Austin Achieve Middle, Austin TX

Original Research by School Decision on Austin Achieve Middle

Austin Achieve Middle is a charter school serving grades five through eight in the northeast Austin neighborhood of Manor. The school enrolls a predominantly Latino, economically disadvantaged student body, with a substantial majority of students qualifying for free or reduced-price lunch. The student composition is overwhelmingly concentrated in a single ethnic background, characteristic of the broader demographic makeup of this area of the city.

Academic performance at Austin Achieve Middle reflects significant challenges across all tested subjects. In English language arts, proficiency rates range across grades, with stronger performance in grade six and seven than in grade five or eight. Mathematics shows consistently low proficiency, with performance declining sharply in eighth grade where no students met or exceeded proficiency standards. Science proficiency is very low in fifth grade and modestly higher by eighth grade. Social studies proficiency in eighth grade also sits below the statewide average. Across all tested subjects and grades combined, the school's overall proficiency index places it in the bottom quartile when compared to other districts in Travis County.

The school's strength lies in the percentage of students reaching the "approaches grade level" standard, suggesting a foundation of entry-level academic engagement. However, the gap between students approaching standards and those meeting or exceeding them is substantial. In English, about half of all students approach grade level, but only about one-third meet it and only a small fraction master it. Mathematics shows a similar pattern: over half approach grade level, fewer than one-quarter meet it, and only about one-tenth master it. Science and social studies show even steeper dropoffs.

Austin Achieve Middle operates within Austin Achieve Public Schools, a tuition-free charter network. The district has recently expanded geographically, opening a permanent campus in Pflugerville to serve families in that area. The district operates as an open-enrollment charter, meaning it is not bound by traditional school assignment boundaries and does not charge tuition.

The broader Austin context matters for families considering this school. Austin is a rapidly growing city where the technology sector, state government, and education drive the economy. Housing costs in the zipcode where the school is located have declined modestly year-over-year, but remain elevated relative to state benchmarks. The city's walkable core is concentrated downtown and near the University of Texas, while most residential areas, including the Manor neighborhood, are car-dependent. A parent evaluating this school may want to look into the school's current interventions and support structures in detail, given the gap between approaches-level and proficiency-level performance.

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Academic performance

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

Math

Grade 514%

School 14% · District 14%

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

Grade 620%

School 20% · District 22% · ▼ 2 pts below district

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

Grade 724%

School 24% · District 28% · ▼ 4 pts below district

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

Grade 80%

School 0% · District 0%

▼ 42 pts below state median · ▼ 38 pts below county median

English language arts

Grade 524%

School 24% · District 24%

▼ 30 pts below state median · ▼ 26 pts below county median

Grade 635%

School 35% · District 37% · ▼ 2 pts below district

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

Grade 738%

School 38% · District 39% · ▼ 1 pts below district

▼ 11 pts below state median · ▼ 5 pts below county median

Grade 836%

School 36% · District 38% · ▼ 2 pts below district

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

Science

Grade 53%

School 3% · District 4% · ▼ 1 pts below district

▼ 20 pts below state median · ▼ 15 pts below county median

Grade 827%

School 27% · District 30% · ▼ 3 pts below district

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

Social studies

Grade 817%

School 17% · District 15% · ▲ 2 pts above district

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

This schoolAUSTIN ACHIEVE 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-income23%Higher-income36%13 pp gap

Grade 6Lower-income32%Higher-income60%28 pp gap

Grade 7Lower-income37%Higher-income45%8 pp gap

Grade 8Lower-income34%Higher-income57%23 pp gap

Mathematics

Grade 5Lower-income12%Higher-income36%24 pp gap

Grade 6Lower-income19%Higher-income40%21 pp gap

Grade 7Lower-income23%Higher-income30%7 pp gap