rd	Houston	77022	Harris County	Houston Independent School District (Isd)	No	Yes	(n/a)	Yes	(713) 696-2720	1,412	79	17.7	93.6%	17 (1.2%)	90 (6.4%)	1,302 (92.2%)	3 (0.2%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	45.7	1186^th of 2335 public middle schools	49.2%		56.2	887^th of 2344 public middle schools	62.2%	299	77.4		48.4	50.4	57.3		44.1	8.2	43.8	24.6	$8,762
KIPP 3d Academy	Public, Charter	5-8	500 Tidwell Dr	Houston	77022	Harris County	KIPP Texas Public Schools	Yes	No	(n/a)	Yes	(832) 230-0566	513	19	26.3	95.9%	5 (1.0%)	32 (6.2%)	475 (92.6%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (0.2%)	50.3	1037^th of 2335 public middle schools	55.6%		49	1102^nd of 2344 public middle schools	53.0%	65	31.8	46.0	47.7	51.2	62.3	15.9	28.1	35.1		31.5	$7,508
Forest Brook Middle	Public	6-8	7525 Tidwell Rd	Houston	77016	Harris County	Houston Independent School District (Isd)	No	No	(n/a)	Yes	(713) 631-7720	546	41	13.2	98.7%	1 (0.2%)	316 (57.9%)	224 (41.0%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (0.2%)	0 (0.0%)	4 (0.7%)	36.3	1518^th of 2335 public middle schools	35.0%		20.5	2012^th of 2344 public middle schools	14.2%	494	83.1		38.7	48.0	48.8		40.3	23.3	41.8	13.5	$17,770
Hogg Middle	Public, Magnet	6-8	1100 Merrill St	Houston	77009	Harris County	Houston Independent School District (Isd)	No	Yes	(n/a)	Yes	(713) 802-4700	1,161	66	17.5	50.5%	293 (25.2%)	82 (7.1%)	714 (61.5%)	22 (1.9%)	1 (0.1%)	1 (0.1%)	48 (4.1%)	86.2	205^th of 2335 public middle schools	91.2%		83.1	270^th of 2344 public middle schools	88.5%	65	98.6		75.7	75.6	75.2		63.2	23.7	72.3	63.1	$8,826
Hamilton Middle	Public, Magnet	6-8	139 E 20th St	Houston	77008	Harris County	Houston Independent School District (Isd)	No	Yes	(n/a)	Yes	(713) 802-4725	911	54	17.0	79.9%	38 (4.2%)	94 (10.3%)	770 (84.5%)	2 (0.2%)	2 (0.2%)	1 (0.1%)	4 (0.4%)	61	727^th of 2335 public middle schools	68.9%		64	687^th of 2344 public middle schools	70.7%	40	95.7		55.7	59.5	66.2		36.1	16.5	70.0	33.3	$9,160

Frequently Asked Questions about Key Middle

What high school do graduates of Key Middle attend?

Students who attend Key Middle usually go on to attend Kashmere High School

What district is Key Middle in?

Houston Independent School District (Isd)

How many students attend Key Middle?

In the 2024-25 school year, 516 students attended Key Middle.

Is Key Middle a good school?

Key Middle ranks 1542^nd of 2335 Texas middle schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 2 stars out of 5.

What is the racial makeup of Key Middle?

Students at Key Middle are 50% African American, 46% Hispanic, 3% White.

Rate Key Middle!

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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.