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Thornton Middle

Q: Is Thornton Middle a good school?

Thornton Middle ranks 1697 th of 2344 Texas middle schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 1 star out of 5.

Public Grades 6-8

1697^th

SchoolDigger Rank ?

of 2,344 Texas Middle Schools

Better than 28% of Texas middle schools

Summary

Thornton Middle is a public middle school in Katy, Texas, serving 1,414 students in grades 6-8. It is part of the Cypress-Fairbanks Independent School District (CFISD), which is ranked 321 out of 961 school districts in Texas and has a 3-star rating from SchoolDigger.

Thornton Middle's academic performance, as measured by STAAR test scores, is generally lower than the district and state averages across most grade levels and subjects. For example, in the 2024-2025 school year, the percentage of students proficient or better in STAAR Reading was 43.5% for 6th grade, 44.05% for 7th grade, and 44.17% for 8th grade, compared to the district's 59.06%, 57.16%, and 62.81%, and the state's 54.21%, 51.69%, and 56.39%. The school also has relatively high dropout rates, ranging from 0.7% to 1.3% between 2020-2021 and 2022-2023, and a high percentage of students receiving free or reduced-price lunch, ranging from 79.54% to 83.17% in the last three school years.

Thornton Middle's performance varies across different student subgroups, with Asian and African American students generally performing better than Hispanic and White students. The school's spending per student has increased from $8,121 in 2018-2019 to $9,395 in 2020-2021, which is higher than the state average. Interestingly, the nearby Calvin Nelms Middle, a charter school, consistently outperforms Thornton Middle and the surrounding public schools in academic measures.

1,424

Students ?

15.4

Student/teacher ratio ?

$7,961

Per pupil spending ?

82.5%

Free/discounted lunch ?

19802 Kieth Harrow Blvd
Katy, TX 77449-7004

(281) 856-1500

District: Cypress-Fairbanks Independent School District (Isd)

Feeder schools for Thornton Middle:

Elementary:	Emery Elementary
	McFee Elementary
	Robinson Elementary

Racial breakdown:

Hispanic:

56.6%

African American:

31.3%

White:

4.8%

See top rated Texas middle schools

Compare Thornton Middle to nearby middle schools!

At a glance

▼ Ranking trend: Declining — 44th percentile in 2015 → 28th in 2025

Worth a look

!Test scores below the Texas average (34% vs 45% meeting standards)

!Ranking has slipped — down 16 percentile points since 2015

!Some student groups rank well below the school's overall statewide standing

Students meeting standards (2024-2025) ?

This school34%

District avg51%

Texas avg45%

1,697^th of 2,344

Texas public middle schools ?

Bottom 28%▼ down 17 pts since 2015

From bottom 44% (2015) to bottom 28% (2025)

See the entire ranking list of Texas Middle Schools →

★★★★★

SchoolDigger rating ?

20^th of 20Middle Schools in the Cypress-Fairbanks Independent School District (Isd)

321^st of 961Cypress-Fairbanks 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
2025	31.0	1697 of 2344	27.6%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	31.3	1696 of 2372	28.5%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	40.0	1394 of 2330	40.2%	★★☆☆☆
2022	43.5	1209 of 2254	46.4%	★★☆☆☆
2021	44.8	1163 of 2252	48.4%	★★☆☆☆
2019	43.1	1202 of 2193	45.2%	★★☆☆☆
2018	48.0	1013 of 2080	51.3%	★★★☆☆
2017	43.2	1093 of 2027	46.1%	★★☆☆☆
2016	44.8	1182 of 1987	40.5%	★★☆☆☆
2015	48.4	1138 of 2043	44.3%	★★☆☆☆
2014	51.8	1008 of 1987	49.3%	★★☆☆☆
2013	49.8	1064 of 1973	46.1%	★★☆☆☆
2012	48.2	1085 of 1951	44.4%	★★☆☆☆
2011	50.8	1118 of 1895	41.0%	★★☆☆☆
2010	54.9	914 of 1803	49.3%	★★☆☆☆
2009	45.0	1159 of 1763	34.3%	★★☆☆☆
2008	46.5	1081 of 1718	37.1%	★★☆☆☆
2007	28.1	1389 of 1684	17.5%	★☆☆☆☆
2006	37.4	1127 of 1585	28.9%	★☆☆☆☆
2005	47.0	949 of 1582	40.0%	★★☆☆☆
2004	54.5	798 of 1573	49.3%	★★☆☆☆

