Summary
Clifton Middle is a public magnet middle school in Houston, Texas, serving 419 students in grades 6-8. The school is part of the Houston Independent School District (HISD), which is ranked 505 out of 961 districts in Texas and has a 2-star rating from SchoolDigger. Clifton Middle has consistently ranked in the bottom quarter of Texas middle schools over the past several years, with a ranking between 2,000-2,300 out of around 2,300 schools.
Clifton Middle significantly underperforms compared to the HISD and Texas state averages across all subject areas and grade levels. For example, in 2024-2025, only 25.56% of 8th graders were proficient or better in STAAR Reading, compared to 52.66% for HISD and 56.39% for Texas. The school's performance is especially low in Social Studies, with only 1.52% of 8th graders proficient in 2024-2025, compared to 24.59% for HISD and 29.64% for Texas. Clifton Middle also struggles to serve its diverse student population effectively, with the school's rankings for subgroups like African American, Hispanic, English Language Learners, and Special Education students all in the bottom 25% of Texas middle schools.
When comparing Clifton Middle to other nearby schools, it becomes clear that the school is an outlier in terms of academic performance and student outcomes. For example, Black Middle, a magnet school within the same district, outperforms Clifton Middle across all subject areas and grade levels, with significantly higher proficiency rates. Similarly, schools like Northbrook Middle and Dean Middle, which serve more economically diverse student populations, also significantly outperform Clifton Middle. These comparisons suggest that Clifton Middle may be facing significant challenges in terms of resources, staffing, and support for its student population, which likely contribute to the school's consistently poor performance.
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