Summary:
In zip code 76704 in Waco, Texas, there are two middle schools—G W Carver Middle and Quinn Campus Public Middle—serving grades 5 through 8 with a combined enrollment of about 992 students, and they present a stark contrast in academic performance and resources.
Quinn Campus Public Middle, a charter school in the Rapoport Academy Public School district, is the standout performer. It achieves significantly higher STAAR proficiency rates than G W Carver Middle, despite spending about $3,400 less per student ($10,658 vs. $14,079). For example, in 8th-grade reading, Quinn Campus scores 43% proficient compared to Carver’s 19%, and in Algebra I, Quinn Campus achieved a perfect 100% proficiency rate for two consecutive years, far exceeding Carver’s 29%. Quinn Campus also has a lower free/reduced lunch rate (66% vs. 96%) and a higher state ranking (21st percentile vs. 1st percentile). However, Quinn Campus has seen a recent decline from the 35th percentile to the 21st percentile, a trend worth watching.
G W Carver Middle, part of the Waco Independent School District (Isd), faces significant challenges with high poverty and very low academic performance, placing it in the bottom 1% of Texas middle schools. Its average math proficiency is just 3%, and reading proficiency is 15%. The key takeaway is that higher spending does not guarantee better results—Carver spends more but achieves far less. The charter school model in this area appears to yield stronger outcomes, though both schools have room for improvement. Parents should consider the stark differences in academic programs, particularly in advanced math, when evaluating these schools.
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