Summary:
In the 78247 zip code of San Antonio, Texas, two middle schools—Harris Middle and Driscoll Middle—serve grades 6-8 as part of the North East Independent School District (Isd), a district ranked in the 57th percentile statewide.
Harris Middle is the larger school with 903 students and generally outperforms Driscoll in most subjects, particularly in 8th-grade Science where 59.28% of students are proficient—well above the state average of 46.25%. However, Harris has experienced a sharp downward trend in its state ranking, dropping from the 54th percentile (3 stars) to the 26th percentile (1 star) over two years. Driscoll Middle, with 535 students, has been consistently ranked in the low 30th percentile (2 stars) for three years, showing stability but no improvement. A notable paradox is that Driscoll spends significantly more per student ($10,879 vs. $9,274) and has a lower student-teacher ratio (13.9 vs. 17.5), yet this greater investment does not translate into higher test scores. Both schools struggle in grade-level Math, with only about 15% of 7th graders proficient, but they excel dramatically in Algebra I—Harris (75.34%) and Driscoll (77.19%) both outperform the district (49.33%) and state (47.01%) averages by nearly 30 points. This suggests that advanced math students receive exceptional instruction, while the general math curriculum needs improvement.
Both schools maintain very low dropout rates (Harris: 0.8%, Driscoll: 0.2%), far better than the district average of 2.2%, indicating strong student engagement despite academic challenges. For parents, Harris offers stronger overall academics and a standout science program, but its declining ranking is a concern. Driscoll provides smaller classes and higher spending, but these resources have not yet yielded better results. The Algebra I success at both schools is a bright spot, suggesting that motivated students can thrive in advanced coursework.
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