Dickinson J H, Texas City TX - Test Scores & Data

Original Research by School Decision on Dickinson J H

Dickinson Junior High sits in a city and district experiencing rapid growth driven by I-45 proximity and major residential development. The school enrolls a population of students about evenly split between Hispanic and white students, with a substantial Black student population as well. Just over half the school qualifies for free or reduced-price lunch, reflecting moderate economic diversity in the feeder population.

The school's academic picture is mixed across subjects and grades. English language arts is the relative strength. Sixth graders show solid proficiency in ELA, and that proficiency holds or rises through eighth grade, where performance peaks. Math presents a different trajectory. Sixth-grade math proficiency is moderate, but seventh grade dips significantly before rising sharply again in eighth grade. Science proficiency, tested only in eighth grade, sits at a mid-range level. Social studies, also tested only in eighth grade, shows notably weaker performance than other subjects. Overall, a parent might see this pattern as front-loaded struggle in core academics for seventh graders alongside uneven subject strength, with some recovery by eighth grade.

When placed against the other districts in Galveston County, Dickinson Junior High's overall proficiency index places it in the top quartile, a meaningful position. The school is performing better than the median district in its county on tested subjects and grades. This suggests the school's mixed results still represent above-county-typical achievement, though it does not mean mastery is high or that weaker subject areas have been solved.

The student body and setting are suburban and residential. Texas City itself is a mixed-character industrial city anchored by petroleum refining, but has established and growing residential neighborhoods, particularly westward toward I-45 where Lago Mar, a major new master-planned community, is under development. This growth context means the school's feeder areas include both older neighborhoods and new construction, and families may be moving in for both industrial-job proximity and newer suburban housing. Housing values in the Texas City area are moderate relative to state and national benchmarks, and rents remain stable, making the community accessible to working and middle-income families.

The district is actively managing enrollment growth through a large bond approved in May 2023 that includes a new pre-K through fifth-grade facility and expanded Career and Technical Education offerings at the high school. This signals district intent to build out pathway programs and manage capacity pressure as the area continues to grow. Dickinson Junior High feeds into the high school system already targeting career and technical offerings, so students here are entering a district with program breadth in that space.

A parent moving to or already in this area should expect a junior high with respectable county-level performance but uneven subject mastery, particularly in social studies and seventh-grade math. The school serves a diverse, economically mixed student body in a rapidly growing suburban-industrial context where housing is relatively affordable and job proximity (both industrial and broader Houston-area work) is a draw. The district's bond investments suggest management of growth and building of program options, though the school's own mastery rates, especially in tested eighth-grade social studies, remain a soft spot a parent may want to examine further when considering academic preparedness for high school.

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Academic performance

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

Math

Grade 643%

School 43% · District 35% · ▲ 8 pts above district

▲ 9 pts above state median · ▲ 10 pts above county median

Grade 726%

School 26% · District 19% · ▲ 7 pts above district

▼ 1 pts below state median · even with county median

Grade 854%

School 54% · District 44% · ▲ 10 pts above district

▲ 12 pts above state median · ▲ 15 pts above county median

English language arts

Grade 663%

School 63% · District 54% · ▲ 9 pts above district

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

Grade 761%

School 61% · District 53% · ▲ 8 pts above district

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

Grade 868%

School 68% · District 58% · ▲ 10 pts above district

▲ 13 pts above state median · ▲ 14 pts above county median

Science

Grade 856%

School 56% · District 49% · ▲ 7 pts above district

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

Social studies

Grade 827%

School 27% · District 27%

▲ 3 pts above state median · even with county median

This schoolDICKINSON 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-income55%Higher-income69%14 pp gap

Grade 7Lower-income51%Higher-income71%20 pp gap

Grade 8Lower-income63%Higher-income72%9 pp gap

Mathematics

Grade 6Lower-income39%Higher-income47%8 pp gap

Grade 7Lower-income23%Higher-income30%7 pp gap

Grade 8Lower-income44%Higher-income62%18 pp gap