Summary:
In the 78748 zip code of Austin, Texas, there is one middle school, Paredes Middle, serving grades 6 through 8 within the Austin Independent School District (Isd), a school that serves a student body where over 78% are economically disadvantaged.
Paredes Middle consistently ranks in the bottom 3-6% of all Texas middle schools, earning a 0-star rating from SchoolDigger. Academic performance is critically low across most subjects: reading proficiency hovers around 27% for all grades, and standard math proficiency is alarmingly low, with only 2.98% of 7th graders proficient. Social studies proficiency is just 7.2%. However, the school shows a dramatic paradox in its Algebra I End-of-Course exam, where 90.91% of students taking the test are proficient—far exceeding both the district (51.77%) and state (54.03%) averages. This suggests a highly effective program for a select group of advanced math students while the majority struggle in standard classes. The school’s dropout rate of 1.1% is lower than the district average of 1.9%, and spending per student is $11,325.
The key takeaway for parents is that Paredes Middle is a high-poverty school facing severe, systemic academic challenges, particularly in standard mathematics and social studies. Its most notable feature is a sharp contrast between the failure of its general math program and the outstanding success of its advanced Algebra I program, indicating a "two-tiered" system where a small, high-performing group excels while the majority of students are not receiving the support needed to achieve basic proficiency. The school’s ranking has shown slight volatility, moving from the 3rd percentile to the 6th and back, but remains in the bottom tier.
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