De Zavala Middle, Pasadena TX - Test Scores & Data

Original Research by School Decision on De Zavala Middle

De Zavala Middle is a public school in Pasadena serving grades five and six, located on the east side of the city along Jackson Avenue. The school sits in a community anchored by petrochemical and industrial employment tied to the Houston Ship Channel, with most families in single-family homes built decades ago. The surrounding area is car-dependent, with shopping and dining concentrated along arterial corridors rather than within walkable neighborhoods.

The student body reflects Pasadena's demographics almost entirely. The vast majority of students are Hispanic, and a substantial share of students qualify for free or reduced-price lunch, indicating economic strain in many families. The school enrolls students across both its grade bands relatively evenly.

Academic performance is low across tested subjects. In English language arts, sixth graders show higher proficiency than fifth graders, with a meaningful share of sixth graders meeting the proficiency standard. In math, proficiency is limited; very few fifth graders tested on the Spanish assessment met proficiency, while sixth graders in English testing showed modest gains but still with only a small share proficient. Science testing in fifth grade shows similar low proficiency. When looking at the full range of Texas assessment levels, a majority of students approach grade-level standards, but far fewer meet or master them. The school's overall proficiency falls in the bottom quartile among districts in Harris County, suggesting performance well below the regional middle. A parent examining these results may want to look into whether the school has curricular or instructional plans in place to address these gaps.

The school operates within Pasadena ISD, a district currently managing structural changes. In May 2026 the board voted to close McMasters Elementary and consolidate Tegeler Community School into school-within-a-school programs at two high schools, responses to declining enrollment and budget pressure across the district. A bond package passed in 2022 is funding campus replacements and facility upgrades throughout the district, though De Zavala itself is not listed among the four elementary schools slated for replacement. For fiscal 2024-25, the district adopted a total property tax rate that uses disaster pennies tied to a January 2023 tornado, a factor that affects family tax bills.

De Zavala serves a neighborhood and peer group shaped entirely by the economic and linguistic character of south Pasadena. Housing values in the area have declined modestly in recent months, and the school draws from a community where the majority of families qualify for economic assistance. For families seeking a Spanish-language or bilingual pathway, the presence of Spanish-language testing here suggests some bilingual program activity, though the very low proficiency on Spanish assessments raises questions about program depth and resources. A parent should inquire directly with the school about the structure of any bilingual offerings and the school's specific supports for students not yet proficient in English or Spanish.

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Academic performance

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

Math

Grade 59%

School 9% · District 5% · ▲ 4 pts above district

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

Grade 621%

School 21% · District 32% · ▼ 11 pts below district

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

English language arts

Grade 50%

School 0% · District 18% · ▼ 18 pts below district

▼ 54 pts below state median · ▼ 52 pts below county median

Grade 635%

School 35% · District 44% · ▼ 9 pts below district

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

Science

Grade 517%

School 17% · District 7% · ▲ 10 pts above district

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

This schoolPASADENA 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-income34%Higher-income44%10 pp gap

Mathematics

Grade 6Lower-income21%Higher-income19%2 pp gap