Summary:
Zip code 78727 in Austin, Texas, is home to two high schools—Premier High School-Austin Wells Branch and Texasworks - Austin-Wells Branch—which together serve 125 students, primarily through alternative education models on a shared campus.
Premier High School-Austin Wells Branch is the larger school with 101 students and is the only one with available performance data, but its metrics are deeply concerning. The school has a critically low graduation rate of 34.9% and an alarmingly high dropout rate of 18.4%, both far worse than district averages. Test scores are extremely low, with only 9.09% of students proficient in English I Reading and 12.5% in Algebra I, compared to state averages above 50%. The school’s district, Premier High Schools, ranks in the 10th percentile statewide, and the school’s own ranking has dropped from the 24th percentile to the 11th percentile in just two years. A notable exception is Biology, where 55.56% of students were proficient—a bright spot that suggests a strong teacher or effective curriculum in that subject. The school spends $10,743 per student, yet this investment has not translated into academic success, likely due to the high level of economic disadvantage (71.29% of students qualify for free or reduced lunch) and the challenges of serving at-risk youth.
In contrast, Texasworks - Austin-Wells Branch is a very small school with only 24 students and virtually no reported data—no test scores, graduation rates, or economic indicators. Its district, Texas Works, ranks in the 2nd percentile, making it one of the lowest-performing districts in the state. The lack of transparency is a major red flag, and parents should be cautious, as it is impossible to assess the school’s effectiveness. Overall, families in 78727 face a challenging landscape: both schools are alternative programs with poor or invisible outcomes, and the declining trajectory of Premier High School-Austin Wells Branch suggests urgent intervention is needed.
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