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Lawson Middle

Q: Is Lawson Middle a good school?

Lawson Middle ranks 1551 st of 2344 Texas middle schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 2 stars out of 5.

Public, Magnet Grades 6-8

1551^st

SchoolDigger Rank ?

of 2,344 Texas Middle Schools

Better than 34% of Texas middle schools

Summary

Lawson Middle is a public magnet middle school in Houston, Texas, serving 1,132 students in grades 6-8. While the school is part of the Houston Independent School District (HISD), which is ranked 505 out of 961 districts in Texas, Lawson Middle's academic performance is generally below the district and state averages across most subjects and grade levels.

Lawson Middle's performance varies significantly across different student subgroups. The school performs relatively well for African American and Hispanic students compared to other Texas middle schools, but it struggles with White and Gifted and Talented student populations, ranking in the bottom quartile of the state. Additionally, Lawson Middle has had consistently high dropout rates, ranging from 3.5% to 4.1% over the past few years, which are significantly higher than the district and state averages. The school serves a high-need population, with over 95% of its students qualifying for free or reduced-price lunch, indicating a very low socioeconomic status.

Compared to nearby magnet schools, such as Fondren Middle and Welch Middle, which are also part of the HISD district, Lawson Middle's performance is generally lower across various academic metrics. This suggests that the school may be facing significant challenges in providing a high-quality education to its diverse student population, and there are opportunities for improvement by leveraging the resources and best practices available within the district.

1,069

Students ?

14.6

Student/teacher ratio ?

$15,308

Per pupil spending ?

92.7%

Free/discounted lunch ?

14000 Stancliff St
Houston, TX 77045-5328

(713) 434-5600

District: Houston Independent School District (Isd)

Students who attend Lawson Middle usually attend:

High:

Madison High School

Feeder schools for Lawson Middle:

Elementary:	Almeda Elementary
	Grissom Elementary
	Hines-Caldwell
	Hobby Elementary
	More...
	Montgomery Elementary
	Petersen Elementary
	Windsor Village Elementary

Racial breakdown:

Hispanic:

61.0%

African American:

37.6%

White:

0.7%

See top rated Texas middle schools

Compare Lawson Middle to nearby middle schools!

At a glance

▲ Ranking trend: Improving — 5th percentile in 2015 → 34th in 2025

Strengths

✓Ranking is trending up — up 29 percentile points since 2015

Worth a look

!Test scores below the Texas average (37% vs 45% meeting standards)

!Social Studies scores 21 pts below the Texas average

Students meeting standards (2024-2025) ?

This school37%

District avg43%

Texas avg45%

1,551^st of 2,344

Texas public middle schools ?

Bottom 34%▲ up 29 pts since 2015

From bottom 5% (2015) to bottom 34% (2025)

See the entire ranking list of Texas Middle Schools →

★★★★★

SchoolDigger rating ?

22^nd of 42Middle Schools in the Houston Independent School District (Isd)

505^th of 961Houston 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	35.2	1551 of 2344	33.8%	★★☆☆☆
2024	26.9	1830 of 2372	22.8%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	19.6	2001 of 2330	14.1%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	27.8	1714 of 2254	24.0%	★☆☆☆☆
2021	21.9	1825 of 2252	19.0%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	17.7	1944 of 2193	11.4%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	14.4	1937 of 2080	6.9%	☆☆☆☆☆
2017	10.3	1942 of 2027	4.2%	☆☆☆☆☆
2016	9.3	1891 of 1987	4.8%	☆☆☆☆☆
2015	6.9	1950 of 2043	4.6%	☆☆☆☆☆
2014	22.1	1684 of 1987	15.2%	★☆☆☆☆
2013	26.9	1608 of 1973	18.5%	★☆☆☆☆
2012	21.2	1686 of 1951	13.6%	★☆☆☆☆
2011	38.8	1432 of 1895	24.4%	★☆☆☆☆
2010	30.2	1515 of 1803	16.0%	★☆☆☆☆
2009	16.0	1650 of 1763	6.4%	☆☆☆☆☆
2008	15.1	1607 of 1718	6.5%	☆☆☆☆☆
2007	7.9	1618 of 1684	3.9%	☆☆☆☆☆
2006	8.3	1521 of 1585	4.0%	☆☆☆☆☆
2005	7.1	1525 of 1582	3.6%	☆☆☆☆☆
2004	12.3	1473 of 1573	6.4%	☆☆☆☆☆

