Summary:
This analysis examines two middle schools in zip code 78612 (Cedar Creek, TX), both part of the Bastrop Independent School District (Isd), which serves grades 6-8 across two campuses and faces significant academic challenges in a high-poverty area.
Cedar Creek Middle (grades 7-8, 1,059 students) and Cedar Creek Intermediate (grade 6, 478 students) both show severe academic struggles. Cedar Creek Middle has a multi-year history of declining performance, ranking in the bottom 5-8% of Texas middle schools. Its 2025-2026 proficiency rates are critically low, especially in Mathematics (16.2%) and Social Studies (10.19%). Cedar Creek Intermediate has the highest poverty rate (82.43% free/reduced lunch) and its 6th graders perform far below state averages, particularly in Mathematics (11.83% proficient vs. 38.57% state). Both schools have similar student-teacher ratios (around 19:1) and per-student spending ($9,712 at Cedar Creek Middle, $9,390 at Cedar Creek Intermediate), which is below the national average.
A key finding is a "feeder pattern of failure": 6th graders at Cedar Creek Intermediate already perform far below standards, and performance worsens by 8th grade at Cedar Creek Middle. However, there is a slight positive sign: 2025-2026 projections show Reading scores at Cedar Creek Middle increasing by 3-5 percentage points, breaking the pattern of decline. Additionally, Algebra I proficiency at Cedar Creek Middle (25.24%) is notably higher than general 8th-grade Math (16.2%), suggesting tracked students perform better. The district's low ranking (16th percentile) and high poverty rates (74-82%) strongly correlate with the academic challenges, indicating systemic issues that require significant intervention.
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