Summary:
This analysis examines two high schools in zip code 76016 (Arlington, TX), serving grades 9-12 within the Arlington Independent School District (Isd), a district ranked in the bottom third of Texas.
The standout school in this area is Arlington College And Career High School, a small, specialized campus of 340 students that consistently ranks in the top 10% of Texas high schools. It achieves exceptional academic results, with 93.42% of students proficient in English II Reading—nearly double the district average—and outperforms both district and state averages in every subject. This is particularly notable given that 78.24% of its students are economically disadvantaged. In contrast, Martin High School is a large, traditional comprehensive school with 3,535 students. While it does not reach the elite status of its smaller counterpart, it is a solid, above-average school with a high graduation rate of 95.4% and a very low dropout rate of 0.7%, both significantly better than the district average. Martin High School also outperforms the district in every tested subject and has shown a positive trajectory, climbing from the 61st to the 70th percentile in state rankings over recent years.
The data reveals a clear "tale of two schools" within the same zip code. Arlington College and Career High School spends $1,642 more per student than Martin High School, suggesting a strategic investment in its specialized model. Both schools are islands of high performance within a district that ranks in the bottom third of Texas, highlighting that school quality can vary dramatically even within the same district. For parents, this means that while the district overall may be average, the individual schools in zip code 76016 offer strong options, with Arlington College and Career providing elite-level academics and Martin High School delivering a reliable, above-average education for a large student body.
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