Decker Middle, Austin TX - Test Scores & Data

Original Research by School Decision on Decker Middle

Decker Middle is a regular public middle school in east Austin serving students in grades six through eight. The school enrolls a substantial share of students, with most in grade seven and eight. The student population is predominantly Latino, and the majority of students qualify for free or reduced price lunch, reflecting a lower-income catchment. Decker is part of Manor ISD, a district that experienced a major governance shift when Manor Middle School came under outside charter operation in fall 2025, though Decker itself remains under direct district control.

The academic picture at Decker is the critical thing a parent needs to understand. State assessment results from 2024-25 show proficiency rates that are very low across all tested subjects. In mathematics, fewer than one in ten students in grades six and seven achieved proficiency, and the rate was similarly low in grade eight. English language arts performance was somewhat stronger but still represents a substantial challenge, with proficiency rates ranging from about one in seven to one in five depending on the grade. Science and social studies proficiency in grade eight were also in the single digits to low teens. When proficiency is measured across all subjects and grades together, it sits in the bottom quartile relative to the district's county peers. A parent may want to look into this further with the school and the district to understand what academic supports, interventions, or instructional strategies are in place and whether the school has a trajectory of improvement underway.

The housing context surrounding Decker is one of mixed affordability. The zip code median home value has declined modestly year over year, and rent is modest relative to regional standards, though the cost of housing relative to median household income remains above the national benchmark. This suggests a neighborhood in transition and an area where affordability concerns coexist with economic resilience.

Manor ISD itself is navigating institutional change. In November 2024, voters approved a property tax rate adjustment that, while framed as an increase in tax rates, actually resulted in a lower overall tax rate than the prior year and generates revenue not subject to state recapture. This gives the district a more stable funding stream. However, in November 2025, voters rejected a bond package that would have funded safety upgrades, technology, buses, and facility renovations, and the district is now reassessing its capital projects. The rejection means facility needs will persist in the near term. Additionally, the district adopted a new elementary math curriculum and restructured its dual language program beginning in 2025-26, changes that ripple through the lower grades but do not directly affect Decker.

For a parent considering Decker, the core question is academic performance and the school's response to current proficiency gaps. The neighborhood offers modest housing costs in Austin's context, and the school draws from a community with deep roots in the area. What matters most is whether the school and district have concrete plans to move proficiency rates meaningfully higher and whether a family can access those supports.

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Academic performance

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

Math

Grade 67%

School 7% · District 17% · ▼ 10 pts below district

▼ 27 pts below state median · ▼ 23 pts below county median

Grade 710%

School 10% · District 6% · ▲ 4 pts above district

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

Grade 87%

School 7% · District 14% · ▼ 7 pts below district

▼ 35 pts below state median · ▼ 31 pts below county median

English language arts

Grade 622%

School 22% · District 34% · ▼ 12 pts below district

▼ 30 pts below state median · ▼ 23 pts below county median

Grade 721%

School 21% · District 20% · ▲ 1 pts above district

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

Grade 815%

School 15% · District 26% · ▼ 11 pts below district

▼ 40 pts below state median · ▼ 39 pts below county median

Science

Grade 813%

School 13% · District 20% · ▼ 7 pts below district

▼ 29 pts below state median · ▼ 25 pts below county median

Social studies

Grade 812%

School 12% · District 19% · ▼ 7 pts below district

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

This schoolMANOR 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-income22%Higher-income23%1 pp gap

Grade 7Lower-income20%Higher-income21%1 pp gap

Grade 8Lower-income12%Higher-income25%13 pp gap

Mathematics

Grade 6Lower-income6%Higher-income9%3 pp gap

Grade 7Lower-income9%Higher-income16%7 pp gap

Grade 8Lower-income7%Higher-income7%0 pp gap