Temple Isd, TX - District Data

Original Research by School Decision on Temple Isd

Temple ISD serves a mid-sized student enrollment across a full PreK-12 range in Bell County, Texas. The district's academic profile shows mixed performance, with particular strength in upper middle grades but substantial challenges in elementary and early middle school proficiency rates.

In mathematics, performance varies sharply by grade. Third and fourth grade students show proficiency rates in the low-to-mid range, while sixth grade dips below that. Seventh grade math is notably weak. The district sees a significant jump at eighth grade, where proficiency rises substantially. This pattern, where students struggle early then rebound, suggests either curriculum shifts at the high school level or changes in how students engage with the material. English language arts tells a different story: fourth grade and sixth grade show stronger performance relative to math, and eighth grade again reaches substantial proficiency. Science proficiency at fifth and eighth grades remains below half, with fifth grade particularly low. Social studies performance at eighth grade is the weakest across all tested subjects.

The enrollment is substantially diverse. Hispanic students make up the largest share, followed closely by Black students, with smaller representations of White, Asian, and other groups. The district serves a Spanish-language testing cohort, though it remains small; Spanish-language assessments show minimal proficiency in those grades tested. Chronic absenteeism stands notably high for the district compared to other Bell County systems, a red flag that often correlates with learning loss and points to attendance barriers some families may be facing.

Among Bell County's ten districts, Temple ISD ranks in the bottom quartile for overall proficiency and bottom quartile for chronic absenteeism. The district's per-pupil spending falls in the upper middle range for the county, meaning resources are not disproportionately low relative to neighboring districts, yet academic outcomes lag. This gap between spending and proficiency is one area a prospective parent may want to explore directly with the district.

The district has undertaken deliberate instructional changes. Beginning in 2023-24, Temple ISD shifted its secondary math curriculum to Carnegie Learning's Texas Math Solution, a pedagogical overhaul made in response to end-of-year data. This is recent enough that full impact on assessment results may not yet be visible. The district is also launching a STEM+M health professions pathway beginning in 2026-27 in partnership with Baylor College of Medicine and Baylor Scott & White Health, offering high school students formal coursework plus clinical shadowing and mentoring. This pathway expands career preparation options for students interested in healthcare.

On the facilities front, the district has invested heavily. A major bond passed in May 2022, the district's largest ever, funded a new Fine Arts Academy elementary campus, expanded instructional space at Scott Elementary and Bonham Middle School, Temple High School construction, and security vestibules at multiple elementary schools. In November 2025, voters approved two more propositions: one adding funding for safety and security measures including additional police officers and facility upgrades, and a second bond to add permanent classrooms to address growth and reduce reliance on portables. These investments reflect a growing community and a district making sustained capital commitments.

Housing in the Temple area is moderately priced relative to national benchmarks, with recent trends showing slight decline. Rental costs remain modest by broader standards. The local economic context shows moderate unemployment and stable household incomes in the region.

The district operates an early childhood academy, elementary schools including a dedicated science academy, two middle schools, and a high school. Alternative education and special-purpose centers are also available. A parent considering this district should weigh the apparent curriculum work underway in math and the new healthcare pathway against the current proficiency gaps, particularly in elementary and lower middle school, and against the high chronic absenteeism rate, which suggests attendance and engagement are significant drivers of outcomes here.

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District Context

Officially reported figures, 2024-25.

Enrollment

8,784

Grades

PK–12

Schools

Student body

Hispanic 48%

Black 23%

White 21%

Asian 2%

Two+ 6%

Am. Indian / AK Native 0%

Hawaiian / Pac. Isl. 0%

By economic status

Percent proficient by grade, as reported

Economically disadvantaged

Not disadvantaged

ELA

Gr 3

Gr 4

42%

—

Gr 5

37%

64%

Gr 6

42%

58%

Gr 7

31%

58%

Gr 8

42%

64%

Math

Gr 3

31%

61%

Gr 4

49%

Gr 5

30%

51%

Gr 6

20%

37%

Gr 7

11%

28%

Gr 8

45%

63%

Science

Gr 5

13%

37%

Gr 8

25%

46%

Social studies

Gr 8

11%

35%

all_subjects_approaches

Gr ALL

45%

—

all_subjects_masters

Gr ALL

11%

—

all_subjects_meets

Gr ALL

27%

—

ela_approaches

Gr ALL

42%

—

ela_masters

Gr ALL

10%

—

ela_meets

Gr ALL

26%

—

math_approaches

Gr ALL

45%

—

math_masters

Gr ALL

11%

—

math_meets

Gr ALL

27%

—

science_approaches

Gr ALL

54%

—

science_masters

Gr ALL

20%

—

science_meets

Gr ALL

34%

—

social_studies_approaches

Gr ALL

49%

—

social_studies_masters

Gr ALL

11%

—

social_studies_meets

Gr ALL

24%

—

Schools in this District

18 schools are officially reported under this district.

MERIDITH-DUNBAR EARLY CHILDHOOD ACADEMY

TRAVIS SCIENCE ACADEMY

WHEATLEY ALTERNATIVE EDUCATION CENTER

BELL CO J J A E P

SCOTT & WHITE HOSPITAL

FRED W EDWARDS ACADEMY AEC

SAMPSON-HOWARD EL

Academic Performance

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

Mathematics

6 grades reported

39%

Grade 3

36%

Grade 4

17%

Grade 5

24%

Grade 6

15%

Grade 7

50%

Grade 8

English Language Arts

6 grades reported

Grade 3

42%

Grade 4

Grade 5

46%

Grade 6

38%

Grade 7

48%

Grade 8

Science

2 grades reported

20%

Grade 5

31%

Grade 8

Social Studies

1 grade reported

18%

Grade 8

Housing & Real Estate

Data as of April 2026 | District-weighted from constituent ZIP codes

Home Values

Typical home value$218,509

Year-over-year change-3.5%

Range across 3 ZIP codes$192K to $279K

vs. state typical0.72x

vs. national typical0.59x

Home value trend (12 months)

ZIP code home values (3 ZIP codes)

ZIP	City	Value	YoY	Weight
76501	Temple	$193K	-3.9%	39.9%
76504	Temple	$192K	-4.5%	30.1%
76502	Temple	$279K	-1.9%	30.0%

Rental Market

Typical monthly rent$1,407/mo

Year-over-year change+2.1%

Range across 3 ZIP codes$1,250 to $1,618/mo

Rent trend (12 months)

ZIP code rents (3 ZIP codes)

ZIP	City	Rent/mo	YoY	Weight
76501	Temple	$1,365	+4.3%	39.9%
76504	Temple	$1,250	+2.1%	30.1%
76502	Temple	$1,618	-0.8%	30.0%

Affordability

Est. monthly mortgage (20% down at 6.48%)$1,103/mo

Home price / national median income2.6x

Annual rent / national median income20.2%

Rent exceeds est. mortgage by$304/mo

Comparison

State typical home value$302,187 (-2.0% YoY)

National typical home value$368,198 (+0.6% YoY)

State ZHVI trend (12 months)

National ZHVI trend (12 months)

Economic Context

30-year fixed mortgage rate6.48%

National unemployment rate4.3%

National median household income$83,730

CPI: Rent of shelter (index)447.05

30-year fixed mortgage rate (12 months)

National unemployment rate (12 months)

National median household income (12 months)

CPI: Rent of shelter (index) (12 months)

Sources: Zillow Home Value Index and Zillow Observed Rent Index (Zillow Group), Realtor.com via Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis (FRED)

Data Currently Unavailable

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.