Summary:
The Hondo Independent School District (Isd) is home to one middle school, McDowell Middle, which serves grades 6 through 8 with a total enrollment of 403 students in a community where 67.25% of students are economically disadvantaged.
McDowell Middle presents a striking contrast in performance. The school’s advanced math program is exceptional, with Algebra I proficiency rates reaching 96% in both the 2024-2025 and 2025-2026 school years—far exceeding the state average of 54%. However, the majority of students in standard math classes struggle significantly, with 7th-grade math proficiency at just 19.6%. Overall, the school underperforms the state in core subjects: 41% proficient in Reading (state: 55.4%), 28.7% in Mathematics (state: 38.4%), and only 22.3% in 8th-grade Social Studies (state: 31.7%). The school’s state ranking has also declined, dropping from the 36th percentile to the 27th percentile and earning a 1-star rating for the 2025-2026 school year.
Despite a favorable student-teacher ratio of 13.3:1 and spending of $10,146 per student, overall academic outcomes remain below state averages. The school’s declining ranking appears driven by other Texas schools improving faster, rather than a sharp drop in scores. The persistent weakness in 8th-grade Social Studies (around 21% proficient) and the gap between advanced and general math performance suggest that while resources for advanced learners are effective, the general curriculum may need a different instructional focus. The school maintains a 0.0% dropout rate, but the data clearly indicates an urgent need for strategic improvement to help the majority of students meet state benchmarks.
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