O'donnell Middle School was accorded a State accountability rating of C (70-79) 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 71 in student achievement, 81 in school progress and 59 in closing performance gaps. It scored 74 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, Alief Middle School also earned a State accountability rating of C. The school posted 65 in student achievement, 75 in school progress, 70 in closing performance gaps and 74 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. O'donnell Middle School's three out of seven distinctions are in Reading/English Language Arts (ELA), Science and Social Studies. Alief Middle School’s two out of seven distinctions are in Reading/English Language Arts (ELA) and Science.

Based on Racial/Ethnic Groups, Hispanics comprise the biggest group at O'donnell Middle School. They make up for 44.73% of student population, followed by African Americans (37.23%), Asians (10.96%), Whites or Caucasians (5.35%), Native Americans (0.99%) and Two or More Races (0.16%).

At Alief Middle School, Hispanics make up 71.38% of student population, followed by Asians (14.49%), African Americans (10.60%), Whites or Caucasians (2.31%) and Native Americans (1.22%). There is no Two or More Races student in the school.

Based on household incomes, the O'donnell Middle School’s economically disadvantaged students is lower at 88.30% compared to 89.16% at Alief Middle 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, O'donnell Middle School has 574 English Language Learners or ELLS or about 47.28% of student population. Alief Middle School has more ELLs at 580 or about 70.65% of student population.

In addition, O'donnell Middle School has 47.36% bilingual students, 5.02% are in the gifted and talented program, while 13.18% are in the special education program. This stacks up against Alief Middle School with 70.16% bilingual students, 6.21% gifted and talented students and 16.93% students in the special education program.

O'donnell Middle School's 80 teachers have been working at the campus for an average of 10.1 years with individual teaching experience averaging 11.8 years. Teachers at Alief Middle School, numbering 58 teachers, have been serving the school for an average of 10.5 years with individual teaching experience averaging 12.1 years.

Of its teaching staff, O'donnell Middle School has one teacher only serving the school for over 30 years, has 12 teachers serving the school for 20-30 years, 28 teachers have worked for 11-20 years, 13 teachers have worked for 6-10 years, while 20 teachers have been serving the school for over 1-5 years, including six beginning teachers. Alief Middle School has two teachers serving the school for over 30 years, has eight teachers serving the school for 20-30 years, 21 teachers have worked for 11-20 years, 11 teachers have worked for 6-10 years, while 12 teachers have been serving the school for over 1-5 years, including five beginning teachers.

In both schools, female teachers outnumber the male teachers. At O'donnell Middle School there are 41 female teachers and 39 male teachers. Of its teaching staff, 20 special education teachers are being assisted by 18 teachers aides or paraprofessionals. In addition to its teaching staff, the school has five staff members in the school administration department and ten more working as school support staff.

At Alief Middle School there are 44 female teachers and 14 male teachers. Of its teaching staff, 17 special education teachers are being assisted by 13 teachers aides or paraprofessionals. In addition to its teaching staff, the school has three staff members in the school administration department and six more working as school support staff.