Original Research by School Decision on Chip Richarte H S
Chip Richarte High School sits on North Austin Avenue in Georgetown, Texas, part of Georgetown ISD. It is classified as an alternative school serving grades ten through twelve, which shapes everything about how to read its data. Alternative campuses in Texas typically serve students who have faced barriers to success in a traditional high school setting, whether through credit deficiency, disciplinary placement, prior dropout status, or other circumstances. The school is small, with an enrollment that fits comfortably in a single classroom building, and that intimacy is often the point.
Because this is an alternative setting, the standard comparison framework used for county districts does not apply here, and the neighbor comparison metrics were not calculated. That is not a data gap to worry about; it reflects the nature of the school. Likewise, information on IEP rates, English learner counts, course access, and chronic absenteeism was not available in the data provided.
State assessment results were reported for the most recent year. The picture is genuinely mixed, and a parent should look at it subject by subject rather than in the aggregate. Science stands out: nearly every tested student reached the approaches-grade-level threshold, and a substantial share met the higher "meets grade level" standard. Social studies approaches was also extremely strong across the board. ELA and math tell a different story. In ELA, roughly half of students reached the approaches threshold and about a third met grade level, with very few reaching the masters level. Math was weaker still: a majority approached grade level but only a small fraction met it, and no one reached the masters level. These patterns are worth a conversation with the school, because at an alternative campus the incoming population often carries significant academic gaps, and the question for a family is not just where the numbers land but what trajectory students are on and what supports are in place.
About half of students qualify for free or reduced-price lunch, reflecting a broad economic mix. The student body is predominantly white and Hispanic, with small numbers of other groups represented.
Graduation rate data was not available in the payload, which is common for alternative campuses that track students differently or whose cohort sizes make public reporting complicated. Program offerings were also not listed. A parent whose student is being considered for or is already at Richarte would want to ask directly about credit recovery options, wraparound support services, and what the pathway to graduation looks like.
Georgetown itself is a city in rapid growth, publicly reported as one of the fastest-growing cities in the United States for several consecutive years. The city is anchored by a historic Victorian downtown square around the Williamson County Courthouse, which the American Planning Association has recognized as a great neighborhood. San Gabriel Park connects into a regional trail network, Southwestern University sits just east of downtown, and major employers range from St. David's Hospital to AirBorn to the school district itself, with the I-35 corridor providing access to the broader Austin metro economy.
Housing in the area runs above the Texas statewide median, though values have softened modestly over the past year. Rents have also edged down slightly. For families weighing a move, monthly ownership costs are meaningfully higher than renting, and the price-to-income ratio sits above four. Georgetown ISD is managing its own growth pressures, having delayed two new campuses until 2027 and shifted bell schedules beginning in fall 2026 to reduce transportation costs, with elementary and high school start times moving earlier and middle school times moving later.
Chip Richarte is not a school you choose for breadth of AP offerings or competitive athletics. It exists to serve students who need a different structure to complete their high school credential, and for that population it may be exactly the right place. The science results suggest real teaching is happening. The math and ELA numbers are areas a family should probe directly with staff before drawing conclusions.
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