Grace R Brandenburg Int, Duncanville TX

Original Research by School Decision on Grace R Brandenburg Int

Grace R Brandenburg Intermediate serves fifth and sixth graders in Duncanville, a built-out suburb in the Dallas/Fort Worth Metroplex with established residential neighborhoods and commercial corridors along major thoroughfares. The school's enrollment is small to moderate for its grade band, with about equal splits between the two grades. The student body is majority Hispanic and Black, with a substantial share of students qualifying for free or reduced-price lunch, reflecting a community with considerable economic need.

The school's academic profile shows serious challenges. On state testing, proficiency rates across subjects and grades sit well below what the school's county peers typically achieve. In English Language Arts, roughly one-third of students tested meet or exceed proficiency standards in both grades; in math, the rates drop sharply, with proficiency near one-fifth in fifth grade and one-sixth in sixth grade. Science proficiency, assessed in fifth grade, is notably low. When Texas groups performance into achievement levels, only a small share of students reach the "masters" level across all subjects, and most students fall into the "approaches" category, meaning they have not yet demonstrated proficiency. The school's overall proficiency index places it in the bottom quartile relative to other schools in Dallas County.

Parents should understand that Grade Brandenburg faces academic demands that extend beyond what current data alone can explain. The testing results are sufficiently weak that a parent considering the school would want to speak directly with the school about curriculum, teaching resources, intervention supports, and any recent or planned improvements. One year of data alone cannot show whether results reflect a temporary dip, an ongoing pattern, or progress already underway.

Duncanville ISD, the parent district, recently passed a bond election in November 2023 that funds facility renovations, a Career and Technical Education expansion at the high school, and school-choice options for families. While that bond addresses infrastructure and high school pathways, its direct bearing on middle-grade instruction at Brandenburg is not specified in publicly available materials.

The housing market in the area is moderately priced relative to national benchmarks, and the affordability ratio suggests that renting is somewhat more accessible than purchasing. The community's economic base includes city employment, manufacturing, and warehousing operations. State property tax relief enacted alongside the bond election offset some of the increased school tax rate, leaving the total tax burden lower than the prior year despite the bond passage.

A family exploring this school should weigh its location and community context against its current academic standing and ask the district directly what supports and changes are in place to improve student outcomes.

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Academic performance

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

Math

Grade 519%

School 19% · District 0% · ▲ 19 pts above district

▼ 22 pts below state median · ▼ 19 pts below county median

Grade 615%

School 15% · District 22% · ▼ 7 pts below district

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

English language arts

Grade 534%

School 34% · District 4% · ▲ 30 pts above district

▼ 20 pts below state median · ▼ 16 pts below county median

Grade 631%

School 31% · District 38% · ▼ 7 pts below district

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

Science

Grade 55%

School 5% · District 3% · ▲ 2 pts above district

▼ 18 pts below state median · ▼ 14 pts below county median

This schoolDUNCANVILLE 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-income30%Higher-income37%7 pp gap

Mathematics

Grade 5Lower-income21%Higher-income15%6 pp gap

Grade 6Lower-income14%Higher-income16%2 pp gap