African American

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Texas percentile	Rating
2024	43.1	661 of 1280	48.4%	★★☆☆☆
2023	23.5	1058 of 1273	16.9%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	31.8	903 of 1251	27.8%	★☆☆☆☆
2021	29.1	932 of 1213	23.2%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	27.1	939 of 1193	21.3%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	18.8	1072 of 1167	8.1%	☆☆☆☆☆

At Risk

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Texas percentile	Rating
2022	42.6	1176 of 2182	46.1%	★★☆☆☆
2021	36.2	1375 of 2118	35.1%	★★☆☆☆
2019	33.6	1450 of 2058	29.5%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	30.5	1559 of 2008	22.4%	★☆☆☆☆

English Language Learner

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Texas percentile	Rating
2024	45.7	858 of 1770	51.5%	★★★☆☆
2023	34.7	1151 of 1720	33.1%	★★☆☆☆
2022	46.4	755 of 1643	54.0%	★★★☆☆
2021	44.8	765 of 1592	51.9%	★★★☆☆
2019	41.8	785 of 1445	45.7%	★★☆☆☆
2018	34.7	921 of 1376	33.1%	★★☆☆☆

Female

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Texas percentile	Rating
2024	29.9	1667 of 2242	25.6%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	19.0	1958 of 2241	12.6%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	31.4	1585 of 2221	28.6%	★☆☆☆☆
2021	26.4	1664 of 2151	22.6%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	16.7	1873 of 2047	8.5%	☆☆☆☆☆
2018	14.1	1905 of 2008	5.1%	☆☆☆☆☆

Gifted and Talented

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Texas percentile	Rating
2023	26.4	1278 of 1481	13.7%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	22.0	1307 of 1488	12.2%	★☆☆☆☆
2021	16.3	1344 of 1501	10.5%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	10.4	1390 of 1446	3.9%	☆☆☆☆☆
2018	8.6	1388 of 1430	2.9%	☆☆☆☆☆

Hispanic

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Texas percentile	Rating
2024	41.3	1222 of 2119	42.3%	★★☆☆☆
2023	31.0	1572 of 2116	25.7%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	41.1	1202 of 2077	42.1%	★★☆☆☆
2021	31.9	1447 of 2043	29.2%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	24.7	1627 of 1935	15.9%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	21.8	1672 of 1895	11.8%	★☆☆☆☆

Low Socio Economic Status

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Texas percentile	Rating
2024	44.2	1173 of 2235	47.5%	★★☆☆☆
2023	28.0	1773 of 2251	21.2%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	37.8	1426 of 2220	35.8%	★★☆☆☆
2021	29.7	1647 of 2172	24.2%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	26.1	1729 of 2073	16.6%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	20.3	1852 of 2039	9.2%	☆☆☆☆☆

Male

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Texas percentile	Rating
2024	34.0	1505 of 2246	33.0%	★★☆☆☆
2023	20.4	1912 of 2245	14.8%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	24.7	1801 of 2228	19.2%	★☆☆☆☆
2021	19.1	1875 of 2168	13.5%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	18.9	1838 of 2069	11.2%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	15.4	1898 of 2030	6.5%	☆☆☆☆☆

Multi-racial

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Texas percentile	Rating
2023	13.8	773 of 817	5.4%	☆☆☆☆☆
2022	58.7	286 of 813	64.8%	★★★☆☆

Special Education

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Texas percentile	Rating
2024	80.7	135 of 1891	92.9%	★★★★★
2023	21.8	1684 of 1815	7.2%	☆☆☆☆☆
2022	28.0	1446 of 1757	17.7%	★☆☆☆☆
2021	25.6	1498 of 1712	12.5%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	33.2	1138 of 1626	30.0%	★★☆☆☆
2018	29.8	1248 of 1597	21.9%	★☆☆☆☆

White

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Texas percentile	Rating
2023	5.9	1713 of 1749	2.1%	☆☆☆☆☆
2022	45.2	964 of 1723	44.1%	★★☆☆☆

