Fort Worth is one of the great cities in the amazing state of Texas. The city is known for its educational museums, wonderful history, and superb architecture. It’s also a cify that has good schools, but many of them are far from perfect. Today, we’ll tell you about the worst schools in Fort Worth, Texas.
When we’re judging these schools, we’re looking at many different factors. For the middle, elementary, and high schools, we’re judging by test scores, college readiness, equity, teaching statistics, and more. For colleges, we take a closer look at graduation rates, retention, and other various facts. This list is meant to educate local parents about schools that have room for improvement so they can make informed decisions for their kids.
Worst Schools in Fort Worth: Elementary Schools
©Studio Romantic/Shutterstock.com
As a parent, it’s essential that you look into the best elementary schools for your student. It’s important because, after kindergarten, this is the first building block in your child's education. We judge these elementary schools on test scores and equity, and unfortunately, some of these miss the mark.
Marilyn Miller Elementary School
According to statistics provided by GreatSchools.org, Marilyn Miller Elementary School is one of the worst schools in Fort Worth.
The reasons are various, but most of them come down to test scores, student progress, and equity. As far as student progress, the numbers show that students here are making far less progress compared to where they were last year, and they also fall behind other students in the state. The issue is that if students are doing poorly during this first major stepping stone of their educational life, then they’ll be behind from the start, and it can be hard to catch up. Students are also falling behind when it comes to test scores, especially in common classes like math, reading, and the sciences.
There are also various questions and issues when it comes to equity. Low-income and other underserved students are falling behind other students in the state, which means that there may be some achievement gaps. There’s also an issue for students with disabilities, as the numbers show that they have higher suspension rates than students without disabilities.
As far as the teaching is concerned, there’s a decent 13:1 student-to-teacher ratio, which means that the students are getting a decent amount of personalized attention. However, only 91% of the teachers are certified, and only 79% of teachers have three or more years of experience. There’s also a counselor-to-student ratio of 326:1.
Hazel Harvey Peace Elementary School
This elementary school is part of the Fort Worth Independent School District. This school gets low marks for equity, test scores, and student progress. Like the last school, this one also shows that students are making less academic progress compared to where they were last year and when compared to similar students in the state. Students are also getting low test scores in courses like science, reading, and math. They’re not the worst scores in the state, but they could use some help.
There are also a few equity issues in the school. According to GreatSchools.org, many underserved students are falling behind other students in the school and in the state. That means that the school may have some achievement gaps. There are also numbers that signify that low-income students could be doing better. Also, students with disabilities have a suspension rate of 13% compared to 3% for students without disabilities.
Finally, the teaching situation is a little different than the last school. There’s a 17:1 student-to-teacher ratio, which means that the students are not getting as much individualized attention as they likely need. Also, while 100% of the teachers here are certified, only 79% have three years of experience or more.
Mcrae Elementary School
Also part of the Fort Worth Independent School District is Mcrae Elementary School, which also has low scores for the three major categories of student progress, test scores, and equity. The students could be doing better on testing, and it shows, since many are falling behind other students in the state and aren’t doing as well as they were last year. The best test scores are in reading, with 27%, but math is at 13%, and science is at 5%.
As far as equity, there’s room for improvement for diversity since 90% of the students are Hispanic. Also, the students with disabilities have a suspension rate of 4% compared to the 1% of all other students at the school, meaning they could use a little more individualized attention.
On the teaching front, there’s a 15:1 student-to-teacher ratio, which is fairly decent. Also, 100% of the teachers are certified. However, only 83% of the teachers have three years of experience or more. Plus, there’s a massive 613:1 counselor-to-student ratio.
Worst Schools in Fort Worth: Middle Schools
Middle school is the next big building block in your child’s education, and so they need to attend an institution where they can continue to be on a roll when it comes to learning and development of their brains. The schools below have the best intentions but unfortunately fall short.
Wedgwood Middle School
When it comes to traditional middle schools, Wedgwood Middle School falls short on several metrics.
They have room for improvement when it comes to equity, test scores, and student progress. Like at the elementary schools, the students here are making far less academic progress compared to similar students in the state, and they’re not excelling compared to how they were advancing last year. Test scores are very low here, even when it comes to standard classes like reading, math, social studies, science, and English. Also, although there’s a 92% pass rate in advanced courses, like Algebra 1, there’s only a 17% participation rate among students.
According to GreatSchools.org, there are some questions as far as equity at the school. They believe that underserved students may be falling behind other students in the state, indicating some achievement gaps. Also, there’s a huge 44% suspension rate for students with disabilities but a 21% suspension rate for the rest of the students. As far as teaching, there’s a 16:1 student-to-teacher ratio, and 100% of the teachers are certified. However, only 83% of the teachers have three years of experience or more.
Riverside Middle School
Another school in the Fort Worth Independent School District is the Riverside School, which also gets poor marks for test scores, student progress, and equity, among other issues. The students here are also falling behind others in the state, and they’re doing poorly compared with how they were performing last year. Test scores here are rather poor for reading, math, social studies, sciences, and English. There’s also fewer kids taking advanced courses, like Algebra 1. Currently, only 12% of students are taking those classes. On a good note, those that do take it have a 100% pass rate.
