Compare Thomas J Rusk Middle School with Alex W Spence Talented/Gifted Academy

Thomas J Rusk Middle 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 71 in student achievement, 83 in school progress and 74 in closing performance gaps. It scored 82 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, Alex W Spence Talented/Gifted Academy also earned a State accountability rating of B. The school posted 74 in student achievement, 84 in school progress, 73 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. Thomas J Rusk Middle School’s two out of seven distinctions are in Social Studies and post-secondary. Alex W Spence Talented/Gifted Academy's three out of seven distinctions are in Mathematics, Social Studies and post-secondary.

Based on Racial/Ethnic Groups, the dominant group in Thomas J Rusk Middle School is Hispanics who make up nearly 68.29% of student population, followed by African Americans (25.88%), Whites or Caucasians (2.53%), Asians (1.75%) and Two or More Races (1.36%). There is no Native Americans student in the school.

At Alex W Spence Talented/Gifted Academy, Hispanics make up 66.91% of student population, followed by African Americans (27.50%), Whites or Caucasians (3.24%), Two or More Races (1.18%) and Asians (1.03%). There is no Native Americans student in the school.

Based on household incomes, Thomas J Rusk Middle School’s economically disadvantaged students is significantly higher at 95.72% compared to 85.59% at Alex W Spence Talented/Gifted Academy.

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, Thomas J Rusk Middle School has 275 English Language Learners or ELLS or about 53.50% of student population. Alex W Spence Talented/Gifted Academy has slightly more ELLs at 290 or about 42.65% of student population.

In addition, Thomas J Rusk Middle School has 48.83% bilingual students, 16.73% are in the gifted and talented program, while 14.79% are in the special education program. This stacks up against Alex W Spence Talented/Gifted Academy with 39.85% bilingual students, 36.76% gifted and talented students and 10.59% students in the special education program.

Thomas J Rusk Middle School's 39 teachers have been working at the campus for an average of 8 years with individual teaching experience averaging 10.5 years. Teachers at Alex W Spence Talented/Gifted Academy, numbering 45 teachers, have been serving the school for an average of 4.5 years with individual teaching experience averaging 6.4 years.

Of its teaching staff, Thomas J Rusk Middle School has one teacher only serving the school for over 30 years, has six teachers serving the school for 20-30 years, six teachers have worked for 11-20 years, ten teachers have worked for 6-10 years, while 12 teachers have been serving the school for over 1-5 years, including four beginning teachers. Alex W Spence Talented/Gifted Academy no teacher serving the school for over 30 years, has three teachers serving the school for 20-30 years, eight teachers have worked for 11-20 years, nine teachers have worked for 6-10 years, while 18 teachers have been serving the school for over 1-5 years, including eight beginning teachers.

In both schools, female teachers outnumber the male teachers. At Thomas J Rusk Middle School there are 23 female teachers and 16 male teachers. Of its teaching staff, six special education teachers are being assisted by eight teachers aides or paraprofessionals. In addition to its teaching staff, the school has five staff members in the school administration department and six more working as school support staff.

At Alex W Spence Talented/Gifted Academy there are 27 female teachers and 18 male teachers. Of its teaching staff, five special education teachers are being assisted by four teachers aides or paraprofessionals. In addition to its teaching staff, the school has four staff members in the school administration department and six more working as school support staff.