Burnham Wood Charter School District

The Burnham Wood Charter School District in El Paso, Texas, serves 1,744 students across three schools: one high school (Davinci School For Science And The Arts, grades 7-12) and two elementary schools (Howard Burnham Elementary and The Linguistic Academy Of El Paso-Cultural Demo Site, both PK-6). The district overall holds a 3-star rating and ranks in the 54th percentile statewide, but this average masks a wide performance gap between its campuses.

The Linguistic Academy Of El Paso-Cultural Demo Site is the district's standout, earning a 4-star rating and ranking in the 78th percentile. It consistently exceeds state averages in reading and math for grades 3, 4, and 6, despite spending less per student ($8,904) than the high school. In contrast, Howard Burnham Elementary (3-star, 58th percentile) shows a mixed profile: it performs well in early-grade reading but struggles in later grades and science, with a notable challenge for students taking the STAAR test in Spanish, where proficiency rates in math and science are far below state averages. Davinci School For Science And The Arts (2-star, 34th percentile) has a high poverty rate (89.92% free/reduced lunch) and a strong 94.7% graduation rate with a very low 0.1% dropout rate. Its math performance is a bright spot—7th-grade math scores are 20 points above the state average—but it struggles critically in social studies (11.3% proficient) and English I reading (38.08% proficient).

The data reveals a strong link between poverty levels and academic outcomes across the district. The Linguistic Academy, with the lowest poverty rate (35%), is the top performer, while Davinci High School, with the highest poverty rate (90%), is the lowest-performing. Howard Burnham sits in the middle on both metrics. The district's overall ranking is pulled up by the elementary schools' success and down by the high school's challenges, meaning a one-size-fits-all strategy would not address the unique needs of each campus. For parents, this means the choice of school within the district can significantly impact a child's experience, with The Linguistic Academy offering consistent excellence, Howard Burnham providing strong early grades but needing support for its English learner population, and Davinci High School showing resilience in math but requiring attention in reading and social studies.