Rusk Junior High School earned a State accountability rating of B (80-89) based on three domains: student achievement, school progress and closing the gaps. Scores are scaled from 0 to 100 to align with letter grades. The school scored 81 in student achievement, 86 in school progress and 84 in closing performance gaps. It scored 85 overall in post-secondary readiness, a broad term that refers to student preparedness to undertake multiple pathways after graduation, or specifically, their preparedness for college education.

On the other hand, Cushing School also earned a State accountability rating of B. The school posted 78 in student achievement, 78 in school progress, 84 in closing performance gaps and 80 overall in post-secondary readiness.

A distinction designation acknowledges districts and campuses for outstanding achievement based on the outcomes of several performance indicators. Distinction designations are awarded for achievement in several areas and are based on performance relative to a group of campuses of similar type, size, grade span, and student demographics.

It is in this area where the two schools differ. Rusk Junior High School's six out of seven distinctions are in Reading/English Language Arts (ELA), Mathematics, Science, post-secondary, with 25% student progress and 25% closing performance gaps. Cushing School’s two out of seven distinctions are in Science and with 25% student progress.

Based on Racial/Ethnic Groups, the dominant group in Rusk Junior High School is Whites or Caucasians who make up nearly 67.25% of student population, followed by Hispanics (16.59%), African Americans (9.17%), Two or More Races (6.11%), Asians (0.44%) and Native Americans (0.22%).

At Cushing School, Whites or Caucasians make up 69.13% of student population, followed by Hispanics (19.46%), African Americans (6.38%), Two or More Races (4.36%) and Native Americans (0.67%). There is no Asians student in the school.

Based on household incomes, the Rusk Junior High School’s economically disadvantaged students is slightly lower at 62.23% compared to 67.45% at Cushing School.

In terms of Limited English Proficiency (LEP), a term used in the United States that refers to a person who is not fluent in the English Language, mainly because it is not their native language, Rusk Junior High School has a slightly higher number of English Language Learners comprising 6.33% of its student population compared to 5.03% at Cushing School.

In addition, Rusk Junior High School has 6.33% bilingual students, 7.21% are in the gifted and talented program, while 15.50% are in the special education program. This stacks up against Cushing School with 5.37% bilingual students, 12.42% gifted and talented students and 18.46% students in the special education program.

Rusk Junior High School's 36 teachers have been working at the campus for an average of 5.2 years with individual teaching experience averaging 11.2 years. Teachers at Cushing School, numbering 26 teachers, have been serving the school for an average of 4.7 years with individual teaching experience averaging 15.5 years.

Of its teaching staff, Rusk Junior High School has one teacher only serving the school for over 30 years, has six teachers serving the school for 20-30 years, 11 teachers have worked for 11-20 years, four teachers have worked for 6-10 years, while nine teachers have been serving the school for over 1-5 years, including six beginning teachers. Cushing School has one teacher only serving the school for over 30 years, has seven teachers serving the school for 20-30 years, seven teachers have worked for 11-20 years, seven teachers have worked for 6-10 years, while two teachers have been serving the school for over 1-5 years, including one beginning teacher only.

In both schools, female teachers outnumber the male teachers. At Rusk Junior High School there are 24 female teachers and 12 male teachers. Of its teaching staff, four special education teachers are being assisted by 13 teachers aides or paraprofessionals. In addition to its teaching staff, the school has two staff members in the school administration department and three more working as school support staff.

At Cushing School there are 17 female teachers and nine male teachers. Of its teaching staff, three teachers are in special education without any assistance. In addition to its teaching staff, the school has zero staff members in the school administration department and eight more working as school support staff.