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MacArthur High School

Public Grades 9-12

1658^th

SchoolDigger Rank ?

of 2,057 Texas High Schools

Better than 19% of Texas high schools

Summary

MacArthur High School in Houston, TX, is a large, comprehensive high school serving 3,501 students in grades 9-12 within the Aldine Independent School District (Isd), where over 85% of students qualify for free or reduced lunch. The school has consistently received a 1-star rating from SchoolDigger over the past decade, placing it in the bottom 20% of Texas high schools, with proficiency rates in core subjects like Algebra I (28.9%) and English I (28.6%) significantly below the district average. However, there are positive trends: the graduation rate has improved from 78% to 84.6% over the last two years, and the dropout rate has dropped from 6.3% to 2.8%, now nearly matching the district average.

When compared to nearby schools, MacArthur stands out for its size and resource allocation. It has the highest student-teacher ratio (17.3:1) among its peers, and its per-student spending ($9,794) is lower than schools like Aldine High School ($12,635). This contrasts sharply with Avalos P-Technical School, a specialized magnet school just a mile away that achieves 5-star ratings and proficiency rates near 90%, highlighting a two-tier system within the district. Meanwhile, charter schools like Yes Prep - North Central serve a similar high-poverty population but achieve dramatically higher proficiency rates (e.g., 75.4% in Algebra I), suggesting different educational models produce different outcomes.

One bright spot is the school's performance with English Language Learner (ELL) students, who improved from the 9th percentile (0 stars) in 2022-2023 to the 30th percentile (2 stars) in 2025-2026, indicating effective interventions for this group. Overall, MacArthur shows slow but steady improvement in test scores, graduation rates, and dropout rates, suggesting recent efforts are beginning to yield results. While the school still faces significant challenges compared to district and state averages, these trends offer hope for families seeking a school that is working to improve outcomes for its students.

3,501

Students ?

17.3

Student/teacher ratio ?

$7,853

Per pupil spending ?

85.5%

Free/discounted lunch ?

4400 Aldine Mail Rt
Houston, TX 77039-5999

(281) 985-6330

District: Aldine Independent School District (Isd)

Racial breakdown:

Hispanic:

93.2%

African American:

4.6%

White:

1.6%

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Compare MacArthur High School to nearby high schools!

At a glance

▲ Ranking trend: Improving — 12th percentile in 2016 → 19th in 2026

Strengths

✓Ranking is trending up — up 7 percentile points since 2016

Worth a look

!Test scores below the Texas average (41% vs 62% meeting standards)

!In the lower quartile statewide (19th percentile)

!English I Reading scores 27 pts below the Texas average

Students meeting standards (2025-2026) ?

This school41%

District avg50%

Texas avg62%

1,658^th of 2,057

Texas public high schools ?

Bottom 19%▲ up 7 pts since 2016

From bottom 12% (2016) to bottom 19% (2026)

See the entire ranking list of Texas High Schools →

★★★★★

SchoolDigger rating ?

9^th of 11High Schools in the Aldine Independent School District (Isd)

692^nd of 947Aldine Independent School District (Isd) among Texas districts

Statewide rank percentile over time (100 = the top-ranked school in the state; click a legend item to add a student group)

Show full rank history (all student groups)

All Students

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Texas percentile	Rating
2026	22.2	1658 of 2057	19.4%	★☆☆☆☆
2025	21.8	1571 of 1974	20.4%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	19.0	1637 of 1990	17.7%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	13.5	1696 of 1961	13.5%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	14.7	1620 of 1876	13.6%	★☆☆☆☆
2021	16.7	1578 of 1861	15.2%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	31.2	1312 of 1857	29.3%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	28.0	1332 of 1797	25.9%	★☆☆☆☆
2017	29.5	1262 of 1777	29.0%	★☆☆☆☆
2016	16.0	1546 of 1762	12.3%	★☆☆☆☆
2015	20.0	1481 of 1743	15.0%	★☆☆☆☆
2014	19.0	1504 of 1734	13.3%	★☆☆☆☆
2013	30.3	1277 of 1652	22.7%	★☆☆☆☆
2011	51.0	1066 of 1672	36.2%	★★☆☆☆
2010	54.2	913 of 1568	41.8%	★★☆☆☆
2009	58.0	768 of 1539	50.1%	★★★☆☆
2008	57.7	752 of 1510	50.2%	★★★☆☆
2007	58.7	734 of 1497	51.0%	★★★☆☆
2006	54.4	802 of 1430	43.9%	★★☆☆☆
2005	56.3	730 of 1429	48.9%	★★☆☆☆
2004	60.6	648 of 1427	54.6%	★★★☆☆

