Baranoff vs Menchaca Elementary: TEA Scores and South Austin Homes

Same Feeder Path, 17 Points Apart on TEA Scores

Baranoff Elementary scored an 86 out of 100 on the 2025 TEA accountability rating. Menchaca Elementary scored a 69. Both campuses sit in south Austin, both feed into Bailey Middle School and then Akins High School, and both are part of Austin ISD. So what accounts for a 17 point gap between two schools that share the same district, same feeder chain, and practically the same zip code?

That is the question I hear from buyers all the time in this part of town. And the honest answer is that TEA scores tell you a lot, but they do not tell you everything. Baranoff pulls from neighborhoods where median home prices sit around $515,000. Menchaca draws from areas closer to $432,000. Those price differences shape the student population, and TEA metrics reflect that. But if you actually walk both campuses and talk to the teachers, you will find dedicated educators at both schools doing good work.

So lets dig into what the numbers actually say and what the neighborhoods look like, because if you are buying in south Austin right now, this comparison matters more than you think.

Baranoff vs Menchaca: 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.

The biggest gap shows up in Student Achievement, where Baranoff scored a B (86) compared to Menchaca’s D (64). That is a 22 point spread on one metric alone. But look at Closing the Gaps, where the difference narrows to 15 points and Menchaca actually earns a C. That tells me Menchaca is doing meaningful work closing performance gaps across student groups, which is worth paying attention to even if the headline number is lower.

Neither school earned TEA distinctions in 2025, which might surprise people given Baranoff’s B rating. For the full TEA breakdown on each campus, including rating history and all distinctions, visit the Baranoff Elementary school page or the Menchaca Elementary school page.

Baranoff Elementary: The Quiet Overachiever of South Austin

Baranoff sits tucked into one of those south Austin neighborhoods where the homes are mostly from the late 1980s and 1990s, established trees line every street, and people tend to stay put for a long time. The school has historically been one of the stronger performers in Austin ISD’s south side (it actually carried an A rating as recently as 2022 and 2023 before dipping to a B in 2024 and 2025). With 808 students, it is one of the larger elementary campuses in the district, and only 14.1% of students qualify as economically disadvantaged. That is unusually low for Austin ISD.

The neighborhoods feeding Baranoff include parts of Cherry Creek, Sendera, and surrounding subdivisions south of William Cannon. The median home price near Baranoff sits at about $515,000, which puts it solidly in the mid range for south Austin. Most of the housing stock is single story ranch style homes on decent sized lots. Not flashy, just solid. And the school reflects that energy.

I have shown homes in this zone more times than I can count over 19 years, and the thing buyers consistently tell me is that it just feels like a neighborhood where people care. The PTA is active, the pickup line is orderly (well, as orderly as any elementary pickup line ever is), and the vibe is calm. That stuff does not show up on a TEA scorecard but it matters.

Menchaca Elementary: Grit in a Growing Corridor

Menchaca serves a different slice of south Austin. The campus sits closer to Manchaca Road, and the neighborhoods here skew more diverse in both housing type and price point. You will find everything from older starter homes in the $300,000s to newer townhome developments pushing into the $400,000s. The school’s 44.5% economically disadvantaged rate and 26.5% English Learner population reflect a broader cross section of the community.

A D rating gets a lot of negative attention, and I understand why. But TEA ratings are heavily influenced by standardized test performance, and schools serving higher percentages of economically disadvantaged and English Learner students face steeper climbs on those metrics. Menchaca’s C rating in Closing the Gaps (71/100) suggests the staff is putting real effort into supporting all students, not just the ones who test well naturally.

The Neighborhoods

Both schools draw from south Austin neighborhoods along the Manchaca/Menchaca corridor, roughly between Slaughter Lane and William Cannon. Baranoff’s zone covers slightly more established, higher value subdivisions to the west, while Menchaca’s zone stretches into more of the central south corridor where development has been evolving rapidly over the past decade.

If you are budget conscious and prioritizing location over test scores, the Menchaca zone gives you more house for the money. If TEA scores weigh heavily in your decision, the Baranoff zone delivers stronger numbers at a premium of roughly $80,000 on the median.

Browse all homes zoned to Baranoff Elementary or homes zoned to Menchaca Elementary.

Which School Fits You?

Both schools feed into Bailey Middle School and Akins High School, so the long term school path is identical regardless of which elementary zone you buy into. The decision really comes down to what matters most to you right now.

You might lean toward Baranoff if:

• TEA accountability scores are a top priority in your home search
• You prefer established neighborhoods with larger lots and mature landscaping
• A higher median price point ($515,000) fits comfortably in your budget
• You want a larger campus with over 800 students

You might lean toward Menchaca if:

• You want to maximize square footage and value in south Austin
• A median price closer to $432,000 better matches your budget
• You value being part of a campus that actively works on closing achievement gaps

Honestly, I think the shared feeder pattern is the most underrated part of this comparison. Once kids hit Bailey Middle School, the path converges completely. So the elementary years are where the difference lives, and those years go fast (something every buyer who calls me five years after closing tells me).

Ready to Find Your Home?

If you are looking at homes in south Austin and the school zone question keeps coming up (and it always does), lets talk. I have been helping buyers navigate Austin ISD school zones for over 19 years, and I can walk you through exactly what each neighborhood looks like on the ground, not just on a spreadsheet. Every buyer’s priorities are a little different, and that is what makes this fun.

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