Three Lakes Middle, Tyler TX - Test Scores & Data

Original Research by School Decision on Three Lakes Middle

Three Lakes Middle is a regular public middle school serving grades six through eight in Tyler, Texas, with an enrollment of roughly nine hundred students. The school is located on Three Lakes Parkway and is part of Tyler ISD, which has recently completed a major multi-year capital improvement campaign that brought new and renovated facilities across its campuses without raising the district's tax rate. This represents a substantial commitment to updating the physical plant families would encounter.

On state assessments administered in the most recent school year, Three Lakes shows a mixed academic profile across its grade band. In English language arts, the school demonstrates consistent strength. Sixth and seventh graders reach proficiency at comparable rates, with eighth graders performing at a similar level. The school's overall ELA proficiency sits above the level of the midpoint among the districts in Smith County. By contrast, mathematics performance is weaker and declines sharply in grade eight, where proficiency drops notably below the sixth and seventh grade rates. Science proficiency at eighth grade sits below mathematics, and social studies proficiency is the lowest tested subject at that grade level.

When viewed across the Texas assessment framework, which recognizes students reaching the "Meets" standard and those reaching "Masters," the school shows about half its students reaching the "Meets" standard across all subjects combined, with roughly a quarter reaching the "Masters" level. In ELA the "Meets" rate is higher, reflecting the stronger performance noted above. In mathematics and science, the "Meets" rate falls into the low to mid-range. This uneven performance suggests that while foundational skills may be in place, students often struggle to demonstrate deeper mastery, particularly in quantitative and scientific reasoning.

The student population is racially and ethnically mixed. White and Hispanic students each make up roughly similar shares of enrollment, with Black students representing another substantial proportion. A majority of students qualify for free or reduced-price lunch, indicating that many families in the school's attendance zone experience economic hardship. Specific data on students with disabilities and English learners were not available.

Three Lakes is one of multiple middle schools within Tyler ISD, and families should be aware that the district has implemented a significant instructional change at another campus, Boulter Middle School, beginning in the 2026-27 school year. That campus is transitioning to an extended school day and earlier school-year calendar as part of a turnaround model. Three Lakes itself was not targeted for this change, though the district's focus on school improvement across its system may influence future resource allocation and programming.

Housing in the Tyler zip code where the school is located is moderate in cost relative to national benchmarks, and monthly rental costs are stable. The area is growing steadily, with the city adding residential development and undertaking downtown improvements. For families relocating to Tyler, the housing market offers options across multiple price points and has shifted toward greater balance after the rapid appreciation of the immediate post-pandemic years.

Parents considering Three Lakes should view the school's ELA performance as a relative strength while recognizing that mathematics achievement, particularly in eighth grade, presents a concern worth discussing directly with the school about instructional support and intervention resources. The school serves a student population with substantial economic need and demographic diversity, creating both a peer environment and potential support needs families should understand before enrolling.

See more original research from School Decision →

Academic performance

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

Math

Grade 647%

School 47% · District 38% · ▲ 9 pts above district

▲ 13 pts above state median · ▲ 9 pts above county median

Grade 751%

School 51% · District 36% · ▲ 15 pts above district

▲ 24 pts above state median · ▲ 18 pts above county median

Grade 828%

School 28% · District 34% · ▼ 6 pts below district

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

English language arts

Grade 662%

School 62% · District 52% · ▲ 10 pts above district

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

Grade 761%

School 61% · District 51% · ▲ 10 pts above district

▲ 12 pts above state median · ▲ 1 pts above county median

Grade 865%

School 65% · District 55% · ▲ 10 pts above district

▲ 10 pts above state median · ▼ 6 pts below county median

Science

Grade 843%

School 43% · District 41% · ▲ 2 pts above district

▲ 1 pts above state median · ▼ 2 pts below county median

Social studies

Grade 838%

School 38% · District 30% · ▲ 8 pts above district

▲ 14 pts above state median · ▲ 2 pts above county median

This schoolTYLER 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-income50%Higher-income78%28 pp gap

Grade 7Lower-income47%Higher-income80%33 pp gap

Grade 8Lower-income55%Higher-income80%25 pp gap

Mathematics

Grade 6Lower-income35%Higher-income63%28 pp gap

Grade 7Lower-income39%Higher-income68%29 pp gap

Grade 8Lower-income24%Higher-income38%14 pp gap