Summary:
The ten schools in zip code 77073 serve a diverse community of students from elementary through high school, primarily within the Aldine Independent School District (Isd) and the Spring Independent School District (Isd), with a high level of economic disadvantage reflected in an average free/reduced lunch rate of about 81.6%.
The standout schools in this area are two magnet/choice programs that dramatically outperform all others. Spring Early College Academy is a top 3% high school in Texas with a 100% graduation rate and test scores 30-40 points above the state average, while Young Womens Leadership Academy is a top 3% middle school with similarly exceptional results. In contrast, several traditional schools struggle significantly. Lewis Middle ranks in the bottom 5% of Texas middle schools, with only 7.46% of 7th graders proficient in math. Richard Milburn Academy Houston (Suburban), an alternative school, has a 27.2% dropout rate and test scores in the single digits for core subjects. Among elementary schools, Milton Cooper Elementary is a bright spot, meeting or exceeding state averages in reading and math, while Dunn Elementary lags behind.
Key takeaways include the "island of excellence" phenomenon, where two elite schools coexist with many struggling ones, and the fact that spending does not correlate with success—the top-performing Spring Early College Academy spends a modest $8,985 per student, while the lowest-performing Richard Milburn Academy Houston (Suburban) spends the least at $7,731. An interesting anomaly is La Promesa, a low-performing high school with a high dropout rate, yet its students achieve a 64.77% proficiency rate in Algebra I, well above state and district averages. Overall, parents should be aware of the stark performance gap between the selective magnet schools and the neighborhood schools, and that strong elementary performance at Milton Cooper Elementary does not necessarily carry over to its feeder high school, Andy Dekaney High School.
Thank you for your feedback!