African American

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Texas percentile	Rating
2024	43.8	644 of 1280	49.7%	★★☆☆☆
2023	50.2	541 of 1273	57.5%	★★★☆☆
2022	51.7	486 of 1251	61.2%	★★★☆☆
2021	52.8	445 of 1213	63.3%	★★★☆☆
2019	51.2	480 of 1193	59.8%	★★★☆☆
2018	50.9	495 of 1167	57.6%	★★★☆☆

Asian

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Texas percentile	Rating
2024	39.5	439 of 617	28.8%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	37.2	452 of 616	26.6%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	48.3	353 of 606	41.7%	★★☆☆☆
2021	50.3	317 of 589	46.2%	★★☆☆☆
2019	38.3	426 of 594	28.3%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	49.5	323 of 587	45.0%	★★☆☆☆

At Risk

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Texas percentile	Rating
2022	57.1	674 of 2182	69.1%	★★★☆☆
2021	60.6	550 of 2118	74.0%	★★★★☆
2019	45.2	1027 of 2058	50.1%	★★★☆☆
2018	43.6	1053 of 2008	47.6%	★★☆☆☆

English Language Learner

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Texas percentile	Rating
2024	26.7	1432 of 1770	19.1%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	31.3	1257 of 1720	26.9%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	30.4	1254 of 1643	23.7%	★☆☆☆☆
2021	31.2	1201 of 1592	24.6%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	30.3	1104 of 1445	23.6%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	33.3	980 of 1376	28.8%	★☆☆☆☆

Female

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Texas percentile	Rating
2024	34.5	1526 of 2242	31.9%	★★☆☆☆
2023	44.7	1212 of 2241	45.9%	★★☆☆☆
2022	45.5	1136 of 2221	48.9%	★★☆☆☆
2021	48.4	1046 of 2151	51.4%	★★★☆☆
2019	47.7	1026 of 2047	49.9%	★★☆☆☆
2018	50.4	920 of 2008	54.2%	★★★☆☆

Gifted and Talented

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Texas percentile	Rating
2023	64.9	582 of 1481	60.7%	★★★☆☆
2022	61.2	649 of 1488	56.4%	★★★☆☆
2021	68.1	511 of 1501	66.0%	★★★☆☆
2019	56.1	778 of 1446	46.2%	★★☆☆☆
2018	74.6	254 of 1430	82.2%	★★★★☆

Hispanic

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Texas percentile	Rating
2024	36.6	1374 of 2119	35.2%	★★☆☆☆
2023	46.8	1052 of 2116	50.3%	★★★☆☆
2022	49.0	952 of 2077	54.2%	★★★☆☆
2021	54.6	747 of 2043	63.4%	★★★☆☆
2019	50.4	863 of 1935	55.4%	★★★☆☆
2018	56.2	664 of 1895	65.0%	★★★☆☆

Low Socio Economic Status

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Texas percentile	Rating
2024	40.3	1313 of 2235	41.3%	★★☆☆☆
2023	54.0	885 of 2251	60.7%	★★★☆☆
2022	52.0	915 of 2220	58.8%	★★★☆☆
2021	56.5	756 of 2172	65.2%	★★★☆☆
2019	54.1	790 of 2073	61.9%	★★★☆☆
2018	59.4	617 of 2039	69.7%	★★★☆☆

Male

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Texas percentile	Rating
2024	30.1	1639 of 2246	27.0%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	35.7	1461 of 2245	34.9%	★★☆☆☆
2022	40.2	1304 of 2228	41.5%	★★☆☆☆
2021	40.5	1235 of 2168	43.0%	★★☆☆☆
2019	38.0	1291 of 2069	37.6%	★★☆☆☆
2018	44.3	1063 of 2030	47.6%	★★☆☆☆

Multi-racial

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Texas percentile	Rating
2024	41.7	465 of 818	43.2%	★★☆☆☆
2023	36.4	550 of 817	32.7%	★★☆☆☆
2022	27.4	650 of 813	20.0%	★☆☆☆☆
2021	31.9	535 of 743	28.0%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	63.3	234 of 753	68.9%	★★★☆☆
2018	49.8	349 of 720	51.5%	★★★☆☆

Native American

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Texas percentile	Rating
2018	34.6	31 of 41	24.4%	★☆☆☆☆

Special Education

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Texas percentile	Rating
2024	49.6	833 of 1891	55.9%	★★★☆☆
2023	39.7	1023 of 1815	43.6%	★★☆☆☆
2022	47.3	734 of 1757	58.2%	★★★☆☆
2021	52.0	567 of 1712	66.9%	★★★☆☆
2019	47.2	677 of 1626	58.4%	★★★☆☆
2018	48.6	609 of 1597	61.9%	★★★☆☆

