Stephen F Austin

Stephen F Austin is a 7th and 8th-grade campus in the Bryan Independent School District (Isd), serving 1,177 students in a high-poverty area where about 74% of students qualify for free or reduced lunch. The school has shown a positive trend, moving from the 23rd percentile to the 32nd percentile in state rankings over the last few years, and maintains a very low dropout rate of 0.7%.

The most notable strength at Stephen F Austin is its exceptional performance in advanced math. An impressive 89.94% of students scored proficient on the Algebra I End-of-Course exam, far exceeding the district average of 35.18% and the state average of 54.03%. This success has been consistent for four years, indicating a strong pipeline that accelerates 8th graders into higher-level math. However, the school presents a stark contrast in its standard 8th-grade math, where only 14.85% of students are proficient—well below the state average of 47.24%. This suggests resources are heavily focused on the advanced track. For comparison, Wellborn Middle in the College Station Independent School District (Isd), just 10 miles away, is a 5-star school with 71.26% proficiency in 8th-grade math, highlighting the significant challenge Stephen F Austin faces in serving its general math population.

There are other bright spots. The school consistently outperforms its district in 8th-grade Social Studies, and it has shown improving support for English Language Learner and Special Education students, with both groups moving from the low 20th percentile to the mid-to-upper 30th percentile in recent years. While the school is effective for some student groups, it faces critical equity gaps that need attention. Overall, Stephen F Austin is a school with a clear strength in advanced math acceleration and a positive upward trend, but it must address the wide disparity in grade-level math achievement to ensure success for all its students.