Gene Pike Middle, Justin TX - Test Scores & Data

Original Research by School Decision on Gene Pike Middle

Gene Pike Middle School is a sixth-through-eighth-grade campus in Justin, Texas, part of Northwest ISD in Denton County. It sits in one of the faster-growing corridors of the DFW metroplex, where open fields and new master-planned subdivisions coexist along state highways northwest of Fort Worth. The school serves a mid-to-large enrollment for a middle school, with students fairly evenly distributed across all three grade levels.

The student body is majority white, with Hispanic students making up roughly a quarter of enrollment and Black students a smaller but present share. A modest share of students qualify for free or reduced-price lunch, reflecting the area's generally middle-income character. Data on English learner enrollment and students with IEPs was not available in what we reviewed.

On Texas STAAR assessments, Gene Pike's reading and language arts results are its clearest strength. Across all three grade levels, most students reach or approach grade-level expectations, with eighth grade showing the strongest proficiency among the three. Math tells a more uneven story: roughly half of students across grades six, seven, and eight are meeting or approaching standards, and only a small fraction reach the masters level. Science results for eighth grade sit in the mid-range. Social studies for eighth grade is the weakest subject area, with fewer than half of tested students reaching grade-level expectations. A parent who wants to dig further into how the school supports students who are not yet on track in math or social studies would be reasonable to ask the school directly. Trend data covers only the most recent year, so directional movement is not yet available.

Relative to districts in Denton County, Gene Pike's overall proficiency index places above the midpoint and into the top quartile of the comparison set, which gives it a reasonably favorable standing within its county context.

The school publicly reports arts programming that includes band, choir, orchestra, theater, and fine arts, which is a meaningful breadth of options for a middle school. Beyond that, detailed course-access or extracurricular data was not available in what we reviewed.

The district context is something every family in Northwest ISD should understand right now. A large bond passed a few years ago is funding new schools and capacity expansions across the district, including a new middle school and a fourth high school, addressing the growth pressure that has been building for years. At the same time, a tax-rate election failed in late 2024, forcing the district to raise class sizes and eliminate positions and programs, including AVID at Pike Middle School specifically, for the 2025-2026 school year. A subsequent election in late 2025 succeeded, and the district has publicly reported plans to reduce class sizes again, restore middle school fine arts staffing, and address teacher compensation starting in 2026. The net picture for a family enrolling now is a district that went through a difficult budget year and is in the process of recovering, but one that eliminated a specific academic support program at this school that has not yet been confirmed as restored.

Housing near the school reflects the growth context. Home values in the area run above the Texas statewide benchmark and above the national benchmark, with year-over-year values slightly softening. Rents have also eased modestly. The price-to-income ratio is elevated, which matters for families weighing a move. Justin's community character is semi-rural and small-town in feel, though that is changing quickly as new subdivisions continue to come online. Walkability is limited to trails and amenities within individual developments rather than a connected town center.

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Academic performance

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

Math

Grade 644%

School 44% · District 43% · ▲ 1 pts above district

▲ 10 pts above state median · even with county median

Grade 740%

School 40% · District 35% · ▲ 5 pts above district

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

Grade 846%

School 46% · District 49% · ▼ 3 pts below district

▲ 4 pts above state median · ▲ 2 pts above county median

English language arts

Grade 658%

School 58% · District 64% · ▼ 6 pts below district

▲ 6 pts above state median · ▼ 9 pts below county median

Grade 757%

School 57% · District 64% · ▼ 7 pts below district

▲ 8 pts above state median · ▼ 2 pts below county median

Grade 863%

School 63% · District 66% · ▼ 3 pts below district

▲ 8 pts above state median · ▼ 6 pts below county median

Science

Grade 856%

School 56% · District 58% · ▼ 2 pts below district

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

Social studies

Grade 833%

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

▲ 9 pts above state median · even with county median

This schoolNORTHWEST 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-income35%Higher-income68%33 pp gap

Grade 7Lower-income42%Higher-income65%23 pp gap

Grade 8Lower-income46%Higher-income70%24 pp gap

Mathematics

Grade 6Lower-income31%Higher-income50%19 pp gap

Grade 7Lower-income25%Higher-income46%21 pp gap

Grade 8Lower-income34%Higher-income52%18 pp gap