Valor South Austin, Austin TX - Test Scores & Data

Original Research by School Decision on Valor South Austin

Valor South Austin is a K through 12 charter school serving south Austin with a small enrollment. The school sits in a rapidly growing tech hub, in a residential area where median home values are above the state benchmark and rents are moderate. This is a place where families are either arriving for work in the tech sector or established in older neighborhoods, and Valor offers a unified pathway from kindergarten through graduation without moving between buildings.

The academic picture is mixed. In English language arts, the school shows strength in the early and middle grades. Third grade readers arrive solidly proficient, and reading performance holds steady or improves through sixth grade. By seventh and eighth grade, reading proficiency remains above the middle, with eighth graders showing particularly solid results. This is the school's clearest academic foothold.

Mathematics tells a different story. Elementary grades show modest proficiency in third through fifth grade, with fifth grade as the bright spot. Once students move into middle school, math proficiency dips considerably. Seventh and eighth grade math results are substantially below the level the school achieves in reading, and below the midpoint the school itself reaches when all subjects are averaged. A parent may want to look into what support or instruction changes happen in grades six through eight to understand the gap.

In science and social studies, proficiency falls further. Fifth grade science is near the lower end of the school's range, and eighth grade science, while above the lower quartile countywide, sits well below where eighth grade reading lands. Eighth grade social studies is the weakest area overall. These subjects are tested less frequently in Texas at the elementary and middle levels, so fewer grade levels are assessed, but the pattern is clear: the school's strength in reading does not extend to math, science, or history.

When students stay long enough to reach high school, the enrollment shrinks markedly. Only a small handful of students complete their senior year at Valor. State testing and graduation data were not available to describe the high school experience, which may reflect the young charter status, the novelty of students completing all four high school grades there, or an alternative enrollment pattern where older students depart for other schools. A parent considering this school for students currently in middle or high school grades would benefit from asking the school directly about the high school cohort and what happens when students move into grade nine and beyond.

Enrollment overall is small for a K-12 school, with roughly balanced cohorts in the early elementary grades and a notable tapering as students move up. The student body is predominantly white, with meaningful shares of Hispanic, multiracial, and Asian students. About one in seven students qualify for free or reduced price lunch.

The school's proficiency index places it in the top quartile among Travis County districts on overall tested performance, driven almost entirely by the strength in reading. In context, that is meaningful, though it comes with the caveat that math and science pull the overall number down substantially, and high school outcomes are unknown.

For a family seeking a K-12 charter pathway in south Austin, Valor offers continuous enrollment and a demonstrable reading foundation, especially in the early and middle grades. The weakness in mathematics starting in middle school, and the near-absence of a visible high school population, are realities to weigh carefully. A conversation with school leadership about their math curriculum, support for middle grade transitions, and the trajectory of students into and through high school grades would be essential before committing.

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Academic performance

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

Math

Grade 360%

School 60% · District 52% · ▲ 8 pts above district

▲ 20 pts above state median · ▲ 22 pts above county median

Grade 456%

School 56% · District 50% · ▲ 6 pts above district

▲ 15 pts above state median · ▲ 23 pts above county median

Grade 562%

School 62% · district not reported

▲ 21 pts above state median · ▲ 24 pts above county median

Grade 655%

School 55% · District 48% · ▲ 7 pts above district

▲ 21 pts above state median · ▲ 25 pts above county median

Grade 742%

School 42% · District 36% · ▲ 6 pts above district

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

Grade 852%

School 52% · District 51% · ▲ 1 pts above district

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

English language arts

Grade 374%

School 74% · District 62% · ▲ 12 pts above district

▲ 28 pts above state median · ▲ 29 pts above county median

Grade 462%

School 62% · District 55% · ▲ 7 pts above district

▲ 13 pts above state median · ▲ 18 pts above county median

Grade 580%

School 80% · district not reported

▲ 26 pts above state median · ▲ 30 pts above county median

Grade 670%

School 70% · District 68% · ▲ 2 pts above district

▲ 18 pts above state median · ▲ 25 pts above county median

Grade 769%

School 69% · District 61% · ▲ 8 pts above district

▲ 20 pts above state median · ▲ 26 pts above county median

Grade 881%

School 81% · District 77% · ▲ 4 pts above district

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

Science

Grade 542%

School 42% · District 30% · ▲ 12 pts above district

▲ 19 pts above state median · ▲ 24 pts above county median

Grade 856%

School 56% · District 52% · ▲ 4 pts above district

▲ 14 pts above state median · ▲ 18 pts above county median

Social studies

Grade 849%

School 49% · District 45% · ▲ 4 pts above district

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

This schoolVALOR 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 3Lower-income67%Higher-income76%9 pp gap

Grade 4Lower-income40%Higher-income64%24 pp gap

Grade 5Lower-income67%Higher-income82%15 pp gap

Grade 6Lower-income61%Higher-income73%12 pp gap

Grade 7Lower-income31%Higher-income77%46 pp gap

Grade 8Lower-income62%Higher-income85%23 pp gap

Mathematics

Grade 3Lower-income56%Higher-income61%5 pp gap

Grade 4Lower-income40%Higher-income58%18 pp gap

Grade 5Lower-income43%Higher-income65%22 pp gap

Grade 6Lower-income44%Higher-income57%13 pp gap

Grade 7Lower-income25%Higher-income48%23 pp gap