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Thomas J Rusk Middle

Public Grades 6-8

2009^th

SchoolDigger Rank ?

of 2,335 Texas Middle Schools

Better than 14% of Texas middle schools

Summary

Thomas J Rusk Middle is a public school in Dallas, TX, serving 373 students in grades 6-8 as part of the Dallas Independent School District (Isd), where over 94% of students come from economically disadvantaged backgrounds.

Rusk Middle has faced persistent academic challenges, ranking in the bottom 20% of Texas middle schools for the last five years. This is especially striking given its location near some of the state's highest-performing schools. For example, within a 2.5-mile radius, schools like Sudie L Williams Talented And Gifted Academy and William B Travis Vanguard Academy Of Academically Tag rank in the 100th percentile. The proficiency gap is stark: in 8th-grade reading, Rusk's rate is 41.59%, compared to near-universal proficiency at those magnet schools. However, there is a bright spot in advanced math. Students taking Algebra I at Rusk achieve a 69.39% proficiency rate, significantly higher than the district and state averages, suggesting a strong program for its accelerated learners.

The school shows relative strength in serving its English Language Learner and Special Education populations, but struggles to challenge its Gifted and Talented students, who ranked in the 2nd percentile. A high and volatile dropout rate—peaking at 6.4% in 2022-2023—is a critical concern, as disengagement in middle school often predicts future dropout. Despite spending more per student ($13,290) than nearby magnet peers, the student-teacher ratio has risen to 14.9, indicating resources may not be translating into smaller classes or better outcomes for the general student body. Overall, Rusk Middle is a school with a dual identity: it excels with a select group of advanced math students but faces significant hurdles in elevating the majority of its learners to grade-level proficiency.

373

Students ?

14.9

Student/teacher ratio ?

$15,874

Per pupil spending ?

94.1%

Free/discounted lunch ?

2929 Inwood Rd
Dallas, TX 75235-7517

(972) 925-2000

District: Dallas Independent School District (Isd)

Students who attend Thomas J Rusk Middle usually attend:

High:

North Dallas High School

Feeder schools for Thomas J Rusk Middle:

Elementary:	Esperanza Medrano Elementary
	Maple Lawn Elementary
	Obadiah Knight Elementary

Racial breakdown:

Hispanic:

65.7%

African American:

30.0%

White:

2.4%

See top rated Texas middle schools

Compare Thomas J Rusk Middle to nearby middle schools!

At a glance

▼ Ranking trend: Recently slipping — 36th percentile in 2019 → 14th in 2026

Worth a look

!Test scores below the Texas average (32% vs 48% meeting standards)

!In the lower quartile statewide (14th percentile)

!Ranking has slipped from its 36th-percentile peak (2019) to 14th (2026)

Students meeting standards (2025-2026) ?

This school32%

District avg46%

Texas avg48%

2,009^th of 2,335

Texas public middle schools ?

Bottom 14%▲ up 10 pts since 2016

From bottom 4% (2016) to bottom 14% (2026)

See the entire ranking list of Texas Middle Schools →

★★★★★

SchoolDigger rating ?

28^th of 39Middle Schools in the Dallas Independent School District (Isd)

441^st of 951Dallas 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	21.7	2009 of 2335	14.0%	★☆☆☆☆
2025	24.0	1913 of 2344	18.4%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	21.6	1990 of 2372	16.1%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	24.3	1860 of 2330	20.2%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	30.3	1621 of 2254	28.1%	★☆☆☆☆
2021	21.1	1840 of 2252	18.3%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	36.6	1397 of 2193	36.3%	★★☆☆☆
2018	29.6	1535 of 2080	26.2%	★☆☆☆☆
2017	9.6	1952 of 2027	3.7%	☆☆☆☆☆
2016	8.5	1899 of 1987	4.4%	☆☆☆☆☆
2015	16.0	1842 of 2043	9.8%	☆☆☆☆☆
2014	18.2	1771 of 1987	10.9%	★☆☆☆☆
2013	19.3	1740 of 1973	11.8%	★☆☆☆☆
2012	32.3	1453 of 1951	25.5%	★☆☆☆☆
2011	35.6	1514 of 1895	20.1%	★☆☆☆☆
2010	38.4	1370 of 1803	24.0%	★☆☆☆☆
2009	30.6	1458 of 1763	17.3%	★☆☆☆☆
2008	27.0	1473 of 1718	14.3%	★☆☆☆☆
2007	28.5	1382 of 1684	17.9%	★☆☆☆☆
2006	18.4	1415 of 1585	10.7%	★☆☆☆☆
2005	11.0	1486 of 1582	6.1%	☆☆☆☆☆
2004	13.0	1465 of 1573	6.9%	☆☆☆☆☆

