Best High Schools in Zip Code 77506

Zip code 77506 in Pasadena, Texas, is home to two high schools serving grades 9-12: Pasadena High School and Richard Milburn Academy Pasadena, which present a stark contrast in size, performance, and student outcomes.

Pasadena High School is a large traditional public school with over 2,200 students, ranking in the 32nd percentile statewide. It boasts a graduation rate of 87.7% and a low dropout rate of 1.9%, despite serving a population where nearly 90% of students qualify for free or reduced lunch. Its strongest STAAR test scores are in Biology (66.94% proficient) and U.S. History (62.18% proficient), though all subjects fall below state averages. In contrast, Richard Milburn Academy Pasadena is a small alternative charter school with just 123 students, ranking in the bottom 6th percentile. It faces severe challenges, with a graduation rate of only 22.6% and a dropout rate of 21.6%. Its test scores are critically low across most subjects, except for Biology where 54.55% of students are proficient—a notable outlier that approaches the state average.

The resource disparity is significant: Pasadena High School spends $10,785 per student, while Richard Milburn Academy Pasadena spends only $6,921. Both schools are part of different districts—Pasadena Independent School District (Isd) and Richard Milburn Alter High School (Killeen)—with the latter district ranking in the 1st percentile statewide. While Pasadena High School shows slight stagnation in its ranking over recent years, Richard Milburn Academy Pasadena remains chronically underperforming, suggesting that the alternative school model is failing to meet student needs and requires significant intervention.