Summary:
In the 78702 zip code of Austin, Texas, there are two middle schools—Kealing Middle and Martin Middle—both part of the Austin Independent School District (Isd), serving grades 6-8 in a diverse urban area.
Kealing Middle is a standout school, ranking in the 95th percentile of Texas middle schools with a 5-star rating. It has a large enrollment of 1,196 students and achieves exceptional academic results, with 85.19% proficiency in 8th Grade Reading and 77.25% in 8th Grade Math—far exceeding state averages. Notably, 98.95% of its students are proficient in Algebra I, nearly double the state rate. Only 24.75% of students are eligible for free or reduced lunch, indicating a more affluent student body. In contrast, Martin Middle ranks in the 1st percentile with a 0-star rating, serving just 247 students. Its test scores are critically low: 23.16% proficiency in 8th Grade Reading and a mere 3.41% in 8th Grade Math. A staggering 95.14% of students qualify for free or reduced lunch, and the school has a 1.0% dropout rate.
Despite higher per-student spending at Martin Middle ($13,291 vs. $9,762 at Kealing Middle) and a more favorable student-teacher ratio (10.1:1 vs. 17.2:1), Martin’s outcomes are dramatically lower. This highlights that funding and class size alone cannot overcome the challenges of high poverty. Kealing’s strong performance likely inflates district averages, masking Martin’s struggles. The advanced math pipeline at Kealing creates a widening achievement gap, as most of its 8th graders master high school-level Algebra I, while only a small fraction at Martin do so. These two schools, in the same zip code and district, represent a stark contrast in educational opportunity.
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