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)

Special Education (2024)93rd percentile+70 vs school

English Language Learner (2024)52nd percentile+29 vs school

African American (2024)48th percentile+26 vs school

Low Socio Economic Status (2024)48th percentile+25 vs school

At Risk (2022)46th percentile+22 vs school

Hispanic (2024)42nd percentile+19 vs school

Male (2024)33rd percentile+10 vs school

Female (2024)26th percentile+3 vs school

Gifted and Talented (2023)14th percentile~ school

Multi-racial (2023)5th percentile-9 vs school

White (2023)2nd percentile-12 vs school

By subject vs Texas (2024-2025) ?

Algebra I87%+40 vs state

Reading43%-12 vs state

Mathematics39%~ state avg

Science34%-13 vs state

Social Studies8%-21 vs state

5.0

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What people are saying

by a student
Saturday, March 10, 2012

Dowling is a great school.Some people think it's bad but its not.Take it from me I went to Dowling. Close Quote

Schools Near Lawson 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 EOC Biology (2025)	STAAR EOC English I Reading (2025)	STAAR EOC English II Reading (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 EOC Biology End of Course	STAAR EOC English I Reading End of Course	STAAR EOC English II Reading End of Course	STAAR Reading 5th Grade	STAAR Reading 6th Grade	STAAR Reading 7th Grade	STAAR Reading 8th Grade	STAAR Mathematics 5th Grade	STAAR Mathematics 6th Grade	STAAR Mathematics 7th Grade	STAAR Mathematics 8th Grade	STAAR Science 5th Grade	STAAR Science 8th Grade	STAAR Social Studies 8th Grade	Total
Lawson Middle	Public, Magnet	6-8	14000 Stancliff St	Houston	77045	Harris County	Houston Independent School District (Isd)	No	Yes	(n/a)	Yes	(713) 434-5600	1,069	73	14.6	92.7%	8 (0.7%)	402 (37.6%)	652 (61.0%)	3 (0.3%)	2 (0.2%)	0 (0.0%)	2 (0.2%)	35.2	1551^st of 2344 public middle schools	33.8%		26.9	1830^th of 2372 public middle schools	22.8%	279	86.5					43.3	37.3	46.7		40.9	17.6	52.4		33.7	8.4	$15,308
Accelerated Intermediate Charter School	Public, Charter	7-8	12825 Summit Rdg Dr	Houston	77085	Harris County	Accelerated Intermediate Academy	Yes	No	(n/a)	No	(713) 728-9330	21	2	11.7	90.5%	1 (4.8%)	5 (23.8%)	13 (61.9%)	1 (4.8%)	1 (4.8%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	91.4	127^th of 2344 public middle schools	94.6%		72.2	492^nd of 2372 public middle schools	79.3%	365							70.0	70.0			60.0	90.0		80.0	60.0	$17,123
KIPP Mosaic Academy School	Public, Charter	6-10	12751 Hillcroft Ave	Houston	77085	Harris County	KIPP Texas Public Schools	Yes	No	(n/a)	Yes	(281) 879-3110	788	35	22.4	89.5%	4 (0.5%)	160 (20.3%)	610 (77.4%)	4 (0.5%)	1 (0.1%)	0 (0.0%)	9 (1.1%)	33.9	1588^th of 2344 public middle schools	32.3%		39.6	1405^th of 2372 public middle schools	40.8%	183	30.5	58.1	56.8	68.7		49.7	36.7	53.6		28.6	22.2			32.3	17.4	$6,726
Christa McAuliffe Middle	Public	6-8	16650 S Post Oak	Houston	77053	Fort Bend County	Fort Bend Independent School District (Isd)	No	No	(n/a)	Yes	(281) 634-3360	806	60	13.3	91.1%	10 (1.2%)	314 (39.0%)	456 (56.6%)	7 (0.9%)	1 (0.1%)	1 (0.1%)	17 (2.1%)	15	2149^th of 2344 public middle schools	8.3%		16.2	2122^nd of 2372 public middle schools	10.5%	27	55.9					30.4	30.7	33.2		9.5	18.3	22.0		13.6	13.1	$11,839
