Best Public Schools in Zip Code 78728

The five schools in zip code 78728, located in the Austin, Texas area, serve a mix of traditional public elementary students and K-12 charter school populations, revealing a stark divide in academic outcomes closely tied to socioeconomic factors. Chaparral Star Academy stands out as the academic powerhouse, with an average STAAR proficiency of 83% and perfect scores in several subjects, while Northwest Elementary struggles with a 30% proficiency rate and a 0-star accountability rating for three consecutive years. The two charter schools—Chaparral Star Academy and Valor North Austin (68% proficiency)—dramatically outperform the three traditional public elementary schools: Wells Branch Elementary (38%), Joe Lee Johnson Elementary (37%), and Northwest Elementary.

Key metrics highlight the influence of economic disadvantage, with the highest-performing schools having the lowest free/reduced lunch rates (Valor North Austin at 20.9%) and the lowest-performing schools having the highest rates (Northwest Elementary at 82.53%). Spending per student is inversely correlated with performance: Northwest Elementary spends the most ($14,232 per student) yet achieves the lowest scores, while Chaparral Star Academy spends the least ($6,959) and achieves the highest. The three elementary schools are split between two districts—Round Rock Independent School District (Isd) (ranked in the top 21% of Texas) and Pflugerville Independent School District (Isd) (49th percentile)—but both of Round Rock ISD's schools in this zip code perform well below their district average, likely due to concentrated poverty in their attendance zones.

An interesting anomaly appears at Joe Lee Johnson and Wells Branch Elementary, both K-5 schools, which report 100% proficiency in 6th Grade Mathematics for two consecutive years—likely reflecting a tiny number of advanced students taking a higher-level test rather than a general population trend. Overall, the data suggests that the charter school model and lower poverty rates are stronger predictors of success than per-pupil spending, with the two charter schools operating as their own independent districts (Valor Education and Chaparral Star Academy) delivering vastly different outcomes than their traditional public counterparts.