Mackenzie Middle, Lubbock TX - Test Scores & Data

Original Research by School Decision on Mackenzie Middle

Mackenzie Middle serves students in grades six through eight in the Maxey Park neighborhood of Lubbock, about a couple of miles west of downtown. The school enrolls a small-to-mid-sized student body drawn from a neighborhood that is economically stressed: a substantial majority of students qualify for free or reduced-price lunch. The student body is predominantly Hispanic, with a significant Black enrollment and smaller shares of white and Asian students.

On state assessments, Mackenzie's performance is notably weak across subjects. In English Language Arts, proficiency rates range from the low-to-mid range in grades six and eight, dipping lower in grade seven. Math proficiency is particularly low across all three grade levels, dropping to single digits in grade seven. Science and social studies proficiency in grade eight are also very low. While a meaningful share of students meet the "approaches standard" on STAAR assessments, indicating some progress toward grade-level work, only a small fraction achieve proficiency or above. The school's overall proficiency index places it in the bottom quartile among Lubbock County districts.

State testing data show only a single year of results, so no trend information is available to show whether these numbers reflect recent change or are more stable. The school does not report data on students with individualized education plans or English learners, so parent inquiries to the school about the scope of support services for those populations would be warranted.

Lubbock as a place is a mid-sized city anchored by Texas Tech University, healthcare, and agriculture, with a mix of older central neighborhoods and newer suburban development spreading outward. The Maxey Park area where Mackenzie sits includes a park with trails and recreational facilities, and feeds into Coronado High School. The broader neighborhood is largely car-dependent, as most of Lubbock outside downtown is built around driving rather than walking.

The district itself is in transition. Lubbock ISD approved a major bond in May 2025 to build three new elementary schools, expand middle school capacity, and upgrade safety and facilities, with new schools scheduled to open in 2028-29. In the nearer term, the district completed Phase 1 closures and consolidations in 2025-2026, and has adopted a District Optimization Plan with published criteria for future consolidations beginning in Fall 2026, driven by enrollment thresholds and facility utilization. These changes mean families should expect ongoing restructuring of school assignments and available buildings in the years ahead. Property tax rates have been stable and low, and the district said the bond would not require a rate increase. For a parent considering Mackenzie, the combination of very low proficiency rates, economic stress in the attendance zone, and the district's active facility consolidation work would all merit direct conversation with school leadership about academic supports, the school's improvement plans, and how boundary changes might affect the family in coming years.

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Academic performance

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

Math

Grade 615%

School 15% · District 31% · ▼ 16 pts below district

▼ 19 pts below state median · ▼ 21 pts below county median

Grade 75%

School 5% · District 9% · ▼ 4 pts below district

▼ 22 pts below state median · ▼ 19 pts below county median

Grade 814%

School 14% · District 38% · ▼ 24 pts below district

▼ 28 pts below state median · ▼ 28 pts below county median

English language arts

Grade 635%

School 35% · District 52% · ▼ 17 pts below district

▼ 17 pts below state median · ▼ 18 pts below county median

Grade 730%

School 30% · District 48% · ▼ 18 pts below district

▼ 19 pts below state median · ▼ 21 pts below county median

Grade 833%

School 33% · District 51% · ▼ 18 pts below district

▼ 22 pts below state median · ▼ 27 pts below county median

Science

Grade 814%

School 14% · District 27% · ▼ 13 pts below district

▼ 28 pts below state median · ▼ 26 pts below county median

Social studies

Grade 89%

School 9% · District 21% · ▼ 12 pts below district

▼ 15 pts below state median · ▼ 16 pts below county median

This schoolLUBBOCK 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-income32%Higher-income58%26 pp gap

Grade 7Lower-income26%Higher-income50%24 pp gap

Grade 8Lower-income34%Higher-income28%6 pp gap

Mathematics

Grade 6Lower-income16%Higher-income8%8 pp gap

Grade 7Lower-income5%Higher-income7%2 pp gap

Grade 8Lower-income13%Higher-income23%10 pp gap