The top reported proficiency rate is 48% in English language arts. The lowest is 23% in Social studies.
Original Research by School Decision on James R Brooks Middle
James R. Brooks Middle School is a public middle school in Midland, Texas, serving grades six through eight within Greenwood ISD. The school sits in a district that has been growing rapidly due to Midland's energy-driven economy, and recent changes at the district level will shape what families experience here in the near term.
The academic picture at Brooks is mixed. In English language arts, the school shows some strength: just over half of sixth graders test at proficiency or above, and just under half of seventh and eighth graders meet that bar. This is a reasonable foundation in reading and writing. Mathematics tells a different story. Sixth-grade math proficiency sits at roughly one-third, seventh-grade drops to roughly one-fifth, and then eighth-grade recovers to about half. The dip in seventh grade is particularly steep and suggests that a parent might want to look into what is happening in that grade and whether the school has identified the cause or has a plan to address it. Science and social studies proficiency are lower across the board, with eighth-grade science at roughly one-third and social studies at roughly one-fifth. The overall proficiency index across all tested subjects places the school below the midpoint among other districts in Midland County, meaning other middle schools in the area show stronger results.
What matters here is the pattern. Students are approaching grade-level work at roughly two-thirds to three-quarters of the time across all subjects, which means many are grasping the fundamentals. The "meets grade level" tier shows roughly four-tenths of students in math and English language arts, and far fewer in science and social studies. Very few students are scoring at the "masters" level in any subject. This is a school where students are making progress but facing headwinds, particularly in upper grades and in sciences and humanities.
The enrollment is stable at roughly eight hundred students, split fairly evenly across the three grade levels. About two-fifths of the school qualifies for free or reduced-price lunch. The student body is predominantly Hispanic, with a substantial white population and very small representations of other racial and ethnic groups. The school serves the student populations it receives without selection or specialization.
Greenwood ISD itself is in the midst of significant change. Voters approved a major bond in November 2023 to address rapid enrollment growth that has strained school capacity. The district committed to funding new construction and expansion, including a new career and technical education building at Greenwood High School. For families with older students, this signals investment in pathways beyond college. For middle school families, it suggests the district is taking growth seriously, though middle school capacity pressures and their resolution are worth asking the school directly about.
The district also froze property tax rates for residents aged sixty-five and older in connection with the bond, a detail relevant to multigenerational households or older homebuyers considering the area.
Midland itself is a West Texas oil city where the energy sector shapes the economy and daily life. Housing values and rents in the area are climbing, and the city is growing steadily, with new residential subdivisions spreading outward, especially toward the northwest. Downtown is undergoing revitalization with civic gathering spaces, and the city provides bus transit through the EZ-Rider system, though the overall environment is car-dependent. The broader economic base includes aerospace, logistics, healthcare, and professional services alongside energy, and per-capita income in the region ranks very high nationally.
For a family considering Brooks, the question is whether a school with mixed proficiency, particularly in upper-grade math and sciences, matches their academic expectations and whether they believe the student will thrive in that environment. The bond and district growth suggest infrastructure is being addressed, but whether that translates to better instruction or smaller class sizes is a conversation to have with the school directly.
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