Varnett Charter School, Houston TX

Original Research by School Decision on Varnett Charter School

Varnett Charter School is a small open-enrollment charter that serves pre-kindergarten through eighth grade in southwest Houston. The school draws roughly equal shares of Black and Hispanic students, with nearly all students qualifying for free or reduced-price lunch, typical of its neighborhood setting. The enrollment is relatively stable and split fairly evenly across its grade bands.

The school's measured academic performance is weak across the board. In English language arts, proficiency rates range from low at the elementary grades to around one-third at the upper middle grades. Math shows a similar pattern, starting near zero at the fifth-grade level and climbing only to a bit above one-third by eighth grade. Science proficiency is especially low, with only a few students meeting standards in the grades tested. Social studies performance is also limited. In the most recent state assessment window, across all subjects and grades combined, around one-third of students achieved proficiency or above. The district's accountability rating for this school is C overall, with a failing mark in the student achievement domain. This represents a decline from the district's prior B rating, signaling a shift in how the school measures against state performance metrics. A parent may want to look into this further with the school to understand what instructional changes or support strategies are in place.

The school is part of the Varnett Public School district, which recently expanded from serving only through fifth grade to now including middle school grades. That expansion means families can keep their children enrolled through the end of eighth grade. However, the same accountability pressure affects the whole network; all three Varnett campuses carry the same C overall rating for 2024–2025.

Within Harris County schools, Varnett Charter's proficiency index places it in the bottom quartile. The school's testing results appear incomplete for some grade-and-subject combinations, particularly at the lower elementary levels, which may reflect small cohort sizes or testing thresholds in the state system.

Housing in the 77035 zip code where the school sits is well below the state average, and rents are modest. The area has seen a slight decline in home values year-over-year. This is an economically pressed neighborhood where the charter model may appeal to families seeking an alternative pathway, though the current academic results do not yet reflect strong gains. The school's small size and location in a close-knit community are attributes some families value; whether this school's model and environment fit a particular family depends on what they are looking for and what additional support or resources they are willing to bring to their child's education.

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Academic performance

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

Math

Grade 50%

School 0% · District 37% · ▼ 37 pts below district

▼ 41 pts below state median · ▼ 40 pts below county median

Grade 617%

School 17% · District 28% · ▼ 11 pts below district

▼ 17 pts below state median · ▼ 16 pts below county median

Grade 738%

School 38% · District 31% · ▲ 7 pts above district

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

Grade 834%

School 34% · District 33% · ▲ 1 pts above district

▼ 8 pts below state median · ▼ 9 pts below county median

English language arts

Grade 325%

School 25% · District 21% · ▲ 4 pts above district

▼ 21 pts below state median · ▼ 17 pts below county median

Grade 436%

School 36% · District 34% · ▲ 2 pts above district

▼ 13 pts below state median · ▼ 12 pts below county median

Grade 530%

School 30% · District 44% · ▼ 14 pts below district

▼ 24 pts below state median · ▼ 22 pts below county median

Grade 636%

School 36% · District 37% · ▼ 1 pts below district

▼ 16 pts below state median · ▼ 13 pts below county median

Grade 738%

School 38% · District 40% · ▼ 2 pts below district

▼ 11 pts below state median · ▼ 10 pts below county median

Grade 838%

School 38% · District 49% · ▼ 11 pts below district

▼ 17 pts below state median · ▼ 16 pts below county median

Science

Grade 54%

School 4% · District 9% · ▼ 5 pts below district

▼ 19 pts below state median · ▼ 17 pts below county median

Grade 814%

School 14% · District 28% · ▼ 14 pts below district

▼ 28 pts below state median · ▼ 29 pts below county median

Social studies

Grade 86%

School 6% · District 11% · ▼ 5 pts below district

▼ 18 pts below state median · ▼ 16 pts below county median

This schoolTHE VARNETT PUBLIC SCHOOL, 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 4Lower-income36%Higher-income38%2 pp gap

Grade 6Lower-income42%Higher-income10%32 pp gap

Grade 7Lower-income38%Higher-income38%0 pp gap

Grade 8Lower-income42%Higher-income32%10 pp gap

Mathematics

Grade 6Lower-income19%Higher-income10%9 pp gap

Grade 7Lower-income42%Higher-income31%11 pp gap

Grade 8Lower-income42%Higher-income21%21 pp gap