Meyerland Middle	Public, Magnet	6-8	10410 Manhattan Dr	Houston	77096	Harris County	Houston Independent School District (Isd)	No	Yes	(n/a)	Yes	(713) 726-3616	1,166	74	15.6	51.8%	211 (18.1%)	267 (22.9%)	629 (53.9%)	28 (2.4%)	3 (0.3%)	1 (0.1%)	27 (2.3%)	61.1	766^th of 2344 public middle schools	67.3%		55.9	893^rd of 2372 public middle schools	62.4%	127	93.4					62.7	64.4	69.2		38.1	18.9	54.0		45.1	28.7	$9,312
Nolan Ryan J H	Public	6-8	11500 Shadow Creek Pkwy	Pearland	77584	Brazoria County	Alvin Independent School District (Isd)	No	No	(n/a)	No	(281) 245-3210	777	48	16.2	36.9%	95 (12.2%)	320 (41.2%)	155 (19.9%)	161 (20.7%)	3 (0.4%)	3 (0.4%)	40 (5.1%)	79.2	341^st of 2344 public middle schools	85.5%		70.5	528^th of 2372 public middle schools	77.7%	187	98.1					71.6	75.0	73.9		9.0	37.5	71.1		58.7	44.6	$8,434
Fondren Middle	Public, Magnet	6-8	6333 S Braeswood	Houston	77096	Harris County	Houston Independent School District (Isd)	No	Yes	(n/a)	Yes	(713) 778-3360	713	47	15.3	99.0%	14 (2.0%)	154 (21.6%)	532 (74.6%)	9 (1.3%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	4 (0.6%)	15	2151^st of 2344 public middle schools	8.2%		13.7	2189^th of 2372 public middle schools	7.7%	38						28.9	27.3	24.9		24.8	21.7	23.8		15.5	2.8	$13,918
Dr Ronald E McNair J H	Public	6-8	2950 Kingsley	Pearland	77584	Brazoria County	Alvin Independent School District (Isd)	No	No	(n/a)	No	(713) 814-7200	1,034	59	17.4	26.0%	144 (13.9%)	312 (30.2%)	238 (23.0%)	291 (28.1%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	49 (4.7%)	90.9	136^th of 2344 public middle schools	94.2%		90	149^th of 2372 public middle schools	93.7%	13	99.0					81.6	84.7	83.5		22.5	61.7	77.7		73.4	50.3	$7,814
Welch Middle	Public, Magnet	6-8	11544 S Gessner	Houston	77071	Harris County	Houston Independent School District (Isd)	No	Yes	(n/a)	Yes	(713) 778-3300	547	38	14.3	99.8%	8 (1.5%)	169 (30.9%)	319 (58.3%)	43 (7.9%)	2 (0.4%)	1 (0.2%)	5 (0.9%)	26.9	1843^rd of 2344 public middle schools	21.4%		21.7	1989^th of 2372 public middle schools	16.1%	146	55.6					29.6	35.3	32.9		24.6	29.6	34.4		40.5	11.8	$13,163
KIPP Spirit College Prep	Public, Charter	5-8	11000 Scott St	Houston	77047	Harris County	KIPP Texas Public Schools	Yes	No	(n/a)	Yes	(832) 230-0562	532	20	26.6	91.5%	3 (0.6%)	384 (72.2%)	140 (26.3%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	5 (0.9%)	48.4	1128^th of 2344 public middle schools	51.9%		46.7	1182^nd of 2372 public middle schools	50.2%	54	29.6				34.9	41.9	55.1	66.7	24.4	25.7	24.8		17.4	55.0	22.5	$8,128

Frequently Asked Questions about Lawson Middle

What district is Lawson Middle in?

Houston Independent School District (Isd)

What is the racial makeup of Lawson Middle?

Students at Lawson Middle are 61% Hispanic, 38% African American.

Is Lawson Middle a good school?

Lawson Middle ranks 1551^st of 2344 Texas middle schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 2 stars out of 5.

What high school do graduates of Lawson Middle attend?

Students who attend Lawson Middle usually go on to attend Madison High School

How many students attend Lawson Middle?

In the 2024-25 school year, 1,069 students attended Lawson Middle.

Rate Lawson 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.