Best High Schools in Zip Code 78628

Zip code 78628 in Georgetown, TX, is home to two small high schools: Chip Richarte High School (grades 10-12, 92 students) and Gateway Technical High School (grades 9-12, 49 students), offering a stark contrast in educational approaches and outcomes.

Chip Richarte High School, part of Georgetown Independent School District (Isd), invests heavily in its students with a per-pupil spending of $19,592 and a very low student-to-teacher ratio of 7.9:1. Despite these resources, its academic proficiency rates are well below state averages—for example, only 13.33% of students were proficient in English I Reading compared to the state's 55.43%. Its graduation rate is a solid 80.3%, but the school ranks in the bottom 26% of Texas high schools. In contrast, Gateway Technical High School, a charter school under Orenda Charter School, operates on a much leaner budget ($5,138 per student) with a high student-to-teacher ratio of 48.5:1, yet achieves impressive academic results in English—80% proficiency in English I Reading, exceeding the state average. However, Gateway's graduation rate is just 40.0%, suggesting significant student retention challenges.

The most notable takeaway is the "spending vs. performance" paradox: Chip Richarte High School spends nearly four times more per student than Gateway Technical High School but lags far behind in academic proficiency, particularly in English and math. Both schools struggle with Algebra I, where 0% of students at each school were proficient. This data highlights that educational model and curriculum may matter more than financial input, and parents should weigh academic performance against graduation rates when considering these schools.