Doral Academy of Texas, Buda TX - Test Scores & Data

Original Research by School Decision on Doral Academy of Texas

Doral Academy of Texas is a tuition-free public charter school in Buda that opened in 2022 as a new option for families in central Texas seeking a STEM-focused program. The school enrolls students from Hays, San Marcos, Wimberley, and Lockhart areas, with no geographic boundaries following Texas Education Agency policy, and is expanding to add ninth grade in the 2025-26 school year, with plans to extend through twelfth grade.

The school's defining feature is its accelerated STEM curriculum. Middle school students take high school credit and advanced or pre-AP courses alongside their grade-level work; eighth graders, for instance, are already enrolled in biology, algebra, and computer science. This pedagogical model creates an intentionally rigorous environment where students move faster through material than typical middle school pacing. A family considering Doral is choosing that acceleration and content depth as a central value.

Test results show a school in formation with uneven performance across grades and subjects. Reading (ELA) proficiency is stronger overall, with some grades reaching solid attainment and eighth grade particularly strong. Math proficiency is weaker and declines notably in grades six through eight, where fewer than one-third of students meet proficiency on state exams. Science and social studies proficiency are both low, with fewer than half the students approaching proficiency in science and only around one-third in social studies. In eighth grade specifically, proficiency drops sharply across math, science, and social studies, suggesting either a challenge with that cohort's preparation or a transition effect in the school's newer grades. This pattern warrants a conversation with school leadership about what is driving performance in upper grades and how the school addresses students who may not be keeping pace with the accelerated curriculum.

The school serves a diverse student body, with a substantial share of Hispanic students, a smaller but meaningful share of Asian students, and a mix of white and Black students. Roughly three-fifths of students qualify for free or reduced-price lunch, indicating a predominantly working-class or lower-income enrollment. The school is small, with enrollment distributed across pre-K through eighth grade. State testing data was not available for kindergarten and early elementary grades, as those grades are not tested in Texas, so the early academic picture is incomplete.

Doral Academy is housed in a new facility built for the school, located in Buda, a fast-growing suburb along the I-35 corridor south of Austin. The surrounding area includes rapidly expanding residential subdivisions and a historic downtown core anchored by walkable retail and civic spaces. Housing values in the Buda zip code are in line with national averages, and rent is similarly moderate. The area's major employers and economic anchors include Amazon, retail operations, and manufacturing, with families often working in or commuting toward Austin's tech and corporate sectors.

The school's public reputation carries complexity. After its first full year of operation, former teachers and staff raised concerns publicly about school policies and alleged retaliation, an issue that became part of community conversation and that a prospective family may want to explore further with current school leadership. This kind of early institutional friction is not uncommon at newly launched schools but is worth understanding directly.

For families drawn to STEM rigor, accelerated high school coursework in middle school, and a school model that intends to keep students on one campus from pre-K through graduation, Doral Academy offers a coherent and intentional choice. For families prioritizing consistent proficiency across all subjects, or seeking a school with years of established track record, the school remains relatively new, and the test results suggest areas where academic support may need strengthening, particularly in upper grades. The combination of rapid growth in Buda, evolving school operations, and planned expansion to high school means families are enrolling in a school in active transition and shaping its trajectory.

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Academic performance

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

Math

Grade 364%

School 64% · District 64%

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

Grade 440%

School 40% · District 40%

▼ 1 pts below state median · ▼ 3 pts below county median

Grade 537%

School 37% · District 37%

▼ 4 pts below state median · ▼ 3 pts below county median

Grade 632%

School 32% · District 32%

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

Grade 732%

School 32% · District 32%

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

Grade 89%

School 9% · District 9%

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

English language arts

Grade 350%

School 50% · District 50%

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

Grade 466%

School 66% · District 66%

▲ 17 pts above state median · ▲ 16 pts above county median

Grade 544%

School 44% · District 44%

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

Grade 665%

School 65% · District 65%

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

Grade 761%

School 61% · District 61%

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

Grade 881%

School 81% · District 81%

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

Science

Grade 527%

School 27% · District 27%

▲ 4 pts above state median · ▲ 4 pts above county median

Grade 813%

School 13% · District 13%

▼ 29 pts below state median · ▼ 31 pts below county median

Social studies

Grade 810%

School 10% · District 10%

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

This schoolDORAL ACADEMY OF TEXAS, 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-income50%Higher-income50%0 pp gap

Grade 4Lower-income63%Higher-income71%8 pp gap

Grade 5Lower-income38%Higher-income54%16 pp gap

Grade 6Lower-income53%Higher-income79%26 pp gap

Grade 7Lower-income64%Higher-income57%7 pp gap

Grade 8Lower-income78%Higher-income91%13 pp gap

Mathematics

Grade 3Lower-income69%Higher-income60%9 pp gap

Grade 4Lower-income44%Higher-income41%3 pp gap

Grade 5Lower-income46%Higher-income31%15 pp gap

Grade 6Lower-income12%Higher-income53%41 pp gap

Grade 7Lower-income27%Higher-income36%9 pp gap

Grade 8Lower-income20%Higher-income0%20 pp gap