Eric Dahlstrom Middle, Buda TX - Test Scores & Data

Original Research by School Decision on Eric Dahlstrom Middle

Eric Dahlstrom Middle is a regular public middle school serving sixth through eighth grade in Buda, Texas, part of Hays Consolidated Independent School District. The school's enrollment is drawn from a rapidly growing suburban area south of Austin, in a town experiencing substantial residential development alongside established historic downtown and I-35 retail corridors.

The school's academic profile is uneven across grades and subjects. In English/language arts, performance is consistent and solid. Sixth and seventh graders both show proficiency at comparable levels, and eighth graders reach a similar mark. In math, however, a dramatic dip appears in seventh grade, where proficiency drops substantially below sixth-grade performance, before recovering sharply in eighth grade to the highest level the school reports. Science proficiency in eighth grade sits below the ELA mark. Social studies shows the lowest proficiency of the tested subjects in eighth grade.

When proficiency is broken into performance tiers, the school shows strength at the "approaches" level, with most students meeting the baseline standard across subjects. The "meets" tier reaches roughly two-thirds of the student population. Far fewer students reach the highest "masters" tier, with social studies showing the smallest proportion there. This pattern suggests a school where a solid majority of students demonstrate grade-level competency but advanced mastery remains concentrated among a smaller group.

The student body is roughly three-fifths white and one-third Hispanic, with smaller populations of students of other races. About one in six students qualifies for free or reduced-price lunch, indicating a generally higher-income population but with meaningful economic diversity present. School size is typical for the grade band, with roughly evenly distributed enrollment across the three grades.

The school sits within Hays County's district comparison universe and ranks in the top quartile for overall proficiency across tested subjects and grades relative to other Hays County school districts. Graduation rate and chronic absenteeism data are not available for a middle school, which does not serve those grades.

Buda itself is in transition. A historic downtown core with walkable streets and local businesses anchors the community's civic identity, but the town is growing rapidly through large master-planned residential subdivisions. The area functions as a commuter suburb to Austin, drawing families attracted by lower housing costs and proximity to major regional employers. Housing values and rental costs in the 78610 zip code are modest relative to national benchmarks, though costs have declined slightly year-over-year. The I-35 corridor shapes daily commercial life, with major retailers and distribution facilities anchoring the economy alongside smaller local businesses and a growing food and craft production sector.

A parent considering this school would encounter a middle grades program with reliable ELA instruction and uneven but ultimately respectable math outcomes, strongest in eighth grade. The seventh-grade math dip warrants direct conversation with the school about instruction, curriculum alignment, or student support at that transition point. The school draws from an economically mixed, growing suburb with strong community investment in parks and outdoor recreation. Whether this fits your family depends on your child's math readiness entering middle school and your comfort with the school's specific approach to that grade-level transition.

See more original research from School Decision →

Academic performance

How students perform on state tests, by grade, set against the district.

Math

Grade 658%

School 58% · District 33% · ▲ 25 pts above district

▲ 24 pts above state median · ▲ 27 pts above county median

Grade 720%

School 20% · District 14% · ▲ 6 pts above district

▼ 7 pts below state median · even with county median

Grade 869%

School 69% · District 47% · ▲ 22 pts above district

▲ 27 pts above state median · ▲ 32 pts above county median

English language arts

Grade 673%

School 73% · District 54% · ▲ 19 pts above district

▲ 21 pts above state median · ▲ 19 pts above county median

Grade 773%

School 73% · District 55% · ▲ 18 pts above district

▲ 24 pts above state median · ▲ 19 pts above county median

Grade 868%

School 68% · District 58% · ▲ 10 pts above district

▲ 13 pts above state median · ▲ 6 pts above county median

Science

Grade 855%

School 55% · District 48% · ▲ 7 pts above district

▲ 13 pts above state median · ▲ 11 pts above county median

Social studies

Grade 843%

School 43% · District 28% · ▲ 15 pts above district

▲ 19 pts above state median · ▲ 13 pts above county median

This schoolHAYS CISD, same grade

Graduation rate (ACGR) reflects the federally published Adjusted Cohort Graduation Rate for the most recent year available. We refresh this data annually at the close of each academic year in June. The federal source publishes a banded rate (for example, "90-94%") instead of an exact number for cohorts small enough to risk identifying individual students. The state distribution chart, where shown, plots every school in the state with a published rate or band; schools whose rate is federally suppressed are excluded. Where the federal source publishes a band rather than an exact rate, the school is placed within its band using a stable, ID-derived offset, so its position is consistent across visits.

Proficiency by household income

English language arts

Grade 6Lower-income55%Higher-income76%21 pp gap

Grade 7Lower-income65%Higher-income74%9 pp gap

Grade 8Lower-income44%Higher-income72%28 pp gap

Mathematics

Grade 6Lower-income39%Higher-income61%22 pp gap

Grade 7Lower-income17%Higher-income21%4 pp gap

Grade 8Lower-income59%Higher-income71%12 pp gap