Hempstead Middle, Hempstead TX - Test Scores & Data

Original Research by School Decision on Hempstead Middle

Hempstead Middle serves grades six through eight in a school of roughly typical size for its grade band. The school draws from Hempstead, a small Texas city about fifty miles northwest of Houston at the junction of US 290 and State Highways 6 and 159. Once famous as a watermelon-shipping hub, Hempstead is now in a growth phase driven by major infrastructure projects including an H-E-B distribution campus and Mustang Cat headquarters, alongside new residential subdivisions. The town sits on gridded streets with a walkable historic core, though everyday mobility requires a car and there is no public transit. Schools are close to downtown, keeping them woven into the community rather than isolated on distant campuses.

Most Hempstead Middle students come from families with limited income; a substantial share qualify for free or reduced-price lunch. Racially and ethnically, the school is majority Hispanic, with significant Black enrollment and smaller white and mixed-race populations.

The most recent state testing data shows mixed performance across subjects and grade levels. In English language arts, students at the school have achieved proficiency at a notably higher rate than in mathematics. Seventh-grade ELA proficiency sits at around the midpoint, while sixth-grade ELA is lower and eighth-grade ELA is near sixth-grade level. Math proficiency is a clear weak spot. Sixth-grade math proficiency is very low, seventh grade is even lower, and eighth grade, though higher, still reflects substantial struggle. Science proficiency in eighth grade sits below the school's ELA performance. Social studies in eighth grade shows slightly better results than science. Across all subjects, only a small fraction of students have achieved the highest mastery level. When viewed against proficiency categories, a majority of students across subjects are meeting the "approaches" benchmark, meaning they are approaching grade-level standards, though falling short of meeting or mastering them. The data comes from the Texas STAAR assessment and reflects the most recent school year.

The school performs above the midpoint among the three districts in Waller County on a proficiency index that combines tested subjects and grades, positioning it as a relative strength within its county peer group. A parent may want to look into what classroom supports, intervention programs, or instructional approaches the school is using to address the notably low math outcomes and work to narrow the wide gap between ELA and math performance.

Hempstead ISD recently passed a substantial bond in May 2024, the district's first in nearly two decades, that includes funding for a new middle school gymnasium at Hempstead Middle, enclosed safety connectors at all campuses, HVAC and roof replacements, and districtwide facility upgrades. The district adopted a five-year strategic plan, Learning & Leading to Higher Heights, in 2023 focused on academics, instruction, and social-emotional learning. The bond carries a property-tax increase that families would need to factor into housing decisions.

Hempstead Middle's address is 2532 9th Street. The school website was not available in the data provided. No information on specialized programs, dual-credit offerings, staff composition, attendance rates, or discipline data was available.

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Academic performance

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

Math

Grade 619%

School 19% · District 19%

▼ 15 pts below state median

Grade 712%

School 12% · District 12%

▼ 15 pts below state median

Grade 829%

School 29% · District 29%

▼ 13 pts below state median

English language arts

Grade 639%

School 39% · District 39%

▼ 13 pts below state median

Grade 751%

School 51% · District 51%

▲ 2 pts above state median

Grade 846%

School 46% · District 46%

▼ 9 pts below state median

Science

Grade 828%

School 28% · District 28%

▼ 14 pts below state median

Social studies

Grade 837%

School 37% · District 37%

▲ 13 pts above state median

This schoolHEMPSTEAD 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-income35%Higher-income58%23 pp gap

Grade 7Lower-income48%Higher-income71%23 pp gap

Grade 8Lower-income46%Higher-income44%2 pp gap

Mathematics

Grade 6Lower-income15%Higher-income37%22 pp gap

Grade 7Lower-income11%Higher-income18%7 pp gap

Grade 8Lower-income33%Higher-income19%14 pp gap