The top reported proficiency rate is 17% in English language arts. The lowest is 4% in Science.
Original Research by School Decision on Barrington El
Barrington Elementary sits on Cooper Drive in north Austin, serving pre-kindergarten through fifth grade as part of Austin ISD. The single most important thing a family needs to know right now is that the school is scheduled to close before the 2026-27 school year. In November 2025, the Austin ISD board approved a consolidation plan eliminating ten campuses, and Barrington is among them. Students will be reassigned to other schools, and several dual language programs are being relocated as part of the same plan. For any family considering this school, that timeline is the immediate practical reality, and reaching out to Austin ISD directly about reassignment boundaries and program placements would be the first step.
The student body is overwhelmingly Hispanic, with nearly all students qualifying for free or reduced-price lunch. Virtually the entire tested population sits at or near the income threshold, which means this is one of Austin's highest-need elementary campuses. English-learner counts were not available in the data, but the presence of STAAR-Spanish assessments across multiple grades suggests a substantial bilingual population, and the district's consolidation plan specifically mentions relocating dual language programs in response to where emergent bilingual students live.
State assessment results are deeply concerning. Across reading and language arts, math, and science in grades three through five, proficiency rates are very low, well below the midpoint of districts in Travis County. In fifth-grade math, no students reached proficiency on the most recent STAAR results. Science results at fifth grade were similarly very low. Reading proficiency in the upper grades was also low, with fourth grade showing the highest rate among the tested ELA grades, but still far below state norms. The school's overall proficiency index places it in the bottom quartile relative to districts in Travis County. Texas uses a multi-tiered performance scale, and the share of students reaching even the "approaches grade level" threshold across all subjects sits well below half. The share reaching "masters grade level" is very small. A parent considering this school should ask directly about academic support structures, instructional programs, and how the planned turnaround efforts the district is implementing connect to classroom practice.
The district as a whole is navigating significant financial and structural pressure. A major bond passed in 2022 funded facility rebuilds across the district, and some campuses have already seen completed modernizations. A property tax increase approved in 2024 funds staff raises and helps address a substantial budget deficit. The consolidation of ten schools, including Barrington, is the district's direct response to a decade of declining enrollment and the financial strain that comes with operating buildings that are substantially underenrolled.
The surrounding neighborhood in north Austin is part of a city growing rapidly at the metro level, with housing values that have pulled back modestly from recent peaks but remain well above both the state and national medians. Rents have also come down somewhat year over year. Austin broadly is car-dependent outside its central corridors, and the Cooper Drive area reflects that pattern. The city's economy is anchored by state government, the University of Texas, and a large cluster of technology and semiconductor employers, which drives the region's income profile even as individual school catchment areas vary sharply.
Because Barrington is slated to close, questions about graduation rates, long-term program pathways, and the school's future do not apply in the usual sense. The relevant questions for families are where students will be reassigned, what happens to the dual language or bilingual programming currently housed there, and what support will be available during the transition.
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