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Thornton Middle

Q: Is Thornton Middle a good school?

Thornton Middle ranks 1657 th of 2335 Texas middle schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 1 star out of 5.

Public Grades 6-8

1657^th

SchoolDigger Rank ?

of 2,335 Texas Middle Schools

Better than 29% of Texas middle schools

Summary

Thornton Middle in Katy, TX, is a large school serving 1,424 students in grades 6-8 within the Cypress-Fairbanks Independent School District (Isd), where over 82% of students qualify for free or reduced-price lunch.

Thornton Middle is a school of stark contrasts. Its most impressive feature is its Algebra I program, where students consistently achieve proficiency rates of 86-88%, far exceeding both the state average (45-54%) and the district average (63-65%). This performance even surpasses nearby high-performing schools like Stockdick J H and Calvin Nelms Middle. However, this success masks broader struggles. While advanced math students thrive, the school’s overall state ranking has declined from the 51st percentile in 2018 to a 1-star rating in the 28th-29th percentile for the last three years. For example, only 15% of 8th graders were proficient in grade-level math, compared to 87% in Algebra I. This creates a "two-speed" school where high achievers excel, but the general student body, including White students (19th percentile) and English Language Learners (20th percentile), lags behind.

Compared to nearby schools in the higher-ranked Katy Independent School District (Isd), such as Cardiff J H and T H McDonald J H, Thornton Middle shows a clear performance gap in reading and science. Additionally, the school’s per-student spending ($9,395) is lower than similar high-need schools like Hopper Middle ($10,270) and Cardiff J.H. ($11,739), suggesting the school is asked to do more with less. Despite these challenges, a bright spot exists: in 2020-2021, Thornton Middle ranked in the 74th percentile for supporting its "At Risk" students, showing it has the potential to effectively support its most vulnerable learners.

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 — 41st percentile in 2016 → 29th in 2026

Worth a look

!Test scores below the Texas average (35% vs 47% meeting standards)

!Ranking has slipped — down 12 percentile points since 2016

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

Students meeting standards (2025-2026) ?

This school35%

District avg53%

Texas avg47%

1,657^th of 2,335

Texas public middle schools ?

Bottom 29%▼ down 11 pts since 2016

From bottom 41% (2016) to bottom 29% (2026)

See the entire ranking list of Texas Middle Schools →

★★★★★

SchoolDigger rating ?

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

320^th of 951Cypress-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
2026	32.1	1657 of 2335	29.0%	★☆☆☆☆
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
2026	38.4	783 of 1295	39.5%	★★☆☆☆
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
2026	50.9	361 of 642	43.8%	★★☆☆☆
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
2026	29.7	1106 of 1390	20.4%	★☆☆☆☆
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
2026	32.1	1605 of 2240	28.3%	★☆☆☆☆
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
2026	56.4	791 of 1497	47.2%	★★☆☆☆
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
2026	37.6	1373 of 2141	35.9%	★★☆☆☆
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
2026	41.2	1328 of 2253	41.1%	★★☆☆☆
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
2026	32.1	1607 of 2253	28.7%	★☆☆☆☆
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
2026	33.5	571 of 806	29.2%	★☆☆☆☆
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
2026	38.1	1173 of 1956	40.0%	★★☆☆☆
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
2026	27.7	1394 of 1731	19.5%	★☆☆☆☆
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 (2026)47th percentile+18 vs school

Asian (2026)44th percentile+15 vs school

Low Socio Economic Status (2026)41st percentile+12 vs school

Special Education (2026)40th percentile+11 vs school

African American (2026)40th percentile+11 vs school

Hispanic (2026)36th percentile+7 vs school

Multi-racial (2026)29th percentile~ school

Male (2026)29th percentile~ school

Female (2026)28th percentile~ school

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

English Language Learner (2026)20th percentile-9 vs school

White (2026)19th percentile-10 vs school

By subject vs Texas (2025-2026) ?

Algebra I87%+33 vs state

Reading46%-10 vs state

Mathematics23%-16 vs state

Social Studies21%-11 vs state

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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

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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 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	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 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
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%)	32.1	1657^th of 2335 public middle schools	29.0%		31	1697^th of 2344 public middle schools	27.6%	40	86.8	47.4	42.9	46.9	24.1	27.8	15.5	20.9	$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%)	49.4	1056^th of 2335 public middle schools	54.8%		46.9	1171^st of 2344 public middle schools	50.0%	115	95.8	48.4	53.3	55.7	41.4	25.3	47.2	27.3	$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%)	75	410^th of 2335 public middle schools	82.4%		70.8	517^th of 2344 public middle schools	77.9%	107	100.0	65.0	67.6	77.2	53.1	39.6	60.7	31.6	$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%)	51	1014^th of 2335 public middle schools	56.6%		47.1	1165^th of 2344 public middle schools	50.3%	151	93.5	55.8	56.3	57.0	35.0	17.6	41.5	34.1	$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%)	32.2	1652^nd of 2335 public middle schools	29.3%		31.8	1675^th of 2344 public middle schools	28.5%	23	77.1	44.3	45.5	44.9	31.3	25.0	15.3	20.7	$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%)	43	1284^th of 2335 public middle schools	45.0%		45.8	1199^th of 2344 public middle schools	48.8%	85	77.5	52.1	56.1	54.7	22.0	13.0	44.3	24.8	$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%)	47.8	1111^th of 2335 public middle schools	52.4%		44.8	1230^th of 2344 public middle schools	47.5%	119	94.0	55.3	52.6	52.6	34.7	37.8	24.9	28.2	$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%)	45.9	1177^th of 2335 public middle schools	49.6%		38.1	1455^th of 2344 public middle schools	37.9%	278	92.0	51.0	50.9	48.4	32.3	7.4	55.7	32.4	$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%)	38.3	1447^th of 2335 public middle schools	38.0%		34.1	1584^th of 2344 public middle schools	32.4%	137	76.6	50.7	46.9	50.4	32.6	29.0	28.6	18.9	$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%)	33.1	1627^th of 2335 public middle schools	30.3%		31.5	1682^nd of 2344 public middle schools	28.2%	55	100.0	49.4	41.5	49.3	26.9	28.1	26.4	15.2	$8,101

Frequently Asked Questions about Thornton Middle

What district is Thornton Middle in?

Cypress-Fairbanks Independent School District (Isd)

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.

Is Thornton Middle a good school?

Thornton Middle ranks 1657^th of 2335 Texas middle schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 1 star out of 5.

How many students attend Thornton Middle?

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

Rate Thornton Middle!

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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.