Wayside Schools

The Wayside Schools district in Austin, TX, comprises four schools—three elementary schools (PK-5) and one combined middle and high school (6-12)—serving 1,787 students, with the district ranking in the 17th percentile in Texas and earning a 1-star rating, indicating significant challenges compared to state averages.

The standout school in the district is Wayside Eden Park Academy, the only school to have ever achieved a 3-star rating and consistently ranking in the top half of Texas elementary schools (39th percentile in 2025-2026). It has the lowest percentage of students on free/reduced lunch (45.53%) and was the only elementary school to exceed the state average in any subject, achieving 66.67% proficiency in 5th Grade Reading and 52.38% in 5th Grade Math. In contrast, Wayside Sci-Technical Middle And High School shows a notable strength in advanced math and science, with its Algebra I EOC proficiency rate (67.46%) significantly outpacing the state average (54.03%), despite an 88.27% free/reduced lunch rate. However, this strength is contrasted by severe weaknesses in English I and II Reading and U.S. History, where proficiency rates are roughly half of the state average. Wayside Real Learning Academy is the most volatile performer, with dramatic year-over-year swings—such as 4th Grade Math going from 23.53% to 50.54% proficiency—and has the worst student-teacher ratio (25:1) and lowest per-student funding ($9,006).

Key metrics reveal a district with high economic disadvantage, with free/reduced lunch rates averaging around 75% across reporting schools. The student-teacher ratio varies widely, from 13.5:1 at Sci-Tech to 25:1 at Real Learning, and spending ranges from $9,006 to $10,779 per student. Notably, the school with the highest need (Real Learning) receives the lowest funding and has the worst ratio, while the school with the lowest need (Eden Park) receives significantly more funding ($10,753) and has a better ratio (21.3:1). This inverse relationship between need and resources is a critical finding that likely explains the performance gap within the district. Additionally, Sci-Tech has a high graduation rate (97.1%) but a concerning dropout rate of 2.3%.