Step Charter School, TX - District Data

Original Research by School Decision on Step Charter School

STEP Charter School is a small, tuition-free charter network serving kindergarten through eighth grade across three campuses in the Houston area. The district serves a student population that is majority Hispanic, with substantial Black and Asian enrollment, and demonstrates reading proficiency that outpaces math and a relatively low rate of chronic absenteeism among its peers in Harris County.

In reading, the district shows consistent strength, with proficiency rates climbing through the middle grades. Third grade reading stands at around the halfway mark, fourth grade dips slightly, but by sixth grade it reaches the upper half, peaking in eighth grade. Math proficiency is less robust. Third graders show proficiency near one half, fourth graders drop to around two in five, and while sixth grade rebounds to just above half, seventh and eighth grade performance is less consistent. Science proficiency in eighth grade hovers near one half, but social studies performance in that grade is notably weaker, with fewer than one in four students reaching proficiency.

The charter has recently expanded to a third campus, a West Airport location added to its existing Wilcrest and Bissonnet schools. This adds enrollment capacity and a new location option for families drawn to the network's small-class-size model. The network earned a B accountability rating from the Texas Education Agency in the 2024-2025 school year, the first complete rating release since 2022 after a multi-year legal dispute delayed them.

Among Harris County's districts, STEP performs above the midpoint on overall proficiency across tested subjects and grades. More notably, the district ranks in the top quartile for chronic absenteeism, a metric that many districts struggle with; STEP's rate is well below the county median. Per-pupil current spending sits in the upper range for the county.

The enrollment is small, totaling roughly a mid-sized charter cohort distributed across nine grades. A few grades at the upper end have notably smaller populations, which may reflect the K-8 structure and typical attrition as students age. Specific data on free and reduced price lunch eligibility and on counts of students receiving special education services or English learner support were not available. The district's state testing data covers English, math, science, and social studies across tested grades; a handful of Spanish-language assessments appear in grades four and five but with too few test-takers to yield comparable results.

A parent considering STEP would encounter a network with solid reading foundations, middle-tier performance in math, and demonstrated attendance strength. The expansion to three sites offers more geographic access within Houston. The small-grade-size charter model is clear, but a parent seeking detailed information about special education services, English learner programming, or the full range of extracurricular and enrichment offerings may want to reach out directly, as those details were not present in available public data.

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District Context

Officially reported figures, 2024-25.

Enrollment

598

Grades

KG–08

Schools

Student body

Hispanic 70%

Black 18%

White 2%

Asian 9%

Two+ 1%

Am. Indian / AK Native 1%

By economic status

Percent proficient by grade, as reported

Economically disadvantaged

Not disadvantaged

ELA

Gr 3

60%

45%

Gr 4

50%

—

Gr 5

43%

—

Gr 6

67%

50%

Gr 7

43%

45%

Gr 8

69%

50%

Math

Gr 3

60%

38%

Gr 4

39%

—

Gr 5

31%

39%

Gr 6

51%

62%

Gr 7

51%

41%

Science

Gr 5

16%

—

Gr 8

51%

29%

Social studies

Gr 8

23%

21%

all_subjects_approaches

Gr ALL

43%

—

all_subjects_masters

Gr ALL

—

all_subjects_meets

Gr ALL

21%

—

ela_approaches

Gr ALL

48%

—

ela_masters

Gr ALL

—

ela_meets

Gr ALL

27%

—

math_approaches

Gr ALL

42%

—

math_masters

Gr ALL

—

math_meets

Gr ALL

19%

—

science_approaches

Gr ALL

14%

—

science_masters

Gr ALL

—

science_meets

Gr ALL

—

social_studies_approaches

Gr ALL

44%

—

social_studies_masters

Gr ALL

19%

—

social_studies_meets

Gr ALL

19%

—

Schools in this District

2 schools are officially reported under this district.

STEP CHARTER EL

STEP CHARTER II

Academic Performance

Percent of students meeting or exceeding state standards, by grade.

Mathematics

4 grades reported

50%

Grade 3

39%

Grade 4

55%

Grade 6

48%

Grade 7

English Language Arts

4 grades reported

53%

Grade 3

61%

Grade 6

43%

Grade 7

63%

Grade 8

Science

1 grade reported

45%

Grade 8

Social Studies

1 grade reported

22%

Grade 8

Data Currently Unavailable

Community & Housing Context
Civil Rights Data (CRDC)

This profile is derived exclusively from publicly available federal and state datasets. It may not reflect the most current information available. We encourage parents and families to supplement this data with information published directly on the school’s website, which may include more recent figures, additional programs, or updated enrollment data.