Shallowater Middle, Shallowater TX

Original Research by School Decision on Shallowater Middle

Shallowater Middle serves grades five through eight in a school of about five hundred students across its four grade levels. The student body is predominantly White, with a substantial Hispanic enrollment and smaller populations of other backgrounds. About a third of students qualify for free or reduced-price lunch. The school sits in a rural area of Lubbock County where housing is affordable relative to income, and recent bonds passed by voters show the district is investing in growth and facility upgrades.

On state testing, Shallowater Middle's performance shows mixed results. English language arts is the school's strongest area, with proficiency rates in the low-to-mid-seventies across grades six, seven, and eight. Mathematics proficiency runs in the low-to-mid-sixties, with sixth and seventh graders slightly outperforming eighth graders. Science proficiency in eighth grade is in the low-seventies. Social studies proficiency in eighth grade is notably lower, hovering around the mid-fifties, which is the school's softest spot. The school does show that most students approach the proficiency threshold across tested subjects, meaning fewer are far below grade level, but mastery rates vary by subject, with fewer than half achieving that highest level in any tested area.

When compared to other districts in Lubbock County, Shallowater Middle's overall proficiency index places it in the top quartile. This positioning reflects solid, above-average academic standing within its county peer group. The school's enrollment data for this school year shows stable, roughly equal cohorts across grades, suggesting steady student flow through the middle school experience.

Voters in Shallowater approved a bond in 2022 for school buildings and stadium renovation to accommodate projected enrollment growth. More recently, in May 2026, the community approved an elementary school construction bond along with safety and security upgrades across the district, though a separate stadium-renovation measure failed. These investments signal that the district is managing growth actively and that parents moving to the area can expect changes in physical infrastructure and capacity over the coming years.

One area a parent may want to explore further is the school's approach to social studies, given the lower proficiency rate there compared to other tested subjects. Whether this reflects instructional focus, assessment alignment, or other factors would be worth discussing directly with the school.

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Academic performance

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

Math

Grade 664%

School 64% · District 64%

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

Grade 765%

School 65% · District 65%

▲ 38 pts above state median · ▲ 41 pts above county median

Grade 861%

School 61% · District 61%

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

English language arts

Grade 673%

School 73% · District 73%

▲ 21 pts above state median · ▲ 20 pts above county median

Grade 771%

School 71% · District 71%

▲ 22 pts above state median · ▲ 20 pts above county median

Grade 872%

School 72% · District 72%

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

Science

Grade 871%

School 71% · District 71%

▲ 29 pts above state median · ▲ 31 pts above county median

Social studies

Grade 854%

School 54% · District 54%

▲ 30 pts above state median · ▲ 29 pts above county median

This schoolSHALLOWATER 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 5Lower-income56%Higher-income77%21 pp gap

Grade 6Lower-income56%Higher-income80%24 pp gap

Grade 7Lower-income56%Higher-income77%21 pp gap

Grade 8Lower-income47%Higher-income84%37 pp gap

Mathematics

Grade 5Lower-income60%Higher-income77%17 pp gap

Grade 6Lower-income38%Higher-income73%35 pp gap

Grade 7Lower-income49%Higher-income71%22 pp gap

Grade 8Lower-income46%Higher-income76%30 pp gap