Original Research by School Decision on Uplift Ascend Prep H S
Uplift Ascend Prep is a small charter high school serving grades nine through eleven in Fort Worth's southwest edge. The school enrolls a student body that is predominantly Hispanic and Black, with a substantial majority of students qualifying for free or reduced-price lunch. It is part of Uplift Education, a Dallas-based charter network that has recently begun layering healthcare-focused career pathways across several of its campuses, though Uplift Ascend Prep itself appears to operate as a traditional college-prep school.
On state assessments administered in spring 2025, the school's performance is mixed. In mathematics, the school shows broad baseline proficiency: most students approach the standard, though only a small share of students achieve mastery or exceed it. The picture is stronger in English language arts, where students show solid proficiency toward the standard, and notably strong in science, where proficiency is well above the state baseline and a meaningful share of students reach mastery level. Social studies performance aligns with English results. Across all subjects combined, about half the student body meets the state standard, while a small share achieves mastery. The data represent a single school year, so long-term trends are not available.
The school's testing profile reflects an important pattern: students enter with preparation that is solid in some areas and weaker in others, and the school has moved them toward proficiency, but the spread between basic proficiency and mastery across the math and science domains suggests that students vary considerably in readiness and that advanced academic acceleration is not yet a dominant feature. A parent interested in advanced coursework or high-honors pathways may want to look into what the school offers in that space. Because the school serves only grades nine through eleven, no graduation rate is available.
Fort Worth itself is one of the nation's fastest-growing large cities, anchored by aerospace and defense manufacturing, major healthcare systems, and American Airlines. The area around Turf Paradise Parkway, where the school is located, is a residential zone in the southwest portion of the city, away from the walkable downtown core. Housing in the area has stabilized after earlier appreciation but remains moderately priced for the region, and rental costs in the Fort Worth market have remained relatively flat. The city's growth, while robust, has begun to narrow the historic affordability advantage Fort Worth held over other major Texas metros.
Uplift Education operates across Dallas, Fort Worth, Arlington, Irving, Grand Prairie, and DeSoto. The network recently received restored A-F accountability ratings from Texas after a multi-year delay, giving families a clearer picture of individual campus performance across the network. Within the Uplift ecosystem, some campuses have begun offering healthcare career pathways in partnership with Baylor Scott & White Health, though these appear concentrated at other Uplift schools. For a family considering Uplift Ascend Prep, the college-prep track and the school's demonstrated ability to move students toward proficiency in most tested areas are the main academic facts to weigh.
See more original research from School Decision →