Summary:
This analysis examines five middle schools in the 75070 zip code of McKinney, Texas, serving grades 5 through 8 across the McKinney Independent School District (Isd) and the Frisco Independent School District (Isd), with a total enrollment of 4,533 students.
Scoggins Middle (Frisco ISD) stands out as the top performer, consistently earning a 5-star rating and ranking in the 91st-92nd percentile statewide, with the highest reading proficiency (78.77% in 8th grade) and exceptional advanced coursework results (100% in Biology, 95.71% in Algebra I). Dowell Middle (McKinney ISD) is a strong contender, also earning 5-star ratings and ranking in the 87th-92nd percentile, outperforming district and state averages in reading and science. In contrast, Leonard Evans Junior Middle (McKinney ISD) faces significant challenges, with the lowest state ranking (69th-75th percentile), the highest dropout rate (0.4%), and critically low 8th-grade math proficiency (16.43%). The two Frisco ISD schools—Wortham Intermediate and Scoggins Middle—consistently outperform the three McKinney ISD schools in core subjects like reading and math.
A key finding is the "Algebra I anomaly": all schools show remarkably high Algebra I proficiency (88% to 98%), but this reflects only the top math students taking the exam, while general 8th-grade math scores are universally below the state average of 47.24%, indicating a critical area for improvement across the zip code. Additionally, spending per student does not correlate with performance—Leonard Evans Junior Middle has the highest spending ($10,282) and lowest student-teacher ratio (12.9:1) but the lowest academic results, while Scoggins Middle has the lowest spending ($8,259) and highest performance, suggesting factors like school culture and demographics are more influential.
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