African American

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Texas percentile	Rating
2026	26.7	820 of 1101	25.5%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	26.7	759 of 1065	28.7%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	24.7	813 of 1069	23.9%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	19.0	869 of 1031	15.7%	★☆☆☆☆
2021	22.5	808 of 1020	20.8%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	35.3	626 of 1024	38.9%	★★☆☆☆
2018	47.4	446 of 1013	56.0%	★★★☆☆

At Risk

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Texas percentile	Rating
2022	22.1	1535 of 1837	16.4%	★☆☆☆☆
2021	20.3	1565 of 1829	14.4%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	39.8	1048 of 1810	42.1%	★★☆☆☆
2018	38.9	1041 of 1784	41.6%	★★☆☆☆

English Language Learner

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Texas percentile	Rating
2026	32.0	839 of 1209	30.6%	★★☆☆☆
2024	15.5	1291 of 1437	10.2%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	14.6	1242 of 1371	9.4%	☆☆☆☆☆
2022	16.3	1162 of 1278	9.1%	☆☆☆☆☆
2021	18.1	1092 of 1195	8.6%	☆☆☆☆☆
2019	26.0	897 of 1136	21.0%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	31.1	774 of 1113	30.5%	★★☆☆☆

Female

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Texas percentile	Rating
2026	20.3	1630 of 1976	17.5%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	13.5	1650 of 1880	12.2%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	12.4	1653 of 1891	12.6%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	12.4	1625 of 1841	11.7%	★☆☆☆☆
2021	13.9	1592 of 1815	12.3%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	30.9	1331 of 1798	26.0%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	28.0	1378 of 1781	22.6%	★☆☆☆☆

Gifted and Talented

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Texas percentile	Rating
2026	26.5	1063 of 1208	12.0%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	27.4	1006 of 1182	14.9%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	41.0	908 of 1172	22.5%	★☆☆☆☆
2021	26.4	1004 of 1177	14.7%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	58.9	608 of 1145	46.9%	★★☆☆☆
2018	52.5	723 of 1137	36.4%	★★☆☆☆

Hispanic

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Texas percentile	Rating
2026	25.6	1494 of 1909	21.7%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	18.3	1546 of 1805	14.3%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	16.4	1560 of 1820	14.3%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	17.9	1493 of 1762	15.3%	★☆☆☆☆
2021	20.3	1442 of 1743	17.3%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	35.3	1151 of 1714	32.8%	★★☆☆☆
2018	32.1	1196 of 1691	29.3%	★☆☆☆☆

Low Socio Economic Status

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Texas percentile	Rating
2026	27.6	1521 of 1976	23.0%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	19.4	1591 of 1884	15.6%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	17.5	1624 of 1897	14.4%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	19.5	1549 of 1847	16.1%	★☆☆☆☆
2021	22.5	1501 of 1848	18.8%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	37.6	1172 of 1818	35.5%	★★☆☆☆
2018	36.6	1181 of 1794	34.2%	★★☆☆☆

Male

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Texas percentile	Rating
2026	21.1	1612 of 1993	19.1%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	15.2	1622 of 1891	14.2%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	13.4	1672 of 1913	12.6%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	15.0	1598 of 1853	13.8%	★☆☆☆☆
2021	17.8	1544 of 1840	16.1%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	29.8	1314 of 1824	28.0%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	26.6	1397 of 1803	22.5%	★☆☆☆☆

Multi-racial

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Texas percentile	Rating
2023	11.1	616 of 677	9.0%	☆☆☆☆☆

Special Education

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Texas percentile	Rating
2026	25.4	1320 of 1610	18.0%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	37.0	974 of 1548	37.1%	★★☆☆☆
2023	23.2	1282 of 1478	13.3%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	25.0	1187 of 1418	16.3%	★☆☆☆☆
2021	24.9	1166 of 1382	15.6%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	29.5	1035 of 1357	23.7%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	24.3	1145 of 1347	15.0%	★☆☆☆☆

White

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Texas percentile	Rating
2026	8.9	1472 of 1611	8.6%	☆☆☆☆☆
2024	5.2	1483 of 1556	4.7%	☆☆☆☆☆
2023	4.7	1488 of 1576	5.6%	☆☆☆☆☆
2022	2.3	1483 of 1525	2.8%	☆☆☆☆☆
2021	3.1	1456 of 1510	3.6%	☆☆☆☆☆
2019	46.3	831 of 1526	45.5%	★★☆☆☆
2018	41.1	976 of 1539	36.6%	★★☆☆☆

How student groups rank statewide ? (each group's percentile vs the same group at other schools — higher is better; the +/- beside each compares the group with this school's overall percentile)

English Language Learner (2026)31st percentile+11 vs school

African American (2026)26th percentile+6 vs school

Low Socio Economic Status (2026)23rd percentile+4 vs school

Hispanic (2026)22nd percentile~ school

Male (2026)19th percentile~ school

Special Education (2026)18th percentile~ school

Female (2026)18th percentile~ school

At Risk (2022)16th percentile+3 vs school

Gifted and Talented (2026)12th percentile-7 vs school

Multi-racial (2023)9th percentile-5 vs school

White (2026)9th percentile-11 vs school

By subject vs Texas (2025-2026) ?

