Summary:
In the Cotulla Independent School District (Isd), there is one middle school, Frank Newman Middle, serving grades 6 through 8 with 259 students in a high-poverty area where nearly 88% of students qualify for free or reduced lunch.
Frank Newman Middle presents a mixed picture. On one hand, the school has a standout Algebra I program: in the 2025-2026 school year, 74.39% of 8th graders taking the end-of-course exam were proficient, far exceeding the state average of 54.03%. This is a genuine bright spot. However, the school struggles significantly in other subjects. For example, only 10.98% of 8th graders were proficient in Social Studies, compared to 31.69% statewide, and 8th-grade math proficiency was just 24.42% versus 47.24% statewide. The school’s overall state ranking has declined from the 35th percentile (2 stars) in 2023-2024 to the 15th percentile (1 star) in 2025-2026, indicating a concerning downward trend.
Despite a favorable student-teacher ratio of 10.9:1 and spending of $14,545 per student, academic outcomes in core subjects like reading and math are below state averages. The school maintains a 0% dropout rate, which is excellent. A notable pattern is a "7th grade slump" in reading, where proficiency drops to 34.88% compared to 42.35% in 6th grade and 48.78% in 8th grade. The strong Algebra I results suggest that targeted strategies for advanced students could be a model for improving performance in other areas, but the school faces significant challenges in raising achievement for the majority of its students.
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