African American

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Texas percentile	Rating
2026	34.6	866 of 1295	33.1%	★★☆☆☆
2025	34.7	672 of 997	32.6%	★★☆☆☆
2024	34.5	861 of 1280	32.7%	★★☆☆☆
2023	35.6	809 of 1273	36.4%	★★☆☆☆
2022	32.5	884 of 1251	29.3%	★☆☆☆☆
2021	26.3	989 of 1213	18.5%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	43.7	612 of 1193	48.7%	★★☆☆☆
2018	53.7	445 of 1167	61.9%	★★★☆☆

Asian

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Texas percentile	Rating
2021	51.0	312 of 589	47.0%	★★☆☆☆

At Risk

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Texas percentile	Rating
2022	53.6	780 of 2182	64.3%	★★★☆☆
2021	45.1	1035 of 2118	51.1%	★★★☆☆
2019	66.6	395 of 2058	80.8%	★★★★☆
2018	60.3	501 of 2008	75.0%	★★★★☆

English Language Learner

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Texas percentile	Rating
2026	47.1	632 of 1390	54.5%	★★★☆☆
2025	47.2	662 of 1428	53.6%	★★★☆☆
2024	39.1	1045 of 1770	41.0%	★★☆☆☆
2023	45.2	852 of 1720	50.5%	★★★☆☆
2022	63.4	378 of 1643	77.0%	★★★★☆
2021	55.9	465 of 1592	70.8%	★★★★☆
2019	77.4	155 of 1445	89.3%	★★★★☆
2018	70.7	185 of 1376	86.6%	★★★★☆

Female

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Texas percentile	Rating
2026	19.8	1989 of 2240	11.2%	★☆☆☆☆
2025	33.1	1268 of 1825	30.5%	★★☆☆☆
2024	27.3	1752 of 2242	21.9%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	25.5	1802 of 2241	19.6%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	29.5	1654 of 2221	25.5%	★☆☆☆☆
2021	24.0	1719 of 2151	20.1%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	34.9	1400 of 2047	31.6%	★★☆☆☆
2018	25.0	1644 of 2008	18.1%	★☆☆☆☆

Gifted and Talented

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Texas percentile	Rating
2026	5.9	1465 of 1497	2.1%	☆☆☆☆☆
2025	23.6	1081 of 1230	12.1%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	7.2	1436 of 1481	3.0%	☆☆☆☆☆
2022	15.0	1369 of 1488	8.0%	☆☆☆☆☆
2021	12.9	1375 of 1501	8.4%	☆☆☆☆☆
2019	29.8	1197 of 1446	17.2%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	22.6	1270 of 1430	11.2%	★☆☆☆☆

Hispanic

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Texas percentile	Rating
2026	25.7	1783 of 2141	16.7%	★☆☆☆☆
2025	36.2	1150 of 1731	33.6%	★★☆☆☆
2024	30.3	1586 of 2119	25.2%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	28.6	1632 of 2116	22.9%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	37.3	1319 of 2077	36.5%	★★☆☆☆
2021	28.0	1574 of 2043	23.0%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	45.0	1010 of 1935	47.8%	★★☆☆☆
2018	30.8	1424 of 1895	24.9%	★☆☆☆☆

Low Socio Economic Status

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Texas percentile	Rating
2026	31.4	1684 of 2253	25.3%	★☆☆☆☆
2025	41.1	1061 of 1820	41.7%	★★☆☆☆
2024	32.4	1625 of 2235	27.3%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	34.2	1568 of 2251	30.3%	★★☆☆☆
2022	41.4	1286 of 2220	42.1%	★★☆☆☆
2021	29.6	1648 of 2172	24.1%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	48.5	998 of 2073	51.9%	★★★☆☆
2018	41.9	1177 of 2039	42.3%	★★☆☆☆

Male

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Texas percentile	Rating
2026	24.4	1865 of 2253	17.2%	★☆☆☆☆
2025	26.5	1428 of 1818	21.5%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	24.4	1817 of 2246	19.1%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	23.5	1817 of 2245	19.1%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	31.2	1603 of 2228	28.1%	★☆☆☆☆
2021	19.3	1866 of 2168	13.9%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	38.0	1287 of 2069	37.8%	★★☆☆☆
2018	33.6	1381 of 2030	32.0%	★★☆☆☆