White

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Texas percentile	Rating
2024	21.5	1506 of 1733	13.1%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	37.8	1181 of 1749	32.5%	★★☆☆☆
2022	54.0	747 of 1723	56.6%	★★★☆☆
2021	41.4	1033 of 1700	39.2%	★★☆☆☆
2019	40.7	1042 of 1684	38.1%	★★☆☆☆
2018	46.8	849 of 1673	49.3%	★★☆☆☆

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)

At Risk (2022)69th percentile+23 vs school

Gifted and Talented (2023)61st percentile+21 vs school

Special Education (2024)56th percentile+27 vs school

African American (2024)50th percentile+21 vs school

Multi-racial (2024)43rd percentile+15 vs school

Low Socio Economic Status (2024)41st percentile+13 vs school

Hispanic (2024)35th percentile+7 vs school

Female (2024)32nd percentile+3 vs school

Asian (2024)29th percentile~ school

Male (2024)27th percentile~ school

Native American (2018)24th percentile-27 vs school

English Language Learner (2024)19th percentile-9 vs school

White (2024)13th percentile-15 vs school

By subject vs Texas (2024-2025) ?

Algebra I87%+40 vs state

Reading44%-10 vs state

Science38%-8 vs state

Mathematics22%-16 vs state

Social Studies20%-10 vs state

5.0

1 rating · 1 written review

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What people are saying

by a parent
Tuesday, November 1, 2011

This school is exceptional; the staff is dedicated to student success. Close Quote