As far as equity, there are some concerns about low-income and underserved students who may be falling behind other students in Texas. There’s also a relative lack of diversity in the school. Diversity is important because it helps students to learn different perspectives and to become more well-rounded over time. Like the other schools, there’s also the issue of disabled students getting suspended more than students without disabilities. The 26% vs. 17% numbers show that there may be a disconnect. When students are suspended, they are not in school as often to learn.
On the teaching front, there’s a 15:1 student-to-teacher ratio, which could be better. Also, while 100% of the teachers are certified, only 80% have three years of experience or more.
Morningside Middle School
The final middle school in the Fort Worth Independent School District is Morningside. While the students are doing better here than in the other schools, they’re still falling behind other students in the state, and they’re not meeting their potential. The low test scores mean that the students are not retaining the information, and if they don’t learn it now, they may never catch up. The poor test scores are in common classes, like reading, math, science, and social studies. Some of the best scores are in advanced courses like Algebra 1. However, only 7% of students are taking that class.
As far as equity, there are some ups and downs. The school is fairly diverse, with a combination of white, black, and Hispanic students. The issue is with low-income and other underserved groups that are not meeting their potential. Unlike the other schools, the suspension rate is higher for kids without disabilities. However, any suspension is bad since those students aren’t in class learning the subject matter.
Here, a big downside is the teaching statistics. There’s a 13:1 student-to-teacher ratio, which is decent and means that the kids are getting fairly personalized experiences. However, while 100% of the teachers are certified, only 65% have three or more years of experience. Plus, there’s a major student-per-counselor ratio of 689:1.
Worst Schools in Fort Worth: High School
©Monkey Business Images/Shutterstock.com
Perhaps the most important part of a student’s education is the time they spend in high school. This is when they take their most advanced courses and potentially prepare for college. If the students aren’t planning to go to college, this could be the last round of schooling they’ll receive, so it’s important to get it right. In addition to test scores and equity, we’re also scoring this section based on college preparedness.
Polytechnic High School
This school, which is within the Fort Worth Independent School District, gets low marks for test scores, equity, student progress, and college readiness. The students here are making far less academic progress when compared to other students in the state. There are 1,230 students in the school, and many are falling behind how they were doing the previous year. Test scores in basic subjects like English, biology, and US history are lacking. There is also a lack of students taking advanced courses, like AP math and science.
As far as college readiness, there are some areas of improvement. The school currently has a 4-year graduation rate of 78%, which is far from perfect. Among those students who do graduate, there’s a 96% SAT participation rate. Those are the students who are interested in attending college. However, the average score on the SAT is 831, which is below the 1002 average that most colleges will be looking for when accepting students.
There are some issues with equity, as underserved and low-income students may be falling behind other students in the school. This school also has a suspension rate of 33% compared to 19% for students in the school that aren’t disabled. The teaching statistics here are decent, with a 13:1 student-to-teacher ratio. All teachers here are certified, though only 84% have three years of experience or more.
O D Wyatt High School
This high school also has issues with college readiness, testing, and equity. Overall, the students here are falling behind others in the state, according to GreatSchools.org. As far as college readiness, there are some areas of concern. Currently, there’s a 78% 4-year graduation rate. Though that percentage could be worse, the students who are graduating are not always moving on with the best test scores. The scores for basic classes like English, biology, and US history are all under 36%. There are also few students taking advanced courses like AP science and math.
Of the 78% of graduates, only 19% plan to pursue college, and only 82% are taking the SAT test, which is a prerequisite to attend most colleges. Those who are taking the test are averaging a score of 811, which is below the 1002 threshold that many colleges require.
On the equity front, GreatSchools.org believes that underserved students may be falling behind other students in the state. Also, there’s a 20% suspension rate for students with disabilities compared to 16% for students without disabilities.
This school has a student-to-teacher ratio of 14:1 and a student-to-counselor ratio of 361:1. Of the teachers, 100% are certified, but only 80% have three years of experience or more, which is below the average in the state of 84%.
Eastern Hills High School
The final high school on this list is Eastern Hills, which has some issues with test scores, college readiness, and student progress. As far as student progress, the kids are falling behind others in the state, especially when it comes to basic courses like English, biology, US history, and algebra. There’s also a lack of students taking advanced courses like AP math and science.
As far as college readiness, this school has a 4-year graduation rate of 74%, which is far from perfect. Of those who graduate, only 24% plan to pursue a college or vocational program. 60% of graduates that do go to college may need remediation while they're there. Of those graduates, 85% of them are taking the SAT test. Unfortunately, the average score on that test is 829, which is below the 1002 score that many colleges look for in their applicants.
On the teaching front, there’s a fairly decent student-to-teacher ratio of 12:1, which means that the students are getting individualized attention. Of the teachers, 100% of them are certified, but only 82% of them have three years of experience or more.
Worst College in Fort Worth: Tarrant County College District
There aren’t many colleges in Fort Worth, but one that might be considered the worst is Tarrant County College District, which is a community college that offers undergraduate programs. This school has an open admission policy that allows any high school graduate to become a student. That may or may not impact the school’s low 11.2% graduation rate. The average salary for someone who attends the school is under $40,000 after 10 years.
Conclusion
Thus concludes our list of the worst schools in Fort Worth. While not the worst city in the country when it comes to education, some schools can use a bit of improvement. Before you enroll your children in these schools, do some research and do what’s best for their future.
The image featured at the top of this post is ©GR.Stocks/Shutterstock.com.