Bailey vs Paredes Middle: Same Feeder, Different TEA Outcomes

Both Middle Schools Feed Into Akins High School. Only One of Them Earned a Passing Grade.

Bailey Middle School scored a 78 on the 2025 TEA accountability rating and earned a C. Paredes Middle School scored a 59 and earned an F. Both are Austin ISD campuses in south Austin, and both feed primarily into Akins High School. But the 19 point gap between them is one of the largest middle school spreads in the district, and it shapes the experience students have during three critical years of their education.

South Austin is one of those areas where the school zone map can surprise you. The neighborhoods around Bailey and Paredes overlap in some ways, and the median home prices are only about $49,000 apart. But academically these are very different campuses. Bailey posted C ratings across every domain, which puts it right in the middle of the pack. Paredes earned an F overall with failing grades in Student Achievement, School Progress, and Academic Growth. The one bright spot for Paredes is a C (72) in Closing the Gaps, which means the school is making some progress in serving all student groups even as the overall numbers lag.

I have worked with buyers in this part of town for nearly two decades and the south Austin conversation always comes back to school zones. Lets break down what the data actually says.

Bailey vs Paredes: Quick Comparison

TEA School Performance Comparison (2025)

The Texas Education Agency evaluates every public school annually across multiple performance domains. Here is how both campuses performed in the 2025 accountability cycle.

Bailey earned all 7 TEA distinctions, which is a strong showing for a campus with a C overall. That means the school is excelling in specific subject areas and domains even though the headline number is average. Paredes, as an F rated campus, is not eligible for distinctions. The Student Achievement gap (79 vs 53) is 26 points, and the Academic Growth gap (73 vs 56) is 17 points. Those are the kinds of spreads that reflect fundamentally different instructional outcomes.

Paredes does face a significantly tougher challenge: 78.3% economically disadvantaged and 36.5% English Learners compared to Bailey’s 34.2% and 9.1%. That context matters when interpreting the data, though it does not change the results for the students sitting in those classrooms right now.

For the full TEA breakdown on each campus, including rating history and all distinctions, visit the Bailey Middle School page or the Paredes Middle School page.

Bailey: Solid Middle of the Pack With All 7 Distinctions

Bailey Middle School sits in the southwest Austin corridor near Slaughter Lane and MoPac, and it serves 784 students. A C rating is not going to win any awards, but the 7 of 7 distinctions tell a different story. This is a school that is hitting the marks in ELA, Math, Science, Social Studies, and other specific domains even though the overall score is average. That kind of performance is more common than you would think in Austin ISD, where the overall rating system sometimes masks areas of real strength.

Bailey feeds into Akins High School, which is one of Austin ISD’s larger campuses and offers several specialized academies. The neighborhoods around Bailey tend to be established south Austin communities with a mix of 1980s and 1990s construction, updated homes, and some newer infill. It is a solid, middle class part of town.

Paredes: Struggling Campus, Improving in Closing the Gaps

Paredes is a smaller campus with 635 students and it faces the kind of instructional challenges that come with serving a high poverty, high EL population. The F rating at 59 is concerning, but I want to point out that the Closing the Gaps score of 72 (C) shows the school is not ignoring its most vulnerable students. That domain measures how well a school serves all subgroups, and a C there is actually meaningful given the demographics.

The Neighborhoods

Bailey draws from neighborhoods in the Slaughter Lane and MoPac area of southwest Austin. The median home price of $434,900 gets you into established communities with mature trees and reasonable lot sizes. The area has good highway access and is close to retail along Slaughter Lane and South MoPac.

Paredes pulls from neighborhoods further south and east, in the Stassney Lane and William Cannon area. The median of $386,000 is about $49,000 less than Bailey. These neighborhoods tend to be a bit older and more affordable, with a mix of townhomes, condos, and single detached homes.

Browse all homes zoned to Bailey Middle School or homes zoned to Paredes Middle School.

Which School Fits You?

This comparison is fairly straightforward from a TEA perspective, but budget plays a major role for many buyers in south Austin.

You might lean toward Bailey if:

• TEA performance matters and you want the C rated campus with all 7 distinctions
• A larger campus with 784 students feels like a good fit
• You want the established southwest Austin neighborhoods near MoPac

You might lean toward Paredes if:

• The $386,000 median price point is a better fit for your budget
• You are focused on the long term Akins HS pathway (which both schools share)

Since both schools feed into Akins High School, the middle school years are really where the paths diverge. A 19 point gap during 6th through 8th grade is significant, and Bailey’s 7 of 7 distinctions give me more confidence that the instructional program is delivering results. But I also know that $49,000 in median home price is real money for real people, and Paredes is making measurable progress in Closing the Gaps. It is not a simple call for everyone.

Ready to Find Your Home?

South Austin school zones can be tricky, especially when two campuses share the same high school but deliver very different middle school experiences. I have been working this part of town for 19 years. Lets talk through your priorities and I will show you what is available in both zones so you can make an informed choice.

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