Farley Middle, Hutto TX - Test Scores & Data

Original Research by School Decision on Farley Middle

Farley Middle is a full-size middle school serving grades six through eight in Hutto, a rapidly growing suburb east of Austin in Williamson County. The school enrolls a student body that is roughly half Hispanic, with substantial shares of white and Black students and a growing Asian enrollment. About four in ten students qualify for free or reduced-price lunch. The school sits in an area experiencing intense population expansion, driven by semiconductor and industrial development along the U.S. 79 corridor and a migration of families seeking lower housing costs than Austin itself. Hutto ISD has just completed a major bond effort and is building a second high school and new middle school capacity to handle enrollment that is projected to nearly double over the coming years.

On state testing, Farley's results show a clear pattern: English language arts performance is substantially stronger than mathematics or science. Sixth-grade ELA proficiency sits at a solid midpoint, seventh-grade holds steady just below it, and eighth-grade achieves a clear majority proficiency in reading and writing. Mathematics is more stretched, with sixth and seventh graders showing weak proficiency and only eighth graders reaching solid ground. Science and social studies proficiency in eighth grade both fall into the low-to-modest range. Across all subjects combined, about two in five students reach proficiency. The trend view, captured in a single reporting year, shows that roughly two-thirds of students meet or approach proficiency in ELA, while in mathematics fewer than half meet or approach, and in science and social studies the fraction dipping below half. The school's overall proficiency index places it below the midpoint among the county's fifteen districts, a fact a parent may want to explore further with the school, particularly if mathematics support or acceleration interests the family.

The growth context is tangible. Farley opened as a response to population surge, and the district continues to build. Within two years, a second comprehensive high school will open and a new middle school is online. For families considering a move to Hutto, this means both opportunity (newer buildings, capacity being matched to demand) and transition (attendance zones will likely shift as capacity is built out). The school itself is a regular public middle school with no charter or magnet designation, so its pathway is the standard progression toward the new Creekside High School when students advance.

The housing market in the Hutto zip code shows values and rents that are moderate relative to the broader Austin region and substantially below state and national medians, a primary draw for families. The affordability advantage is substantial enough that it figures prominently in public statements about why people are moving to the town. The locale itself retains a small-town character with preserved historic downtown, although rapid development of industrial parks, data centers, and residential subdivisions dominates current growth.

For a parent, Farley Middle represents a middle-of-the-road reading-and-writing foundation with harder pulls needed in quantitative reasoning and science. The school operates in a district in growth mode, with tangible new investment in facilities and capacity. The town itself is young, fast-growing, and oriented toward affordable family housing in suburban form, with modest walkability outside the historic core.

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Academic performance

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

Math

Grade 623%

School 23% · District 32% · ▼ 9 pts below district

▼ 11 pts below state median · ▼ 35 pts below county median

Grade 715%

School 15% · District 15%

▼ 12 pts below state median · ▼ 8 pts below county median

Grade 840%

School 40% · District 47% · ▼ 7 pts below district

▼ 2 pts below state median · ▼ 14 pts below county median

English language arts

Grade 650%

School 50% · District 52% · ▼ 2 pts below district

▼ 2 pts below state median · ▼ 14 pts below county median

Grade 749%

School 49% · District 53% · ▼ 4 pts below district

even with state median · ▼ 5 pts below county median

Grade 866%

School 66% · District 62% · ▲ 4 pts above district

▲ 11 pts above state median · even with county median

Science

Grade 839%

School 39% · District 48% · ▼ 9 pts below district

▼ 3 pts below state median · ▼ 11 pts below county median

Social studies

Grade 822%

School 22% · District 29% · ▼ 7 pts below district

▼ 2 pts below state median · ▼ 12 pts below county median

This schoolHUTTO 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 5Lower-income76%Higher-income89%13 pp gap

Grade 6Lower-income32%Higher-income63%31 pp gap

Grade 7Lower-income30%Higher-income62%32 pp gap

Grade 8Lower-income52%Higher-income76%24 pp gap

Mathematics

Grade 5Lower-income65%Higher-income89%24 pp gap

Grade 6Lower-income9%Higher-income33%24 pp gap

Grade 7Lower-income9%Higher-income20%11 pp gap

Grade 8Lower-income33%Higher-income46%13 pp gap