Original Research by School Decision on Mccallum H S
McCallum High School is a regular public high school serving grades 9 through 12 in north central Austin. It sits in the 78756 zip code area, on the northern side of a city that has grown rapidly over the past several years and continues to expand.
The school's most recent state testing results, from 2024-25, show a mixed academic profile. In science and social studies, students performed at notably high rates on the state's approaches standard, with nearly all students meeting that threshold. Science mastery results were particularly strong. In English language arts and mathematics, the approaches rates were solid but substantially lower than in science and social studies. Math performance lags more noticeably at the meets level compared to ELA. The data represents a single year, so trend information over time is not available.
Academically, McCallum serves a student body of roughly mid-sized enrollment with a balanced class progression across grades 9 through 12. About one-fifth of students qualify for free or reduced-price lunch. The racial and ethnic composition is predominantly white, followed by a substantial Hispanic enrollment, with smaller numbers of Black, Asian, and multiracial students. Data on special education enrollment and English learner enrollment were not available.
McCallum is part of Austin Independent School District, which in recent years has undertaken significant facility upgrades under a major bond package approved in November 2022. That bond funded modernizations and rebuilds across many campuses, though parents may want to check directly with the school about whether McCallum has received capital improvements under that program. The district also approved a property tax increase in November 2024 that expanded the tax rate to fund staff raises and reduce budget pressures. More recently, in November 2025, the board approved a consolidation plan that will close ten schools district-wide before the 2026-27 school year and reassign students; McCallum is not listed among those slated for closure, but families should be aware of the broader enrollment shifts taking place across Austin ISD.
The school's location places it in a part of Austin with a mix of residential neighborhoods and older tree-lined streets characteristic of the central city. Housing values in the 78756 zip code are substantial, and rental costs are moderate relative to national benchmarks. The broader Austin area has experienced rapid growth and remains among the fastest-growing large metropolitan areas in the country, though construction activity slowed noticeably in 2024. The region's economy is anchored by technology, semiconductors, state government, and the University of Texas, creating a knowledge-economy focus to the region.
Graduation rate data and chronic absenteeism rates for McCallum were not available. The school's enrollment, demographics, and test performance are as shown in the data; whether McCallum receives Title I funding status was also not reported. A parent considering this school may want to request specific information about graduation outcomes, extracurricular and dual-credit offerings, and any college-pathway programs the school offers, as those details fall outside the data provided here.
See more original research from School Decision →