Lopez Middle

Lopez Middle in San Antonio, TX, is a high-performing public school serving 1,294 students in grades 6-8 within the North East Independent School District (Isd), located in the Stone Oak area. This school has a remarkable track record, consistently ranking in the 96th to 99th percentile among all Texas middle schools for the past decade, earning a 5-star rating every year. It stands out not just for its overall excellence, but for its ability to serve all students well, with Hispanic students ranking in the 98th percentile statewide and English Language Learners in the 97th percentile, showing that the school effectively closes achievement gaps.

What truly sets Lopez apart is its exceptional performance in advanced math. In the 2025-2026 school year, nearly 93% of students taking the Algebra I End-of-Course exam were proficient—almost double the district average of 60%. While nearby high-performing schools like Hill Middle and Bush Middle have even higher Algebra I scores, Lopez still far exceeds the state norm. The school also maintains an extremely low dropout rate of just 0.2%, which is ten times better than the district average of 2.2%. Interestingly, Lopez achieves these results while spending the least per student ($7,415) compared to nearby schools, such as Driscoll Middle ($10,879) and Eisenhower Middle ($9,696), suggesting that its success comes from teaching quality and community support rather than high spending.

Lopez also handles a common challenge better than most: the "7th grade math dip." While many schools see a sharp decline in math proficiency from 6th to 7th grade, Lopez's 7th-grade math score of 50% is still 3.3 times higher than the district average of 15% and 1.7 times higher than the state average. This consistency over time—with a decade of top rankings—indicates a deeply embedded culture of high achievement. For parents comparing options, Lopez clearly outperforms schools in the neighboring Northside Independent School District (Isd), such as Hobby Middle and Rawlinson Middle, and is on par with the elite Pieper Ranch Middle from Comal Independent School District (Isd).