Summary:
The Northside Independent School District (Isd) in San Antonio, Texas, oversees 23 middle schools serving grades 6-8, a diverse group ranging from large campuses with over 1,600 students to small specialized programs.
For parents, the standout school is Garcia Middle, which consistently ranks in the top 10-11% of Texas middle schools and is the only school in the district to achieve a 5-star rating. It boasts the highest proficiency rates in nearly every subject, with 81.61% of 8th graders proficient in Reading and 65.33% in Math. In contrast, Rayburn Middle, Ross Middle, and Pease Middle face significant challenges, consistently ranking in the bottom 10-17% of the state with critically low test scores. A rising star is Hobby Middle, which improved its ranking from the 44th to the 64th percentile over two years, showing that progress is possible even with a high percentage of economically disadvantaged students.
Key metrics reveal a district-wide struggle with 7th-grade Math, where the average proficiency is just 9.32% compared to the state average of 29.41%. However, the district excels in Algebra I acceleration, with schools like Bernal Middle (93.36% proficiency) and Stevenson Middle (93.33%) far exceeding the state average. Interestingly, higher spending per student does not guarantee better outcomes; the highest-spending schools like Rayburn ($10,664 per student) have the lowest rankings, while top performers like Garcia spend significantly less ($7,359). This suggests that resources are directed toward schools with greater needs, but the achievement gap remains a critical issue. Alternative schools like Alternative Middle serve very small, specialized populations and are not comparable to standard middle schools.
Thank you for your feedback!