Perry Middle, Carrollton TX - Test Scores & Data

Original Research by School Decision on Perry Middle

Perry Middle sits in Carrollton, a mature Dallas suburb built out as a mixed corporate and residential community. The school serves the middle grades at a size typical for that span, with an enrollment drawn almost entirely from the immediate area. The student body is predominantly Hispanic, with substantial representation from Asian families, and a large share of students qualify for free or reduced-price lunch, reflecting the economic realities of many Carrollton neighborhoods.

The school's academic picture is uneven across grade levels and subjects. In eighth grade, students show strength in mathematics, where a substantial majority demonstrate proficiency. English language arts and science in eighth grade land closer to the middle of the distribution, while social studies performance is significantly weaker. Sixth and seventh grade present a starkly different pattern. Sixth graders achieve roughly half proficiency in English, a modest starting point. Seventh grade mathematics is a clear soft spot: only a small fraction of seventh graders meet grade-level standards, a notable drop from sixth grade and a recovery point worth examining with the school itself. A parent may want to look into what changes between sixth and seventh grade in the math curriculum or classroom structure, and how the school plans to address the seventh grade dip before students reach the stronger eighth grade outcomes.

On the breadth side, the school's average performance across all tested subjects and grades places it in the top quarter among middle schools across Dallas County. This suggests that while particular grade-subject combinations need attention, the school is not broadly struggling. The earlier grades and social studies warrant closer conversation with staff about the specific obstacles.

Carrollton as a place is a stable, suburban setting with an extensive parks and trails system, three DART rail stations, and a revitalized downtown anchored by the Historic Carrollton Square. The city has seen modest population shifts in recent years but remains built out rather than rapidly expanding. Housing costs in the area are moderate, with rental availability concentrated in pockets like Downtown and Austin Ranch, and purchase prices somewhat below the state average.

The district itself has undergone significant change. In 2023, voters approved a major bond for facility upgrades and replacements across the aging elementary stock, with no increase to the property tax rate. More recently, in March 2025, the board voted to close or consolidate four schools—Central, Furneaux, and McCoy elementary schools and Long Middle School—amid budget pressures and declining enrollment, with those closures effective for the 2025-2026 school year and attendance zones redrawn for the first time in over two decades. Perry Middle was not among the schools consolidated, but families in the district have experienced disruption, and the consolidation has prompted legal challenges from parents. For anyone considering moving to a Carrollton address, the district's enrollment trajectory and recent restructuring are live issues affecting which school a child will attend and when.

Perry Middle is not a high-performing outlier, but it is not in crisis either. Its eighth graders show solid mathematics proficiency, and the school's overall positioning suggests respectable instruction across the board. The seventh grade mathematics challenge and the softer social studies results warrant direct conversation with the school, and the district's recent turbulence means a family should ask about stability and any further zone changes that might affect their address.

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Academic performance

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

Math

Grade 632%

School 32% · District 32%

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

Grade 713%

School 13% · District 18% · ▼ 5 pts below district

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

Grade 874%

School 74% · District 50% · ▲ 24 pts above district

▲ 32 pts above state median · ▲ 37 pts above county median

English language arts

Grade 657%

School 57% · District 51% · ▲ 6 pts above district

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

Grade 750%

School 50% · District 43% · ▲ 7 pts above district

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

Grade 851%

School 51% · District 48% · ▲ 3 pts above district

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

Science

Grade 847%

School 47% · District 38% · ▲ 9 pts above district

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

Social studies

Grade 826%

School 26% · District 25% · ▲ 1 pts above district

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

This schoolCARROLLTON-FARMERS BRANCH 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-income48%Higher-income74%26 pp gap

Grade 7Lower-income41%Higher-income74%33 pp gap

Grade 8Lower-income44%Higher-income72%28 pp gap

Mathematics

Grade 6Lower-income29%Higher-income42%13 pp gap

Grade 7Lower-income13%Higher-income15%2 pp gap

Grade 8Lower-income66%Higher-income89%23 pp gap