Middle Schools in Santa Fe Independent School District (Isd)

The Santa Fe Independent School District (Isd) is home to one middle school, Santa Fe J H, which serves grades 6 through 8 with a substantial enrollment of 1,003 students. Located in a community where about half of the students (50.35%) are economically disadvantaged, the school maintains a student-teacher ratio of 17:1 and spends $10,141 per student. The district itself ranks in the top 27% of Texas districts, earning a 4-star rating, and the school has shown a positive trajectory by improving its state ranking from the 47th percentile to the 59th percentile over three years.

The most notable standout at Santa Fe J H is its exceptional performance in advanced math. In the 2025-2026 school year, 65.81% of students taking the Algebra I End-of-Course exam were proficient, dramatically outperforming both the district average (32.08%) and the state average (54.03%). This suggests a highly effective, selective program for advanced math students. However, this success contrasts sharply with struggles in standard math classes, where only 15.64% of 7th graders and 42.86% of 8th graders were proficient in grade-level math, both below state averages. Reading is the school's strongest subject overall, with 6th and 8th-grade scores meeting or exceeding state averages, while 8th-grade Social Studies consistently lags behind state performance.

A critical area of concern is the dramatic 20-percentage-point drop in 7th-grade math proficiency, from 35.83% in 2024-2025 to just 15.64% in 2025-2026. This "middle child" problem extends to reading, where 7th-grade scores also dip compared to 6th and 8th grades. Despite these challenges, the school maintains a 0.0% dropout rate and has improved its overall state ranking, suggesting that strengths in reading and the high-performing Algebra I program are lifting the composite score. For parents, this means Santa Fe J H offers a strong advanced math track and solid reading instruction, but families should be aware of the significant struggles in standard math, particularly for 7th graders, and the persistent weakness in social studies.