Nimitz Middle, Odessa TX - Test Scores & Data

Original Research by School Decision on Nimitz Middle

Nimitz Middle serves grades 6 through 8 in Odessa, a West Texas oil and energy hub at the heart of the Permian Basin. The school is a regular public campus within Ector County ISD, located on Maple Avenue in the city. With a student body of about thirteen hundred, enrollment is roughly evenly distributed across the three middle grades.

The student composition reflects Odessa's demographic profile. A large majority of students are Hispanic, with smaller shares of white, Black, and Asian students. About two-thirds of students qualify for free or reduced-price lunch, indicating substantial economic need in the population the school serves. No state testing data for English-learner or special-education enrollment rates were reported, so the size and scope of those support programs are not visible in the available information.

Academic performance is the most pressing story here. State test results from the current school year show proficiency rates that are low across the board. In mathematics, only a small share of sixth graders met or exceeded the state standard, that share dropped further to just a handful of seventh graders, and rebounded somewhat for eighth graders. Reading and language arts results are stronger: a solid share of sixth and seventh graders met proficiency, and a clear majority of eighth graders did so. Science proficiency among eighth graders sits at a modest level, while performance in social studies is quite low. Across all subjects at all grades, a parent may want to look into the school's instructional strategies and support structures to understand how the campus is working to close these achievement gaps, particularly in mathematics and social studies.

The broader context matters. Ector County ISD just passed a major bond election in 2023 that is reshaping the district's physical plant and program offerings. A new comprehensive middle school, Vasquez Middle, is scheduled to open in August 2026, which will trigger redrawing of all middle school attendance boundaries districtwide. That boundary change means some families may see their assigned campus shift. Additionally, the district's career and technical education offerings are being expanded through a new CTE Center also funded by that bond. At the individual school level, there is no information available about Nimitz's specific programs, course breadth, or staffing patterns.

Housing in the Odessa area is moderately priced relative to state and national benchmarks, and the community is experiencing substantial growth, particularly in the northern and eastern neighborhoods where new master-planned communities like Parks Bell Ranch are underway. That growth trajectory brings both new families into schools and construction activity reshaping the city's footprint.

What Nimitz does well in reading suggests the school has foundations in literacy instruction worth understanding. What it struggles with in math and social studies deserves direct conversation with the school about remediation, tutoring, intervention timing, and teacher support. The imminent boundary redistricting also makes this a moment to ask the school and district what their plans are for how Nimitz's enrollment and mission may shift once Vasquez opens.

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Academic performance

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

Math

Grade 620%

School 20% · District 24% · ▼ 4 pts below district

▼ 14 pts below state median · ▼ 12 pts below county median

Grade 78%

School 8% · District 9% · ▼ 1 pts below district

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

Grade 831%

School 31% · District 35% · ▼ 4 pts below district

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

English language arts

Grade 648%

School 48% · District 41% · ▲ 7 pts above district

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

Grade 741%

School 41% · District 38% · ▲ 3 pts above district

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

Grade 856%

School 56% · District 42% · ▲ 14 pts above district

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

Science

Grade 843%

School 43% · District 31% · ▲ 12 pts above district

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

Social studies

Grade 810%

School 10% · District 10%

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

This schoolECTOR COUNTY 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-income39%Higher-income66%27 pp gap

Grade 7Lower-income35%Higher-income58%23 pp gap

Grade 8Lower-income48%Higher-income71%23 pp gap

Mathematics

Grade 6Lower-income15%Higher-income29%14 pp gap

Grade 7Lower-income7%Higher-income13%6 pp gap

Grade 8Lower-income28%Higher-income36%8 pp gap