Kipp Spirit College Prep, Houston TX

Original Research by School Decision on Kipp Spirit College Prep

KIPP Spirit College Prep is a charter middle school serving grades five through eight in Houston. The school enrolls a student body drawn almost entirely from the neighborhoods around it: the vast majority are Black or Hispanic students, and a substantial share come from families qualifying for free or reduced-price lunch, reflecting the broader economic makeup of south Houston. The school is part of KIPP Texas Public Schools, a charter network that operates across the state; the network's district-level academic standing improved noticeably over recent years, moving from a low accountability rating to a mid-range one.

On state assessments, KIPP Spirit's performance shows a clear pattern: English language arts improves markedly as students progress through the grades, while mathematics and science proficiency remain flat or low across all grades. In grade five English, a bit more than a third of students tested met or exceeded state proficiency standards; by grade eight, that figure rose to nearly two-thirds. The upward trajectory is real and substantial. In mathematics, however, proficiency hovered around one-quarter across grades five, six, and seven, with too few grade-eight math students tested to report a result. Science proficiency was low in grade five, then rose sharply in grade eight. Eighth-grade social studies proficiency was notably weak, in the low end.

The profile of performance sits above the midpoint for overall proficiency when compared to other schools in Harris County, placing it in the better-performing half of its peers. That said, the mathematics numbers, which are below one-third across the lower grades, suggest a significant gap in numeracy skills, and a parent may want to look into what specific supports or interventions the school is putting in place to close that gap, particularly in the middle grades when students are foundational in algebra and proportional reasoning.

The school itself is small to moderate in enrollment for its grade band, drawing roughly four grades of about thirty students per grade. Housing values in the 77047 zip code where the school sits run below state median, and monthly rent is similarly modest, making this a family and residential area where the cost of living is more accessible than in many parts of Houston. The surrounding area is a neighborhood where mixed uses coexist without formal zoning boundaries, typical of Houston's land-use character.

A parent considering KIPP Spirit should understand that the school's strength is in reading and language development, where gains from fifth to eighth grade are substantial and suggest a coherent curriculum and teaching focus. The mathematics and science results, by contrast, point to an area where the school faces more headwinds, and entry conversations with the school about tutoring, grouping, or instructional approach would be worth pursuing before enrollment. The charter status means the school operates under a performance contract and a degree of autonomy in design; it does not mean open enrollment or guaranteed seats, though families rejected elsewhere may find a placement here. The district's overall trajectory of improvement is a background signal that KIPP Texas as an organization is addressing its challenges, but individual school quality varies, and this school's pattern of uneven outcomes across subjects is the most reliable guide for what a student will encounter.

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Academic performance

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

Math

Grade 524%

School 24% · District 9% · ▲ 15 pts above district

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

Grade 626%

School 26% · District 24% · ▲ 2 pts above district

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

Grade 725%

School 25% · District 25%

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

English language arts

Grade 535%

School 35% · District 44% · ▼ 9 pts below district

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

Grade 642%

School 42% · District 47% · ▼ 5 pts below district

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

Grade 755%

School 55% · District 44% · ▲ 11 pts above district

▲ 6 pts above state median · ▲ 7 pts above county median

Grade 867%

School 67% · District 54% · ▲ 13 pts above district

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

Science

Grade 517%

School 17% · District 20% · ▼ 3 pts below district

▼ 6 pts below state median · ▼ 4 pts below county median

Grade 855%

School 55% · District 40% · ▲ 15 pts above district

▲ 13 pts above state median · ▲ 12 pts above county median

Social studies

Grade 822%

School 22% · District 24% · ▼ 2 pts below district

▼ 2 pts below state median · even with county median

This schoolKIPP TEXAS PUBLIC SCHOOLS, 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 5Lower-income33%Higher-income55%22 pp gap

Grade 6Lower-income41%Higher-income63%22 pp gap

Grade 7Lower-income55%Higher-income58%3 pp gap

Grade 8Lower-income66%Higher-income80%14 pp gap

Mathematics

Grade 5Lower-income21%Higher-income64%43 pp gap

Grade 6Lower-income24%Higher-income50%26 pp gap

Grade 7Lower-income24%Higher-income33%9 pp gap