Summary:
Zip code 78757 in Austin, Texas, is home to two middle schools, Lamar Middle and Burnet Middle, both part of the Austin Independent School District (Isd), and they represent a stark contrast in academic performance and student demographics.
Lamar Middle is a standout school, earning a 5-star rating and ranking in the top 8% of Texas middle schools. It boasts high proficiency rates in core subjects, such as 81% in 6th-grade reading and 81% in 8th-grade science, and a very low dropout rate of 0.5%. In contrast, Burnet Middle struggles significantly, with a 0-star rating and a state ranking in the bottom 4%. Its proficiency rates are dramatically lower, including just 16% in 6th-grade reading and 19% in 8th-grade science, and its dropout rate is 4.2%, over eight times higher than Lamar’s. A key difference is the percentage of students eligible for free or reduced lunch: 22% at Lamar versus 92% at Burnet, highlighting a major socioeconomic divide. Interestingly, Burnet Middle actually spends more per student ($12,305 vs. $9,174) and has a lower student-teacher ratio (14.4 vs. 17.5), yet these resources have not closed the achievement gap.
One surprising finding is that both schools achieve nearly identical, exceptional proficiency rates in Algebra I (around 94%), suggesting that advanced students at Burnet Middle perform just as well as those at Lamar Middle. However, 7th-grade math is a universal weak point, with proficiency dropping to 19% at Lamar and just 4% at Burnet. For parents, this data shows that Lamar Middle offers a high-performing, low-poverty environment, while Burnet Middle faces significant challenges tied to poverty, despite higher spending and smaller class sizes.
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