Capt Walter E Clarke Middle, El Paso TX

Original Research by School Decision on Capt Walter E Clarke Middle

Capt. Walter E. Clarke Middle sits on the far east side of El Paso, in a part of the city defined by the newer, suburban residential growth that has pushed outward along the Socorro ISD corridor. The school serves sixth through eighth grade as a regular public school within Socorro ISD, one of El Paso's three large public school districts and itself a notable employer in the metro.

The enrollment is mid-sized for a middle school, spread fairly evenly across all three grade levels. The student body is overwhelmingly Hispanic, reflecting both the surrounding neighborhood and the broader character of the far east side of El Paso, where a binational, predominantly Hispanic culture shapes daily life. A large share of students qualify for free or reduced-price lunch, which places the school in high-poverty territory. Data on English learner and special education populations were not available in what was provided.

On state assessments, the picture is mixed and worth reading carefully. Texas uses the STAAR, which reports multiple performance levels. Reading across all tested subjects and grades, Clarke sits in the top quartile among districts in El Paso County on a combined proficiency index, which is a meaningful position in a county with seventeen districts. Within the school, ELA results are the relative strength: the majority of sixth, seventh, and eighth graders reached proficiency, and a strong share of students across all grades approached grade level in reading, which means most students are at least making contact with grade-level material. Math shows a wider gap between the share approaching grade level and the smaller share who actually meet or master it, with sixth-grade proficiency noticeably lower than eighth-grade proficiency. Science results, tested only in eighth grade, are moderate, with many students approaching grade level but fewer meeting it. Social studies in eighth grade is the area of most concern: the proficiency rate is quite low, and only a small fraction of students reached the masters level. Parents who want to understand how the school is addressing that specific gap may want to raise it directly with the school. Multi-year trend data was not available, so it is not possible to say whether these results represent improvement, stability, or decline.

Because this is a middle school, there is no graduation rate to report. The data provided did not include information on course offerings, extracurricular programs, staffing ratios, attendance, or discipline, so those dimensions of school life are not covered here.

The surrounding community in Far East El Paso is car-dependent and suburban in feel. Housing in the area is considerably more affordable than the Texas state average and well below national benchmarks, with rents that, at current rates, consume a modest share of typical household income. Home values have grown only slightly year over year. For families weighing a move, the east side offers newer housing stock at accessible price points, though daily errands and commutes will almost certainly require a vehicle. Fort Bliss is the dominant employer in the metro, followed by the city itself, federal agencies, the health sector, and the three school districts. Socorro ISD is among the top employers in El Paso, which gives it a degree of institutional stability in the local economy.

We looked for publicly reported changes or strategic priorities specific to Socorro ISD but were unable to confirm any lasting recent developments before the search concluded, so that dimension of the district context was left out rather than guessed at.

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Academic performance

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

Math

Grade 641%

School 41% · District 43% · ▼ 2 pts below district

▲ 7 pts above state median · ▲ 7 pts above county median

Grade 855%

School 55% · District 47% · ▲ 8 pts above district

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

English language arts

Grade 662%

School 62% · District 60% · ▲ 2 pts above district

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

Grade 757%

School 57% · District 59% · ▼ 2 pts below district

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

Grade 857%

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

▲ 2 pts above state median · even with county median

Science

Grade 842%

School 42% · District 50% · ▼ 8 pts below district

even with state median · ▼ 6 pts below county median

Social studies

Grade 818%

School 18% · District 30% · ▼ 12 pts below district

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

This schoolSOCORRO 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-income60%Higher-income76%16 pp gap

Grade 7Lower-income54%Higher-income72%18 pp gap

Grade 8Lower-income51%Higher-income72%21 pp gap

Mathematics

Grade 6Lower-income39%Higher-income52%13 pp gap

Grade 7Lower-income23%Higher-income39%16 pp gap

Grade 8Lower-income51%Higher-income74%23 pp gap