Multi-racial

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Texas percentile	Rating
2023	54.4	330 of 817	59.6%	★★★☆☆
2019	45.3	402 of 753	46.6%	★★☆☆☆
2018	22.3	618 of 720	14.2%	★☆☆☆☆

Special Education

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Texas percentile	Rating
2026	42.1	1019 of 1956	47.9%	★★☆☆☆
2025	47.9	720 of 1568	54.1%	★★★☆☆
2024	48.0	889 of 1891	53.0%	★★★☆☆
2023	45.6	805 of 1815	55.6%	★★★☆☆
2022	34.2	1197 of 1757	31.9%	★★☆☆☆
2021	32.4	1220 of 1712	28.7%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	40.3	883 of 1626	45.7%	★★☆☆☆
2018	39.3	888 of 1597	44.4%	★★☆☆☆

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)64th percentile+36 vs school

Multi-racial (2023)60th percentile+39 vs school

English Language Learner (2026)55th percentile+41 vs school

Special Education (2026)48th percentile+34 vs school

Asian (2021)47th percentile+29 vs school

African American (2026)33rd percentile+19 vs school

Low Socio Economic Status (2026)25th percentile+11 vs school

Male (2026)17th percentile+3 vs school

Hispanic (2026)17th percentile+3 vs school

Female (2026)11th percentile-3 vs school

Gifted and Talented (2026)2nd percentile-12 vs school

By subject vs Texas (2025-2026) ?

