Summary:
Zip code 77355 in Magnolia, Texas, is home to 8 public schools serving approximately 6,926 students across elementary, middle, and high school grades, split between the Magnolia Independent School District (Isd) and the elite Tomball Independent School District (Isd).
The standout school in the area is Decker Prairie Elementary, the only Tomball ISD school in the zip code, which achieves the highest test scores by far—74.42% of its 3rd graders were proficient in Reading versus the state average of 51.08%—and serves a more affluent population. Within Magnolia ISD, J L Lyon Elementary is a rising star, jumping from the 69th to the 84th percentile in two years while serving a student body where 65.22% are economically disadvantaged. Magnolia J H excels in advanced math, with 96.77% of its Algebra I test-takers proficient, far exceeding district and state averages. At the high school level, Magnolia West High School is a strong 4-star school with a 95.4% graduation rate and a low 0.9% dropout rate. In contrast, Stephens Academy, a small alternative high school, struggles with a 76.9% graduation rate and a 13.3% dropout rate despite high per-student spending.
Key takeaways include a stark performance gap between the two districts, with Tomball ISD ranked in the 97th percentile and Magnolia ISD in the 81st percentile. Economic diversity is significant, with free/reduced lunch rates ranging from 34.99% at Decker Prairie to 71.75% at Willie E Williams Elementary. Spending does not correlate with outcomes, as the highest-spending school (Stephens Academy at $18,173 per student) has the worst results, while the lowest-spending school (Magnolia J H at $8,325 per student) has some of the best. Elementary performance within Magnolia ISD is inconsistent, with Nichols Sawmill Elementary (75th percentile) and J L Lyon outperforming Magnolia Elementary (58th percentile), meaning a child's experience can vary significantly by school.
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