Summary:
The Victoria Independent School District (Isd) is home to four middle schools—Harold Cade Middle, Howell Middle, Stem Middle, and Patti Welder Middle—serving grades 6-8 in a district ranked in the 31st percentile statewide.
Harold Cade Middle stands out as the district's top performer, consistently earning a 3-star rating and improving from the 53rd to the 63rd percentile over three years. It has the lowest economic disadvantage rate (48.49% free/reduced lunch) and is the only school to outperform state averages in multiple subjects. Howell Middle shows the strongest upward trajectory, jumping from a 1-star to a 3-star rating by reaching the 51st percentile. In contrast, Stem Middle and Patti Welder Middle are the most challenged, consistently ranking in the bottom 16% of Texas middle schools, with Patti Welder dropping as low as the 4th percentile. These two schools also have the highest rates of economic disadvantage (77.85% and 83.04%, respectively), which strongly correlates with lower overall academic performance.
A striking anomaly is Algebra I proficiency: all four schools dramatically exceed the state average of 54%, with Harold Cade leading at 94.92% and even Patti Welder reaching 90.48%, suggesting only top 8th graders take this advanced course. Reading scores are a relative strength across the district, while math remains a consistent weakness, especially in 7th grade where Patti Welder scored just 4.43% proficiency versus the state's 29.41%. Notably, Patti Welder has the highest per-student spending ($9,333) but the lowest performance, while Harold Cade spends the least ($8,751) and achieves the best results, indicating that how funds are allocated matters more than the total amount spent.
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