Morningside Middle, Fort Worth TX

Original Research by School Decision on Morningside Middle

Morningside Middle serves grades six through eight in Fort Worth, a city of roughly one million residents that has grown substantially in recent years and sits at the northern edge of the Dallas-Fort Worth region. The school enrolls a small-to-mid-size cohort, nearly all of whom qualify for free or reduced-price lunch. The student body is predominantly Hispanic and Black, reflecting the neighborhoods the school serves.

Academic performance at Morningside is well below where the state and district would want it to be. On 2024-25 state testing, only a small fraction of students met proficiency in any subject. In sixth-grade math, roughly one in twenty-five students reached proficiency; seventh-grade math was even lower at one in roughly one hundred. Eighth grade showed the best math result at roughly one in eight, though still quite low. English language arts performed somewhat better across all grades, with sixth through eighth graders ranging from roughly one in five to roughly one in four meeting proficiency. Science and social studies proficiency in eighth grade were each in the single digits as a percentage. When looking at all levels of attainment, a modest share of students approach proficiency, suggesting some are in progress, but the overall picture is one of very substantial academic challenge across the student body.

Compared to other schools in Tarrant County, Morningside ranks in the bottom quartile on overall proficiency. The school's proficiency index is among the lowest among county schools. A parent investigating this school should want to understand what instructional supports, staffing, curriculum choices, and remedial or intensive services the school has in place, and what the district's plan is for improvement. The data does not show whether attendance, discipline, or chronic absenteeism might be contributing factors, nor does it clarify the English learner or special education populations served.

The broader context is one of rapid growth and rising costs in Fort Worth itself. Housing in the school's zip code is moderately priced relative to national benchmarks but has declined slightly in value over the past year; rents are modest and also declining slightly. The city's economy is anchored in aerospace and defense, healthcare, government, and education, with American Airlines headquartered here. Downtown and the Cultural District are walkable gathering points, though much of the city depends on car travel. This is not a school on a growth or momentum trajectory based on current test data, and a family considering it would want direct conversation with the school and district about what is working, what needs to change, and what timeline they envision for improvement.

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Academic performance

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

Math

Grade 64%

School 4% · District 17% · ▼ 13 pts below district

▼ 30 pts below state median · ▼ 33 pts below county median

Grade 71%

School 1% · District 5% · ▼ 4 pts below district

▼ 26 pts below state median · ▼ 24 pts below county median

Grade 813%

School 13% · District 31% · ▼ 18 pts below district

▼ 29 pts below state median · ▼ 25 pts below county median

English language arts

Grade 622%

School 22% · District 38% · ▼ 16 pts below district

▼ 30 pts below state median · ▼ 31 pts below county median

Grade 717%

School 17% · District 35% · ▼ 18 pts below district

▼ 32 pts below state median · ▼ 32 pts below county median

Grade 824%

School 24% · District 26% · ▼ 2 pts below district

▼ 31 pts below state median · ▼ 29 pts below county median

Science

Grade 811%

School 11% · District 23% · ▼ 12 pts below district

▼ 31 pts below state median · ▼ 27 pts below county median

Social studies

Grade 88%

School 8% · District 14% · ▼ 6 pts below district

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

This schoolFORT WORTH 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.