Rice Middle

Rice Middle in Plano, TX, is a high-performing public school serving 872 students in grades 6-8, located in the Plano Independent School District (Isd). This school consistently ranks in the top 1% of all Texas middle schools, earning a 5-star rating from SchoolDigger for every year on record since 2015-2016, and is currently ranked #19 in the state.

What truly sets Rice Middle apart is its exceptional support for all students, particularly English Language Learners and Special Education students, where it ranks in the 99th percentile statewide—a rare achievement that surpasses even nearby elite schools like Fowler Middle and Lawler Middle in the Frisco Independent School District (Isd). The school also achieves near-perfect Algebra I proficiency rates (96-100% over four years), indicating that a large number of students are accelerated into advanced math. Despite serving a slightly higher percentage of economically disadvantaged students (10.7%) than some nearby Frisco ISD schools, Rice accomplishes this with notably lower per-pupil spending ($7,793) compared to peers like Fowler ($9,220) and Wester Middle ($10,395), demonstrating remarkable efficiency.

While Rice excels overall, it faces a common challenge seen across the region: a dip in math proficiency from 6th to 7th grade. However, Rice handles this better than most—its 7th-grade math score (55.1%) is double the district average and nearly double the state average. The school's performance for "At Risk" and White students, while still strong at the 90th percentile, is slightly lower relative to its other elite subgroup rankings. With a decade of top-tier performance and improving rankings post-COVID, Rice Middle has built a deeply embedded culture of high achievement that shows no signs of slowing down.