Goodnight Middle, San Marcos TX - Test Scores & Data

Original Research by School Decision on Goodnight Middle

Goodnight Middle serves students in grades six through eight in San Marcos, a fast-growing city anchored by Texas State University and the historic downtown. The school draws from a community marked by rapid residential expansion, large outlet shopping employment, and a spring-fed river that threads through parks and recreation. San Marcos itself has been one of the nation's fastest-growing cities; major housing development continues with master-planned communities, new multifamily projects, and significant university dormitory expansion underway through 2027.

The San Marcos CISD has faced material recent shifts. Voters approved a substantial bond in May 2023 for districtwide facility improvements, safety upgrades, and classroom additions, raising the property tax rate. In November 2024 a second voter-approval tax-rate election passed to address a budget shortfall and generate additional operating funds. More recently the district adopted a smaller general-fund budget for 2025-26, eliminated instructional coach and nurse assistant positions, let go many early-career and uncertified teachers, and changed middle-school class schedules. These staffing reductions and program adjustments are ongoing and affect classroom resources directly.

Goodnight's academic performance, measured by Texas STAAR results, shows areas of concern. In English language arts across all three grades tested, proficiency rates ranged from the mid-thirties to low-forties percent. Mathematics performance was weaker, with sixth-grade proficiency around a very low single-digit share, seventh grade in the mid-thirties, and eighth grade around one-fifth of students at or above proficiency. Eighth-grade science proficiency was in the mid-thirties; eighth-grade social studies just under a third of students proficient. When performance is measured on a state proficiency index that averages across tested subjects and grades, Goodnight sits below the midpoint among districts in Hays County, suggesting peers in the same county are performing higher overall.

The school enrolls a substantial number of students. Most students are Hispanic; over a third of families speak Spanish at home or speak English with difficulty. A significant majority of students qualify for free or reduced-price lunch, reflecting economic need in the families served. State testing data did not include participation rates or breakouts for students with disabilities or English learners, so a parent may want to ask the school directly about those populations and their outcomes. The district brief notes that middle-school class schedules were changed as part of the 2025-26 budget adjustments, a schedule shift worth understanding directly with the school.

A parent considering Goodnight would benefit from asking the school what supports exist for students performing below proficiency, what summer or after-school programs are available, and how the staffing changes have affected class sizes and access to specialized staff. The school's location in a rapidly growing city means enrollment may shift; understanding the school's current and projected capacity is practical. Given the recent district-level budget and staffing reductions, confirming what programs and services remain stable would help set realistic expectations for what a student can access.

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Academic performance

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

Math

Grade 69%

School 9% · District 13% · ▼ 4 pts below district

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

Grade 739%

School 39% · District 47% · ▼ 8 pts below district

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

Grade 822%

School 22% · District 24% · ▼ 2 pts below district

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

English language arts

Grade 638%

School 38% · District 45% · ▼ 7 pts below district

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

Grade 736%

School 36% · District 43% · ▼ 7 pts below district

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

Grade 844%

School 44% · District 48% · ▼ 4 pts below district

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

Science

Grade 837%

School 37% · District 40% · ▼ 3 pts below district

▼ 5 pts below state median · ▼ 7 pts below county median

Social studies

Grade 829%

School 29% · District 30% · ▼ 1 pts below district

▲ 5 pts above state median · ▼ 1 pts below county median

This schoolSAN MARCOS CISD, 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-income63%31 pp gap

Grade 7Lower-income32%Higher-income49%17 pp gap

Grade 8Lower-income41%Higher-income50%9 pp gap

Mathematics

Grade 6Lower-income7%Higher-income21%14 pp gap

Grade 7Lower-income31%Higher-income60%29 pp gap

Grade 8Lower-income18%Higher-income34%16 pp gap