Pershing Middle, Houston TX - Test Scores & Data

Original Research by School Decision on Pershing Middle

Pershing Middle serves grades six through eight in Houston and enrolls a substantial student body drawn from a diverse neighborhood. Roughly three-fifths of students qualify for free or reduced-price lunch. The student composition is mixed, with roughly equal shares of Hispanic and Black students, alongside smaller populations of white and Asian students. A small share of students are American Indian or Native Hawaiian.

The school sits in a Houston zip code where median home values are around the mid-level for Harris County and rents have softened slightly over the past year. The surrounding market remains active, with substantial inventory and ongoing residential construction; Houston's metro region is among the fastest-growing in the nation, though growth is increasingly shifting outward to suburban counties rather than consolidating in the urban core.

On state testing, Pershing's performance varies notably across grades and subjects. In English language arts, proficiency rises as students advance: sixth graders reach about mid-range, seventh graders move into the solid range, and eighth graders reach low majority. Math shows a steeper climb, with sixth-grade performance below where most parents hope, seventh-grade somewhat soft, and eighth grade moving to majority proficiency. Science and social studies proficiency at eighth grade sit lower, each around mid-range. When measured as a composite across all subjects and grades, the school sits above the midpoint of comparable schools in Harris County, a meaningful distinction among the county's districts.

Texas does not test grades six and seven in science and social studies, so performance in those areas appears only in eighth grade. The school's strongest area overall is English language arts at the seventh- and eighth-grade levels, where the share of students meeting proficiency reaches majority or near-majority levels. Math at the lower grades is a softer point, and parents tracking student progress might want to ask the school directly how it supports students who enter below proficiency and what interventions the school uses to close that gap.

Pershing operates within Houston ISD, a district currently governed by a state-appointed board of managers rather than an elected school board. The Texas Education Agency took over the district in 2023 and extended that takeover through at least June 2027, citing compliance concerns in special education and governance. Parents have no elected local representation as long as the state controls the district. Within that governance framework, the district has implemented a standardized instructional model called the New Education System at some schools, featuring prescribed curricula, longer school days, and frequent assessment. The extent to which Pershing participates in or has adopted these elements would be worth clarifying with school leadership, as it shapes daily instruction and school culture.

Pershing is a regular public school and does not appear on publicly reported lists as a charter or magnet school. The school's course offerings, staffing levels, and detailed program information were not available in the data reviewed, so a parent would benefit from visiting the school directly or contacting it to understand electives, clubs, special programs, or career pathways the school offers.

The district faces significant enrollment pressure, having lost a substantial student population in recent years, and in February 2026 the board of managers voted to close or consolidate twelve schools effective after the current school year. The district also held a large bond referendum in November 2024 that voters rejected by a substantial margin, meaning aging facility needs across the district remain unaddressed. Parents should clarify with the school whether Pershing is among those affected by closures or consolidations and what facility needs or improvements the school currently faces.

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Academic performance

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

Math

Grade 633%

School 33% · District 39% · ▼ 6 pts below district

▼ 1 pts below state median · even with county median

Grade 738%

School 38% · District 35% · ▲ 3 pts above district

▲ 11 pts above state median · ▲ 11 pts above county median

Grade 857%

School 57% · District 43% · ▲ 14 pts above district

▲ 15 pts above state median · ▲ 14 pts above county median

English language arts

Grade 646%

School 46% · District 51% · ▼ 5 pts below district

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

Grade 760%

School 60% · District 50% · ▲ 10 pts above district

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

Grade 864%

School 64% · District 53% · ▲ 11 pts above district

▲ 9 pts above state median · ▲ 10 pts above county median

Science

Grade 847%

School 47% · District 42% · ▲ 5 pts above district

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

Social studies

Grade 837%

School 37% · District 25% · ▲ 12 pts above district

▲ 13 pts above state median · ▲ 15 pts above county median

This schoolHOUSTON 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-income60%21 pp gap

Grade 7Lower-income44%Higher-income80%36 pp gap

Grade 8Lower-income50%Higher-income82%32 pp gap

Mathematics

Grade 6Lower-income25%Higher-income47%22 pp gap

Grade 7Lower-income29%Higher-income53%24 pp gap

Grade 8Lower-income46%Higher-income73%27 pp gap