Summary:
In the 78207 zip code of San Antonio, three middle schools—Rhodes Middle, Tafolla Middle, and Tafolla College Prep Middle—serve grades 6-8 within the San Antonio Independent School District (Isd), an area where over 95% of students face economic disadvantage.
All three schools rank in the bottom 2nd percentile of Texas middle schools, with test scores far below state averages. For example, 8th-grade reading proficiency is 18.31% at Rhodes and 25.29% at Tafolla, compared to the state average of 58.69%. However, Tafolla Middle stands out for a striking contradiction: despite having the highest dropout rate (3.5% vs. 0.7% at Rhodes) and very low 8th-grade math scores (8.57% proficient), it achieves a 46.67% proficiency rate in Algebra I—above the district average of 42.23%. This suggests the school may accelerate a select group of students while the majority struggle. Meanwhile, Tafolla College Prep Middle, despite its name, shows no academic advantage; its 6th-grade reading (21.94%) and math (20.26%) scores are comparable to Rhodes’ 6th-grade scores (29.82% reading, 13.27% math). Rhodes is the largest school (461 students) and has the lowest student-teacher ratio (13.2:1), while Tafolla College Prep is the smallest (180 students) with the highest ratio (16:1).
A key takeaway is the disconnect between spending and results: Tafolla Middle spends $14,007 per student—$2,040 more than Rhodes ($11,967)—yet has a higher dropout rate and generally lower test scores in core subjects like 8th-grade social studies (3.01% vs. 7.75% at Rhodes). Data gaps also hinder full analysis; Tafolla College Prep lacks dropout rate and spending data, and reports an 8th-grade math score of 40% despite only serving 6th grade, a likely error. Overall, these schools face immense challenges tied to systemic poverty, with no single school clearly outperforming the others.
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