Cook Middle

Cook Middle is a mid-sized school in Houston, TX, serving approximately 1,375 students in grades 6-8 within the Cypress-Fairbanks Independent School District (Isd), and it has a history of solid performance but is currently experiencing a concerning downward trend in its state ranking.

While Cook Middle was a top-tier performer for years, its overall ranking has steadily declined from the 76th percentile to the 57th percentile in recent years. This is a significant shift, especially when compared to a nearby peer like Aragon Middle, which has remained stable and strong in the 77th-81st percentile over the same period. The school shows a "tale of two schools" in its academic results. On one hand, it is exceptionally effective in advanced math, with nearly 100% of its students scoring proficient on the Algebra I End-of-Course exam—a massive outlier compared to the district average of about 64%. On the other hand, its general math scores are a major concern, particularly in 8th grade, where only 27.9% of students are proficient versus the state average of 47.2%. This suggests the school may be concentrating its best resources on a select group of advanced students, potentially at the expense of the broader student body.

Reading scores are a relative strength, generally close to or slightly above the state average. The school also maintains a very low dropout rate (0.3%-0.8%), consistently below the district average, which is a positive sign for student retention. However, the school is finding it increasingly difficult to support its economically disadvantaged students, with their performance dropping from the 69th to the 49th percentile. While Cook still outperforms its closest neighbor, Campbell Middle, which ranks in the bottom 30th percentile, its own declining trajectory means it is at risk of falling to the level of lower-performing peers if the trend is not reversed.