Algebra I69%+15 vs state

Reading35%-21 vs state

Social Studies29%~ state avg

Mathematics22%-21 vs state

★

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Schools Near Thomas J Rusk 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 4th Grade	STAAR Reading 5th Grade	STAAR Reading 6th Grade	STAAR Reading 7th Grade	STAAR Reading 8th Grade	STAAR Mathematics 4th Grade	STAAR Mathematics 5th Grade	STAAR Mathematics 6th Grade	STAAR Mathematics 7th Grade	STAAR Mathematics 8th Grade	STAAR Social Studies 8th Grade	Total
Thomas J Rusk Middle	Public	6-8	2929 Inwood Rd	Dallas	75235	Dallas County	Dallas Independent School District (Isd)	No	No	(n/a)	Yes	(972) 925-2000	373	25	14.9	94.1%	9 (2.4%)	112 (30.0%)	245 (65.7%)	3 (0.8%)	1 (0.3%)	0 (0.0%)	3 (0.8%)	21.7	2009^th of 2335 public middle schools	14.0%		24	1913^th of 2344 public middle schools	18.4%	96	69.4			26.6	34.4	41.6			18.6		24.2	29.2	$15,874
Dallas Hybrid Preparatory At Stephen J Hay	Public, Virtual	3-8	3801 Herschel Ave	Dallas	75219	Dallas County	Dallas Independent School District (Isd)	No	No	Yes	Yes	(972) 925-3700	111	12	9.3	73.9%	14 (12.6%)	26 (23.4%)	69 (62.2%)	1 (0.9%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (0.9%)	0 (0.0%)	53.8	922^nd of 2335 public middle schools	60.5%		60	799^th of 2344 public middle schools	65.9%	123	83.3	46.2	66.7	54.6	69.7	64.3	25.0	16.7	30.3		34.9	32.1	$32,517
Henry W Longfellow Career Exploration Academy	Public, Magnet	6-8	5314 Boaz St	Dallas	75209	Dallas County	Dallas Independent School District (Isd)	No	Yes	(n/a)	Yes	(972) 749-5400	449	23	19.5	78.0%	46 (10.2%)	35 (7.8%)	343 (76.4%)	15 (3.3%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (0.2%)	9 (2.0%)	96.7	45^th of 2335 public middle schools	98.1%		96.4	48^th of 2344 public middle schools	98.0%	3	90.1			91.1	95.6	96.9			64.6		84.5	79.0	$10,360
Uplift Williams Prep Middle	Public, Charter	6-8	1750 Viceroy Dr	Dallas	75235	Dallas County	Uplift Education	Yes	No	(n/a)	Yes	(214) 276-0352	532	35	15.3	89.5%	11 (2.1%)	8 (1.5%)	507 (95.3%)	1 (0.2%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	5 (0.9%)	21	2020^th of 2335 public middle schools	13.5%		33.1	1616^th of 2344 public middle schools	31.1%	404	74.0			34.8	36.6	45.3			28.5		27.3	7.7	$8,602
Sudie L Williams Talented And Gifted Academy	Public	4-8	4518 Pomona Rd	Dallas	75209	Dallas County	Dallas Independent School District (Isd)	No	No	(n/a)	Yes	(972) 794-8700	446	26	17.2	13.7%	256 (57.4%)	15 (3.4%)	94 (21.1%)	35 (7.8%)	6 (1.3%)	1 (0.2%)	39 (8.7%)	99.5	4^th of 2335 public middle schools	99.8%		99.5	4^th of 2344 public middle schools	99.8%		97.7	100.0	100.0	99.0	100.0	100.0	100.0	96.6	96.8		97.8	97.7	$10,046
William B Travis Vanguard Academy Of Academically Tag	Public, Magnet	4-8	3001 McKinney Ave	Dallas	75204	Dallas County	Dallas Independent School District (Isd)	No	Yes	(n/a)	No	(972) 794-7500	517	30	17.1	18.2%	270 (52.2%)	23 (4.4%)	122 (23.6%)	49 (9.5%)	8 (1.5%)	0 (0.0%)	45 (8.7%)	99.5	2^nd of 2335 public middle schools	99.9%		99.2	5^th of 2344 public middle schools	99.8%	3	100.0	100.0	100.0	100.0	100.0	100.0	97.9	98.9	95.1		99.2	96.4	$9,183
Highland Park Middle	Public	7-8	3555 Granada Ave	Dallas	75205	Dallas County	Highland Park Independent School District (Isd)	No	No	(n/a)	No	(214) 780-3600	939	66	14.2		746 (79.4%)	8 (0.9%)	63 (6.7%)	85 (9.1%)	2 (0.2%)	1 (0.1%)	34 (3.6%)	98.4	14^th of 2335 public middle schools	99.4%		98.2	17^th of 2344 public middle schools	99.3%	3	99.6				91.6	93.3				76.1	90.5	69.4	$11,561
McCulloch Intermediate	Public	5-6	3555 Granada Ave	Dallas	75205	Dallas County	Highland Park Independent School District (Isd)	No	No	(n/a)	No	(214) 780-3500	871	65	13.3		717 (82.3%)	1 (0.1%)	59 (6.8%)	59 (6.8%)	1 (0.1%)	0 (0.0%)	34 (3.9%)								(n/a)			91.0	91.8				80.6	82.7	100.0			$9,744
Alex W Spence Talented/Gifted Academy	Public, Magnet	6-8	4001 Capitol Ave	Dallas	75204	Dallas County	Dallas Independent School District (Isd)	No	Yes	(n/a)	Yes	(972) 925-2300	486	30	15.9	90.7%	19 (3.9%)	142 (29.2%)	300 (61.7%)	10 (2.1%)	5 (1.0%)	0 (0.0%)	10 (2.1%)	45.4	1194^th of 2335 public middle schools	48.9%		53.2	977^th of 2344 public middle schools	58.3%	217	67.4			49.5	53.3	58.4			27.3		28.9	36.5	$11,601
Uplift Heights Prep Middle	Public, Charter	6-8	2650 Canada Dr	Dallas	75212	Dallas County	Uplift Education	Yes	No	(n/a)	Yes	(214) 442-7094	448	29	15.5	90.6%	2 (0.4%)	78 (17.4%)	360 (80.4%)	4 (0.9%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	4 (0.9%)	25.4	1881^st of 2335 public middle schools	19.4%		25.6	1879^th of 2344 public middle schools	19.8%	2	52.7			48.3	35.1	48.3			6.8		20.4	24.0	$10,150

Frequently Asked Questions about Thomas J Rusk Middle

What is the racial makeup of Thomas J Rusk Middle?

Students at Thomas J Rusk Middle are 66% Hispanic, 30% African American, 2% White.

How many students attend Thomas J Rusk Middle?

In the 2024-25 school year, 373 students attended Thomas J Rusk Middle.

What district is Thomas J Rusk Middle in?

Dallas Independent School District (Isd)

Is Thomas J Rusk Middle a good school?

Thomas J Rusk Middle ranks in the bottom 14.0% of Texas middle schools.

What high school do graduates of Thomas J Rusk Middle attend?

Students who attend Thomas J Rusk Middle usually go on to attend North Dallas High School

Rate Thomas J Rusk Middle!

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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.