Faulk Middle, Brownsville TX - Test Scores & Data

Original Research by School Decision on Faulk Middle

Faulk Middle is a regular public middle school in Brownsville, serving students in grades six through eight. The school sits in a city that is experiencing significant economic growth driven by aerospace, manufacturing, and port activity, yet Faulk's own academic profile reflects the broader challenges facing Brownsville ISD: modest proficiency rates across tested subjects and a student population that faces substantial economic barriers.

The school's state test results show mixed performance across grade levels. In sixth-grade math and English language arts, proficiency rates sit in the mid-range, while seventh-grade math proficiency is notably weak. Eighth grade shows more strength in both math and English, though performance in science and social studies for that grade remains below the midpoint. Across all tested subjects, the school reports that roughly a third to roughly a half of students meet or exceed proficiency standards, which means the majority of students are not yet proficient on state assessments. When viewed against the set of districts in Cameron County, Faulk's overall proficiency index places the school in the bottom quartile of the comparison group.

The student composition is nearly homogeneous by race and ethnicity, with virtually all enrolled students Hispanic, and an overwhelming economic need: nearly all students qualify for free or reduced-price lunch. This concentration of economic disadvantage shapes the school's peer environment and the kinds of support structures families should expect. The school serves roughly equal numbers of sixth, seventh, and eighth graders, creating a typical three-year middle school span.

Brownsville ISD itself is operating under structural budget constraints that directly affect school operations. Voters rejected a bond proposal in November 2025 that would have funded facility renovations across the district, meaning long-deferred maintenance on roofs, air-conditioning systems, and aging infrastructure at many of the district's buildings will continue to be handled on an emergency basis. The district has also faced enrollment decline and implemented school consolidations in the Southmost area to reduce costs. More recently, federal funding cuts led the district to scale back after-school academy programs, reducing the hours available at participating elementary schools. For middle school, the district improved the student-to-teacher ratio from twenty-six to one down to twenty-two to one, a change that should benefit classroom size at Faulk.

A parent considering Faulk should understand that this is a school serving a community with profound economic need and limited fiscal resources at both the school and district level. The academic performance data shows that many students are not meeting grade-level proficiency benchmarks, particularly in math in seventh grade. The school's peer environment is defined by shared economic circumstances and a single predominant cultural and linguistic community. Facility conditions are likely to reflect the district's deferred maintenance challenges. On the positive side, the district's recent commitment to improving middle school class sizes suggests an effort to support student learning in the middle grades, and the school sits in a city experiencing substantial economic and infrastructure investment that may create longer-term opportunities for the community it serves.

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Academic performance

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

Math

Grade 638%

School 38% · District 34% · ▲ 4 pts above district

▲ 4 pts above state median · ▲ 6 pts above county median

Grade 76%

School 6% · District 13% · ▼ 7 pts below district

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

Grade 845%

School 45% · District 52% · ▼ 7 pts below district

▲ 3 pts above state median · ▲ 8 pts above county median

English language arts

Grade 635%

School 35% · District 51% · ▼ 16 pts below district

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

Grade 749%

School 49% · District 55% · ▼ 6 pts below district

even with state median · ▼ 3 pts below county median

Grade 842%

School 42% · District 47% · ▼ 5 pts below district

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

Science

Grade 829%

School 29% · District 34% · ▼ 5 pts below district

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

Social studies

Grade 833%

School 33% · District 26% · ▲ 7 pts above district

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

This schoolBROWNSVILLE ISD, 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 6Lower-income34%Higher-income50%16 pp gap

Grade 7Lower-income48%Higher-income77%29 pp gap

Grade 8Lower-income43%Higher-income25%18 pp gap

Mathematics

Grade 6Lower-income38%Higher-income30%8 pp gap

Grade 7Lower-income5%Higher-income17%12 pp gap

Grade 8Lower-income44%Higher-income50%6 pp gap