Best Public Schools in Zip Code 77072

The 13 schools in zip code 77072 (Houston, TX) serve students from Pre-K through 12th grade, with the vast majority belonging to the Alief Independent School District (Isd), a high-poverty district where an average of 87% of students qualify for free or reduced lunch.

The standout school in the area is the Alief Montessori Community School, which is the only school not part of the main Alief ISD. It ranks in the 83rd percentile statewide (4-star rating) and achieves exceptional academic results, such as 82% reading proficiency and 65.5% math proficiency, despite having the lowest per-student spending ($6,144). Among traditional elementary schools, Martin Elementary is the highest-ranked (3-star, 55th percentile), with 4th graders matching the state average in math. The two comprehensive high schools, Elsik High School and Hastings High School, both rank in the bottom quartile (1-star), but have different strengths: Elsik has higher test scores (34.2% proficient in Algebra I), while Hastings has a higher graduation rate (89.5% vs. 82.3%).

A key finding is the "spending paradox"—higher spending does not guarantee better outcomes, as the highest-spending schools like Landis Elementary ($13,375 per student) and Alief Learning Center (6-12) ($1.76 million per student) are among the lowest-performing. Mathematics is a universal weakness across the district, with proficiency rates often far below state averages, such as only 9.5% of 7th graders proficient in math at Alief Middle. The two Alief Learning Centers (K-6 and 6-12) are small, specialized campuses with very low student-teacher ratios, making their data not directly comparable to the comprehensive schools.