Summary:
The three middle schools in the Edgewood Independent School District (Isd) serve a highly economically disadvantaged population in San Antonio, Texas, with Gus Garcia Middle (grades 6-8, 684 students) and Brentwood Middle (grades 6-8, 602 students) operating as traditional middle schools, while Stafford Elementary serves only 5th grade (102 students) as a transitional campus.
Gus Garcia Middle stands out as the district's academic leader, consistently outperforming Brentwood Middle across core subjects and earning a 1-star state rating (11th percentile) compared to Brentwood's 0-star rating (3rd percentile). Despite having the highest poverty rate at 96%, Gus Garcia achieves remarkable success in advanced coursework, with 68% of students passing Algebra I and 77% passing Biology—both far exceeding state averages. In contrast, Brentwood Middle struggles with the lowest test scores in nearly every subject, though it also excels in Algebra I (73% proficiency). Stafford Elementary provides a mixed snapshot of incoming 5th graders, with relatively stronger Reading scores but very low Math (18% proficient) and Science (5% proficient) performance.
A critical finding is the "7th grade math crisis," where proficiency rates plummet to just 4% at Gus Garcia and 6% at Brentwood, highlighting a foundational weakness that contrasts sharply with the high performance in advanced math tracks. This creates a two-tiered system where selected students thrive while many others fall behind. Spending per student varies significantly, with Gus Garcia at $13,749, Brentwood at $12,643, and Stafford at $9,748, but the data suggests that how money is spent matters more than the amount, as Gus Garcia achieves better outcomes despite similar demographics to Brentwood. Both middle schools maintain low dropout rates (around 2%), a positive sign for student retention in a district facing systemic challenges.
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