Beatrice Mayes Institute Charter School, Houston TX

Original Research by School Decision on Beatrice Mayes Institute Charter School

Beatrice Mayes Institute is a kindergarten through eighth-grade charter school in Houston serving about four hundred fifty students, nearly all of whom are Black and nearly all from families qualifying for free or reduced-price lunch. The school sits on Calhoun Road in a neighborhood of similar economic circumstances to its student body.

The academic picture is mixed, with sharp variation by grade and subject. In reading and language arts, the school shows particular strength in the upper middle grades: eighth graders reach proficiency at a notably high rate, and seventh graders perform substantially above the school's overall pattern. Fifth and sixth graders also perform at least at the school median. Lower elementary—third and fourth grade—lags noticeably. Math proficiency is more broadly challenged across the elementary and middle years, with particularly weak results in grades four and six; fifth grade and eighth grade perform better, though still not uniformly strong. Science proficiency is uneven; fifth-grade results are low while eighth-grade results reach about the middle of the school's range. Eighth-grade social studies proficiency is modest.

When these results are set against the broader landscape of Harris County districts, Beatrice Mayes's overall proficiency index sits above the midpoint, meaning the school's average performance across tested grades and subjects outranks more than half of the county's district cohort. That positioning reflects the school's upper-grade strength offsetting its lower-elementary gaps. No graduation rate is available because the school does not serve high school. No trend data is available to show whether performance has moved up or down over time.

The student body is substantially economically disadvantaged. Special education enrollment counts and English learner status were not disclosed in the available data, so a parent may want to ask the school directly about the breadth and depth of support services in those areas. Chronic absenteeism data was not available either.

Houston itself is a sprawling, car-dependent metropolis without traditional zoning, where residential, commercial, and industrial uses coexist and neighborhoods blend into one another. The city is growing at a rate that leads the nation, with substantial ongoing housing development and infrastructure change, particularly outward toward suburban counties. The housing market in the school's zip code shows median home values and rents both below the Texas state benchmark, though both have declined modestly over the past year. Major employers include energy companies, the Texas Medical Center, large retailers, and United Airlines. The city offers a wide park system—including Hermann Park and Buffalo Bayou Park—a substantial public library network, and METRO transit, though Houston remains widely regarded as car-dependent outside specific walkable pockets downtown and in neighborhoods like the Heights and Museum District.

Beatrice Mayes is a single-school charter operator, so there is no broader district enrollment or policy context. No major recent changes to curriculum, staffing, or facilities were confirmed in available sources, and the school's enrollment has remained stable. A parent considering this school should understand its academic strengths in upper-grade reading against its gaps in lower-elementary proficiency and elementary math, ask about the availability of special services, and be prepared for the car-dependent character of Houston living.

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Academic performance

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

Math

Grade 333%

School 33% · District 33%

▼ 7 pts below state median · ▼ 6 pts below county median

Grade 416%

School 16% · District 16%

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

Grade 539%

School 39% · District 39%

▼ 2 pts below state median · ▼ 1 pts below county median

Grade 617%

School 17% · District 17%

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

Grade 730%

School 30% · District 30%

▲ 3 pts above state median · ▲ 3 pts above county median

Grade 863%

School 63% · District 63%

▲ 21 pts above state median · ▲ 20 pts above county median

English language arts

Grade 334%

School 34% · District 34%

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

Grade 448%

School 48% · District 48%

▼ 1 pts below state median · even with county median

Grade 553%

School 53% · District 53%

▼ 1 pts below state median · ▲ 1 pts above county median

Grade 651%

School 51% · District 51%

▼ 1 pts below state median · ▲ 2 pts above county median

Grade 762%

School 62% · District 62%

▲ 13 pts above state median · ▲ 14 pts above county median

Grade 882%

School 82% · District 82%

▲ 27 pts above state median · ▲ 28 pts above county median

Science

Grade 526%

School 26% · District 26%

▲ 3 pts above state median · ▲ 5 pts above county median

Grade 853%

School 53% · District 53%

▲ 11 pts above state median · ▲ 10 pts above county median

Social studies

Grade 833%

School 33% · District 33%

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

This schoolBEATRICE MAYES INSTITUTE CHARTER 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 3Lower-income28%Higher-income50%22 pp gap

Grade 4Lower-income45%Higher-income67%22 pp gap

Grade 5Lower-income43%Higher-income88%45 pp gap

Grade 6Lower-income48%Higher-income60%12 pp gap

Grade 7Lower-income53%Higher-income87%34 pp gap

Grade 8Lower-income78%Higher-income100%22 pp gap

Mathematics

Grade 3Lower-income28%Higher-income44%16 pp gap

Grade 4Lower-income17%Higher-income8%9 pp gap

Grade 5Lower-income38%Higher-income44%6 pp gap

Grade 6Lower-income18%Higher-income13%5 pp gap

Grade 7Lower-income26%Higher-income40%14 pp gap

Grade 8Lower-income58%Higher-income89%31 pp gap