Schools Near Thornton Middle

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

School													Students/Teachers											Ranking (2025)				Ranking (2024)				STAAR EOC Algebra I (2025)	STAAR Reading (2025)			STAAR Mathematics (2025)			STAAR Science (2025)	STAAR Social Studies (2025)	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	White	Black	Hispanic	Asian	American Indian	Pacific Islander	Two or More Races	Average Standard Score (2025)	Statewide Rank (2025)	State Percentile (2025)	SchoolDigger Rating (2025)	Average Standard Score (2024)	Statewide Rank (2024)	State Percentile (2024)	Rank Change from Previous Year	STAAR EOC Algebra I 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 Science 8th Grade	STAAR Social Studies 8th Grade	Total
Thornton Middle	Public	6-8	19802 Kieth Harrow Blvd	Katy	77449	Harris County	Cypress-Fairbanks Independent School District (Isd)	No	No	(n/a)	Yes	(281) 856-1500	1,424	92	15.4	82.5%	68 (4.8%)	445 (31.3%)	806 (56.6%)	50 (3.5%)	13 (0.9%)	1 (0.1%)	41 (2.9%)	31	1697^th of 2344 public middle schools	27.6%		31.3	1696^th of 2372 public middle schools	28.5%	1	86.8	43.5	44.1	44.2	22.5	21.4	21.7	38.4	19.9	$7,961
Cardiff J H	Public	6-8	3900 Dayflorwer Dr	Katy	77449	Harris County	Katy Independent School District (Isd)	No	No	(n/a)	No	(281) 234-0600	803	71	11.2	82.4%	85 (10.6%)	119 (14.8%)	559 (69.6%)	18 (2.2%)	2 (0.2%)	0 (0.0%)	20 (2.5%)	46.9	1171^st of 2344 public middle schools	50.0%		44.7	1252^nd of 2372 public middle schools	47.2%	81	84.2	47.0	47.1	56.5	32.1	17.0	45.2	47.5	29.8	$12,453
Calvin Nelms Middle	Public, Charter	6-8	20625 Clay Rd	Katy	77449	Harris County	Calvin Nelms Charter Schools	Yes	No	(n/a)	No	(281) 398-8031	160	8	21.0		19 (11.9%)	24 (15.0%)	99 (61.9%)	10 (6.3%)	1 (0.6%)	0 (0.0%)	7 (4.4%)	70.8	517^th of 2344 public middle schools	77.9%		83.4	266^th of 2372 public middle schools	88.8%	251	93.8	69.4	63.8	60.9	51.6	62.1	36.7	69.6	17.4	$6,339
T H McDonald J H	Public	6-8	3635 Lakes Of Bridgewater Dr	Katy	77449	Harris County	Katy Independent School District (Isd)	No	No	(n/a)	No	(281) 237-5300	966	76	12.6	72.7%	99 (10.2%)	242 (25.1%)	534 (55.3%)	69 (7.1%)	2 (0.2%)	0 (0.0%)	20 (2.1%)	47.1	1165^th of 2344 public middle schools	50.3%		49.5	1085^th of 2372 public middle schools	54.3%	80	77.8	52.7	60.9	57.4	23.3	17.8	40.4	38.2	29.0	$10,566
Hopper Middle	Public	6-8	7811 Fry Rd	Cypress	77433	Harris County	Cypress-Fairbanks Independent School District (Isd)	No	No	(n/a)	Yes	(281) 463-5353	873	64	13.7	83.7%	49 (5.6%)	321 (36.8%)	454 (52.0%)	20 (2.3%)	3 (0.3%)	3 (0.3%)	23 (2.6%)	31.8	1675^th of 2344 public middle schools	28.5%		26.1	1858^th of 2372 public middle schools	21.7%	183	86.1	47.3	40.7	49.7	18.0	18.6	15.9	40.8	22.0	$9,697
Mayde Creek J H	Public	6-8	2700 Greenhouse Rd	Houston	77084	Harris County	Katy Independent School District (Isd)	No	No	(n/a)	No	(281) 237-3900	1,214	91	13.2	76.1%	110 (9.1%)	361 (29.7%)	631 (52.0%)	65 (5.4%)	1 (0.1%)	0 (0.0%)	46 (3.8%)	45.8	1199^th of 2344 public middle schools	48.8%		43.2	1305^th of 2372 public middle schools	45.0%	106	78.8	51.5	53.3	54.5	24.9	16.7	40.7	43.9	30.2	$9,650
Rowe Middle	Public	6-8	7611 Westgreen Blvd	Cypress	77433	Harris County	Cypress-Fairbanks Independent School District (Isd)	No	No	(n/a)	Yes	(346) 227-6104	1,481	87	17.0	78.4%	78 (5.3%)	473 (31.9%)	813 (54.9%)	68 (4.6%)	6 (0.4%)	2 (0.1%)	41 (2.8%)	44.8	1230^th of 2344 public middle schools	47.5%		43.7	1283^rd of 2372 public middle schools	45.9%	53	76.1	51.9	44.2	57.5	27.7	30.3	27.9	51.8	22.4	$7,125
Morton Ranch J H	Public	6-8	2498 N Mason Rd	Katy	77449	Harris County	Katy Independent School District (Isd)	No	No	(n/a)	No	(281) 237-7400	1,205	97	12.4	76.1%	114 (9.5%)	256 (21.2%)	740 (61.4%)	44 (3.7%)	5 (0.4%)	2 (0.2%)	44 (3.7%)	38.1	1455^th of 2344 public middle schools	37.9%		41.4	1356^th of 2372 public middle schools	42.8%	99	91.0	46.3	33.8	45.4	24.2	7.5	49.4	47.5	26.8	$10,998
Watkins Middle	Public	6-8	4800 Cairnvillage St	Houston	77084	Harris County	Cypress-Fairbanks Independent School District (Isd)	No	No	(n/a)	Yes	(281) 463-5850	1,283	78	16.5	82.5%	110 (8.6%)	315 (24.6%)	728 (56.7%)	88 (6.9%)	9 (0.7%)	0 (0.0%)	33 (2.6%)	34.1	1584^th of 2344 public middle schools	32.4%		38.7	1448^th of 2372 public middle schools	39.0%	136	81.3	52.4	45.0	45.9	28.5	29.0	20.6	28.3	19.7	$7,501
Kahla Middle	Public	6-8	16212 W Little York	Houston	77084	Harris County	Cypress-Fairbanks Independent School District (Isd)	No	No	(n/a)	Yes	(281) 345-3260	1,126	79	14.1	82.9%	61 (5.4%)	303 (26.9%)	649 (57.6%)	66 (5.9%)	12 (1.1%)	2 (0.2%)	33 (2.9%)	31.5	1682^nd of 2344 public middle schools	28.2%		34.4	1592^nd of 2372 public middle schools	32.9%	90	97.8	40.6	37.6	53.3	22.0	24.5	19.1	37.3	21.7	$8,101

Frequently Asked Questions about Thornton Middle

Is Thornton Middle a good school?

Thornton Middle ranks 1697^th of 2344 Texas middle schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 1 star out of 5.

What district is Thornton Middle in?

Cypress-Fairbanks Independent School District (Isd)

How many students attend Thornton Middle?

In the 2024-25 school year, 1,424 students attended Thornton Middle.

What is the racial makeup of Thornton Middle?

Students at Thornton Middle are 57% Hispanic, 31% African American, 5% White, 4% Asian, 3% Two or more races.

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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.