U.S. History61%-9 vs state

Biology47%-24 vs state

English II Reading40%-20 vs state

Algebra I29%-25 vs state

English I Reading29%-27 vs state

★

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Schools Near MacArthur High School

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Ranking:

E Elementary M Middle H High A Alternative P Private

Choose columns to see: Summary School Students/Teachers Ranking Test Scores Finance All

School													Students/Teachers											Ranking (2026)				Ranking (2025)				STAAR EOC Algebra I (2026)	STAAR EOC Biology (2026)	STAAR EOC English I Reading (2026)	STAAR EOC English II Reading (2026)	STAAR EOC U.S. History (2026)	STAAR Reading (2026)			STAAR Mathematics (2026)			STAAR Social Studies (2026)	Per Pupil Expenditures (2024)
Name	Type	Grades	Address	City	Zip	County	District	Is Charter	Is Magnet	Is Virtual	Is Title I	Phone	Enrollment	Full-time Teachers	Student/ Teacher Ratio	Free/Discounted Lunch Recipients (2025)	White	Black	Hispanic	Asian	American Indian	Pacific Islander	Two or More Races	Average Standard Score (2026)	Statewide Rank (2026)	State Percentile (2026)	SchoolDigger Rating (2026)	Average Standard Score (2025)	Statewide Rank (2025)	State Percentile (2025)	Rank Change from Previous Year	STAAR EOC Algebra I End of Course	STAAR EOC Biology End of Course	STAAR EOC English I Reading End of Course	STAAR EOC English II Reading End of Course	STAAR EOC U.S. History End of Course	STAAR Reading 6th Grade	STAAR Reading 7th Grade	STAAR Reading 8th Grade	STAAR Mathematics 6th Grade	STAAR Mathematics 7th Grade	STAAR Mathematics 8th Grade	STAAR Social Studies 8th Grade	Total
MacArthur High School	Public	9-12	4400 Aldine Mail Rt	Houston	77039	Harris County	Aldine Independent School District (Isd)	No	No	(n/a)	Yes	(281) 985-6330	3,501	202	17.3	85.5%	55 (1.6%)	160 (4.6%)	3,263 (93.2%)	3 (0.1%)	8 (0.2%)	0 (0.0%)	12 (0.3%)	22.2	1658^th of 2057 public high schools	19.4%		21.8	1571^st of 1974 public high schools	20.4%	87	28.9	46.8	28.6	39.5	61.4								$7,853
Avalos P-Technical School	Public	9-12	2430 Aldine Mail Route Rd	Houston	77039	Harris County	Aldine Independent School District (Isd)	No	No	(n/a)	Yes	(281) 985-2100	400	31	13.0	77.3%	7 (1.8%)	29 (7.3%)	361 (90.3%)	2 (0.5%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (0.3%)	80.9	198^th of 2057 public high schools	90.4%		82.8	166^th of 1974 public high schools	91.6%	32	76.3	83.8	69.9	90.1	89.8								$9,815
Yes Prep - North Central	Public, Charter	6-12	13703 Aldine-Westfield Rd	Houston	77039	Harris County	Yes Prep Public Schools Inc	Yes	No	(n/a)	Yes	(713) 967-8800	1,002	58	17.2	89.4%	7 (0.7%)	16 (1.6%)	971 (96.9%)	3 (0.3%)	1 (0.1%)	0 (0.0%)	4 (0.4%)	71	413^th of 2057 public high schools	79.9%		77.7	251^st of 1974 public high schools	87.3%	162	75.4	76.5	58.6	79.0	86.8	59.7	61.4	68.3	42.8	44.4	76.5	40.5	$12,328
Yes Prep North Forest	Public, Charter	6-12	6602 Winfield Rd	Houston	77050	Harris County	Yes Prep Public Schools Inc	Yes	No	(n/a)	Yes	(713) 967-8699	991	62	16.0	94.0%	6 (0.6%)	89 (9.0%)	887 (89.5%)	0 (0.0%)	2 (0.2%)	1 (0.1%)	6 (0.6%)	71.8	395^th of 2057 public high schools	80.8%		50.7	893^rd of 1974 public high schools	54.8%	498	69.2	80.0	68.0	73.4	85.1	48.3	50.0	64.1	34.4	40.9	39.4	30.3	$11,881
Hall Success Academy	Public	8-12	15014 Aldine Westfield	Houston	77032	Harris County	Aldine Independent School District (Isd)	No	No	(n/a)	Yes	(281) 985-7446	168	25	6.7	88.1%	5 (3.0%)	49 (29.2%)	110 (65.5%)	0 (0.0%)	2 (1.2%)	0 (0.0%)	2 (1.2%)	11.9	1800^th of 2057 public high schools	12.5%		7	1828^th of 1974 public high schools	7.4%	28	42.9		20.8	22.7	25.9			20.0			40.0	20.0	$23,068
Yes Prep - Northline	Public, Charter	6-12	441 Little York Rd	Houston	77076	Harris County	Yes Prep Public Schools Inc	Yes	No	(n/a)	Yes	(713) 842-5400	1,004	60	16.8	90.7%	10 (1.0%)	13 (1.3%)	976 (97.2%)	2 (0.2%)	3 (0.3%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	74.3	346^th of 2057 public high schools	83.2%		64.8	556^th of 1974 public high schools	71.8%	210	66.0	82.1	74.8	76.1	84.3	57.6	71.4	74.3	39.9	49.4	61.0	37.5	$11,622
Houston Math Science And Technology Center	Public	9-12	9400 Irvington	Houston	77076	Harris County	Houston Independent School District (Isd)	No	No	(n/a)	Yes	(713) 696-0200	2,396	163	14.6	95.3%	34 (1.4%)	159 (6.6%)	2,193 (91.5%)	0 (0.0%)	5 (0.2%)	0 (0.0%)	5 (0.2%)	47.2	1054^th of 2057 public high schools	48.8%		29.9	1398^th of 1974 public high schools	29.2%	344	61.2	67.6	45.2	52.1	72.7								$10,801
KIPP Generations Collegiate	Public, Charter	9-12	500 Tidwell Rd	Houston	77022	Harris County	KIPP Texas Public Schools	Yes	No	(n/a)	Yes	(832) 230-0566	614	39	15.6	96.1%	6 (1.0%)	67 (10.9%)	540 (87.9%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (0.2%)	28.6	1537^th of 2057 public high schools	25.3%		29.8	1401^st of 1974 public high schools	29.0%	136	10.9	57.3	43.8	45.5	52.0								$9,979
North Forest High School	Public	9-12	10726 Mesa Dr	Houston	77078	Harris County	Houston Independent School District (Isd)	No	No	(n/a)	Yes	(713) 636-4300	905	76	11.9	96.2%	9 (1.0%)	443 (49.0%)	444 (49.1%)	4 (0.4%)	1 (0.1%)	0 (0.0%)	4 (0.4%)	43.1	1178^th of 2057 public high schools	42.7%		32.1	1352^nd of 1974 public high schools	31.5%	174	50.0	77.0	38.0	56.2	60.3								$14,973
La Promesa	Public	9-12	11101 Airline Dr	Houston	77073	Harris County	Aldine Independent School District (Isd)	No	No	(n/a)	Yes	(281) 985-7839	448	36	12.5	77.7%	1 (0.2%)	3 (0.7%)	437 (97.5%)	3 (0.7%)	2 (0.4%)	0 (0.0%)	2 (0.4%)	11	1815^th of 2057 public high schools	11.8%					(n/a)	64.8	19.1	7.0	6.6	38.4								$11,812

