Rice Middle, Plano TX - Test Scores & Data

Original Research by School Decision on Rice Middle

Rice Middle sits in Plano, a corporate hub and largely built-out suburb within the Dallas-Fort Worth metroplex where median home values are high and the enrollment picture is changing. The school serves students in grades six through eight from a student body that is predominantly Asian, with smaller shares of White, Hispanic, and Black students. A small share of students qualify for free or reduced-price lunch, reflecting the economic profile of the surrounding community.

Academic performance at Rice is strong in breadth and strongest in the upper grades. In English language arts, proficiency is consistent across the middle grades, with the seventh and eighth grade cohorts showing high levels of mastery. Mathematics shows a different pattern: sixth grade proficiency is solid, but seventh grade dips noticeably lower before eighth grade rebounds sharply, with eighth grade achieving very high proficiency. Science and social studies are tested only at eighth grade; science proficiency is high, while social studies is lower, suggesting that course may warrant closer attention. Across all tested subjects when taken together, the school's overall proficiency index places it in the top quartile among the county's districts.

The school's enrollment is moderate for a traditional middle school, with roughly balanced numbers across the three grades, though the district context matters here. Plano ISD closed two middle schools, Armstrong and Carpenter, effective the 2025-26 school year as part of a response to a decade of declining enrollment and budget pressures. This means Rice is one of fewer middle school options in the district going forward, and boundary shifts have redistributed students across remaining campuses. Families should confirm whether their residence is assigned to Rice and understand that the district's enrollment trajectory is contracting, not growing, a factor that shapes school stability and resource allocation.

The housing market in the zip code reflects upper-middle to affluent suburban pricing, with homes valued substantially above the state benchmark. Rental costs are moderate relative to that price range. The area is served by DART transit, including a DART station at Parker Road that is widely used, and the city has extensive parks and trails. New redevelopment is underway at the former Collin Creek Mall site and around a planned Dallas Stars mixed-use district, though Plano is largely built out and growth is slow.

What a parent may want to look into further: the seventh grade mathematics proficiency deserves investigation, as that dip is notable and could reflect either curriculum pacing, student transitions, or assessment timing specific to that cohort. Data on the school's English learner and special education enrollment was not available, so families with students needing those services should check directly with the school on capacity and programming. The district's ongoing enrollment decline and recent school closures are real context; while Rice appears to be a stable, strong-performing school, the broader district contraction is worth understanding before committing to a home purchase zoned to it.

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Academic performance

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

Math

Grade 680%

School 80% · District 50% · ▲ 30 pts above district

▲ 46 pts above state median · ▲ 17 pts above county median

Grade 760%

School 60% · District 26% · ▲ 34 pts above district

▲ 33 pts above state median · ▲ 8 pts above county median

Grade 890%

School 90% · District 63% · ▲ 27 pts above district

▲ 48 pts above state median · ▲ 34 pts above county median

English language arts

Grade 684%

School 84% · District 66% · ▲ 18 pts above district

▲ 32 pts above state median · ▲ 10 pts above county median

Grade 789%

School 89% · District 65% · ▲ 24 pts above district

▲ 40 pts above state median · ▲ 19 pts above county median

Grade 890%

School 90% · District 69% · ▲ 21 pts above district

▲ 35 pts above state median · ▲ 15 pts above county median

Science

Grade 890%

School 90% · District 57% · ▲ 33 pts above district

▲ 48 pts above state median · ▲ 26 pts above county median

Social studies

Grade 873%

School 73% · District 45% · ▲ 28 pts above district

▲ 49 pts above state median · ▲ 28 pts above county median

This schoolPLANO 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-income56%Higher-income87%31 pp gap

Grade 7Lower-income70%Higher-income91%21 pp gap

Grade 8Lower-income69%Higher-income94%25 pp gap

Mathematics

Grade 6Lower-income55%Higher-income84%29 pp gap

Grade 7Lower-income20%Higher-income72%52 pp gap

Grade 8Lower-income66%Higher-income93%27 pp gap