Ed Willkie Middle, Fort Worth TX

Original Research by School Decision on Ed Willkie Middle

Ed Willkie Middle is a public middle school serving grades six through eight in Fort Worth, Texas, located in the Eagle Mt-Saginaw Independent School District. The school enrolls a diverse student body of roughly mid-sized school proportions for its grade band, with about half the enrollment qualifying for free or reduced-price lunch and substantial representation across racial and ethnic groups, with Hispanic and White students each comprising roughly two-fifths of enrollment and Black students comprising about a fifth.

The school's 2024-25 state assessment results show an uneven profile across grade levels and subjects. In English language arts, students perform relatively better: about two-fifths of sixth graders reach proficiency, rising to around half of seventh and eighth graders. Reading is the school's stronger subject area. Mathematics performance tells a different story. Sixth grade shows proficiency near one-fifth, seventh grade drops sharply to around one-tenth, and eighth grade recovers substantially to about half. This steep dip in seventh-grade math is a clear soft spot; a parent investigating the school may want to understand how the district addresses math instruction during that transition year and what support exists for students who fall behind.

Eighth-grade assessment results in science and social studies are available. In science, about half the cohort meets proficiency, a relatively solid result. Social studies performance lags, with about one-third meeting proficiency. Across all tested subjects and grades, the school's overall proficiency index places it below the midpoint among Tarrant County districts, suggesting the school serves students facing academic challenges that are not uncommon in the region but deserve direct acknowledgment.

Fort Worth itself is one of the nation's fastest-growing cities, having recently crossed into the top ten by population. Growth has been concentrated on the city's western and northwestern edges, where new housing subdivisions are expanding rapidly. The area's economy centers on aerospace manufacturing, government, health care, and education, anchored by employers such as American Airlines, Lockheed Martin, and Texas Christian University. Downtown Fort Worth and the Cultural District anchor civic life, with museums, plazas, and the Trinity River trail system serving residents. Housing costs have risen sharply with the city's growth; what was historically affordable has become less so as demand has climbed.

The school's location on Texas Shiner Road places it in the developing suburban fringe of Fort Worth. Eagle Mt-Saginaw ISD serves the northern and western portions of the metropolitan area. Median home values in the school's zip code are moderate relative to the national benchmark, and rents are stable. The economic context reflects a region with steady employment and education-focused major employers, though the search for specific recent changes to the district did not yield lasting information to report.

A parent considering Ed Willkie should be clear-eyed about the mathematics trajectory through middle grades, where seventh-grade performance is notably weak, even as eighth grade rebounds. The school's overall academic profile sits below county norms. Strengths include more solid reading performance across grade levels and reasonable science results in eighth grade. The school serves a diverse enrollment with a substantial share of students from lower-income households, which carries implications for the peer environment and the kinds of supports the school may offer or where it may need strengthening. For families in the Fort Worth area considering middle-grade placement, visiting the school, talking with families currently there about math support systems, and understanding the district's approach to that seventh-grade transition would all be prudent steps.

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Academic performance

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

Math

Grade 620%

School 20% · District 29% · ▼ 9 pts below district

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

Grade 710%

School 10% · District 14% · ▼ 4 pts below district

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

Grade 848%

School 48% · District 48%

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

English language arts

Grade 639%

School 39% · District 49% · ▼ 10 pts below district

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

Grade 746%

School 46% · District 51% · ▼ 5 pts below district

▼ 3 pts below state median · ▼ 3 pts below county median

Grade 849%

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

▼ 6 pts below state median · ▼ 4 pts below county median

Science

Grade 847%

School 47% · District 43% · ▲ 4 pts above district

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

Social studies

Grade 833%

School 33% · District 25% · ▲ 8 pts above district

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

This schoolEAGLE MT-SAGINAW 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-income28%Higher-income50%22 pp gap

Grade 7Lower-income38%Higher-income56%18 pp gap

Grade 8Lower-income40%Higher-income58%18 pp gap

Mathematics

Grade 6Lower-income11%Higher-income28%17 pp gap

Grade 7Lower-income7%Higher-income15%8 pp gap

Grade 8Lower-income40%Higher-income56%16 pp gap