Frequently Asked Questions about MacArthur High School

What is the racial makeup of MacArthur High School?

Students at MacArthur High School are 93% Hispanic, 5% African American, 2% White.

What schools feed into MacArthur High School?

MacArthur High School is fed by the following schools:

Elementary : Escamilla Elementary
Elementary : Garcia-Leza Ec/Pk/K
Elementary : Johnson Elementary
Elementary : Orange Grove Elementary
Elementary : Reed Academy
Elementary : Stephens Elementary
Elementary : Vardeman Ec/Pk/K
Elementary : Worsham Elementary
Middle : Hambrick Middle
Middle : Mead Middle

What district is MacArthur High School in?

Aldine Independent School District (Isd)

How many students attend MacArthur High School?

In the 2024-25 school year, 3,501 students attended MacArthur High School.

Is MacArthur High School a good school?

MacArthur High School ranks in the bottom 19.4% of Texas high schools.

Rate MacArthur High School!

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Latest Texas data All new data »

2025–26 STAAR, STAAR EOC & STAAR Spanish test scoresJun 12, 2026

2021–22 through 2023–24 school spending dataJan 10, 2026

2023–24 dropout rates & graduation ratesSep 17, 2025

2024–25 STAAR EOC & STAAR Spanish test scoresJun 23, 2025

SchoolDigger data sources: National Center for Education Statistics, U.S. Department of Education, the U.S. Census Bureau and the Texas Education Agency.

IMPORTANT DISCLAIMERS: Not all boundaries are included. We make every effort to ensure that boundaries are up-to-date. But it's important to note that these are approximations and are for general informational purposes only. To verify legal descriptions of boundaries or school locations, contact your local tax assessor's office and/or school district.