Forest Park Magnet School, Longview TX

Original Research by School Decision on Forest Park Magnet School

Forest Park Magnet School is a public charter middle school serving grades six through eight in Longview. It enrolls a school community that is substantially economically disadvantaged, with a very large majority of students qualifying for free or reduced-price lunch. The student body is majority Hispanic, with a substantial share who identify as Black, and smaller numbers of White students and students of other backgrounds.

The school's 2024-25 state assessment results reveal a pattern worth examining closely. In the sixth and seventh grades, proficiency rates in both math and English language arts hover in the low range. Eighth grade shows a marked uptick: both math and ELA proficiency rates roughly double compared to the lower grades. In science, eighth grade proficiency sits at a moderate level. Social studies proficiency in eighth grade is notably lower. Across subjects, the school's overall proficiency index places it below the midpoint when compared to other districts in Gregg County.

The performance trend suggests the school either enrolls students with weaker foundational skills in the lower grades, supports accelerated growth as students move through the middle years, or sees selective enrollment changes by grade. A parent may want to ask the school directly about this grade-level pattern: whether it reflects the entry profile of incoming sixth graders, the effect of multi-year instruction, or other factors. The jump in eighth-grade performance is concrete enough to warrant conversation.

Longview itself is a working-class city with a strong healthcare sector, manufacturing base, and skilled trades workforce. Housing costs are moderate relative to national benchmarks. The district recently approved a significant bond measure that will fund new facilities, renovations, and a new Career and Technical Education building, alongside improvements to security and transportation. The bond carries a manageable tax impact. Texas is also phasing out the STAAR test in favor of a new assessment model, which means graduation testing requirements will shift for current and future students.

Forest Park Magnet's charter status means families should confirm enrollment procedures, any application deadlines, and whether the school operates under a particular curricular or pedagogical model. The word "magnet" appears in the school's name; parents should verify what specialized program or focus the school emphasizes, as this information was not included in the available data.

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Academic performance

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

Math

Grade 629%

School 29% · District 44% · ▼ 15 pts below district

▼ 5 pts below state median

Grade 728%

School 28% · District 49% · ▼ 21 pts below district

▲ 1 pts above state median

Grade 855%

School 55% · District 50% · ▲ 5 pts above district

▲ 13 pts above state median

English language arts

Grade 635%

School 35% · District 55% · ▼ 20 pts below district

▼ 17 pts below state median

Grade 734%

School 34% · District 54% · ▼ 20 pts below district

▼ 15 pts below state median

Grade 855%

School 55% · District 64% · ▼ 9 pts below district

even with state median · ▼ 11 pts below county median

Science

Grade 845%

School 45% · District 51% · ▼ 6 pts below district

▲ 3 pts above state median · ▼ 4 pts below county median

Social studies

Grade 820%

School 20% · District 38% · ▼ 18 pts below district

▼ 4 pts below state median · ▼ 10 pts below county median

This schoolLONGVIEW 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-income36%Higher-income21%15 pp gap

Grade 7Lower-income36%Higher-income27%9 pp gap

Grade 8Lower-income56%Higher-income50%6 pp gap

Mathematics

Grade 6Lower-income30%Higher-income21%9 pp gap

Grade 7Lower-income29%Higher-income32%3 pp gap

Grade 8Lower-income56%Higher-income47%9 pp gap