Summary:
This analysis examines eight elementary schools in the 78758 zip code of Austin, Texas, serving grades K-6 across a mix of traditional public schools from Austin Independent School District (Isd) and Pflugerville Independent School District (Isd), as well as public charter networks Harmony Public Schools - Central Texas and Basis Texas, in an area characterized by high economic disadvantage.
The standout school is Basis Austin (grades 3-6), ranked in the 98th percentile statewide with test scores dramatically exceeding all others—for example, 88.71% proficient in 5th Grade Reading versus the state average of 58.47%. Its feeder, Basis Austin Pri (K-2), has no test data but shares the same high-performing network. The next best is Harmony School Of Science - Austin, ranked in the 81st percentile, which significantly outperforms local traditional schools. In contrast, Padron Elementary and Wooldridge Elementary rank in the 5th and 2nd percentiles respectively, with over 93% of students qualifying for free/reduced lunch. River Oaks Elementary (Pflugerville ISD) is a relative bright spot among traditional schools, ranking in the 41st percentile.
A key finding is the inverse relationship between spending and performance: the highest-spending schools (Wooldridge Elementary at $12,896, River Oaks Elementary at $12,864, and McBee Elementary at $12,765) are among the lowest-performing, while the lowest-spending schools (Basis Austin Pri at $9,651 and Harmony School Of Science - Austin at $9,927) are the highest-performing. The average free/reduced lunch rate across schools with data is 86.5%, with Padron Elementary highest at 95.84% and Harmony School Of Science - Austin lowest at 56.38%. The average student-teacher ratio is 13.7:1, ranging from 16.9:1 at Harmony to 11.5:1 at McBee Elementary.
Thank you for your feedback!