Thurgood Marshall High School

Thurgood Marshall High School in Missouri City, TX, serves 1,698 students in grades 9-12 and is part of the Fort Bend Independent School District (Isd), a district that ranks above average statewide.

Thurgood Marshall High School has historically faced significant academic challenges, earning a 1-star rating for most of the past decade, though it recently improved to a 2-star rating. The school's performance on STAAR End-of-Course exams is notably below both district and state averages, with Algebra I being a critical weak point—only 23.1% of students were proficient, compared to the district average of 60.2%. This is a stark contrast to nearby Dulles High School, which is less than 4 miles away and achieves proficiency rates 20-30 percentage points higher in most subjects. Interestingly, the school spends significantly more per student ($12,612) than higher-performing schools like Dulles ($9,050) and nearby charter schools such as Yes Prep - Brays Oaks ($10,225), which serve even higher-poverty populations yet achieve far better outcomes.

Despite these challenges, there are signs of progress. The school's most recent data shows its first 2-star rating in a decade, with notable improvements for African American students (now at the 55th percentile) and male students. The graduation rate, however, has declined from 92.8% to 85.6% in recent years, and the dropout rate remains double the district average. The success of nearby charter schools like KIPP Houston High School and Yes Prep - Brays Oaks, which achieve strong results with even more disadvantaged student bodies, suggests that the challenges at Thurgood Marshall are not insurmountable and that targeted interventions may be starting to take effect.