Ed Neuhaus 
Buying in Southeast Austin Under $235K? Here Are Your Two Elementary Options.
Houston Elementary and Widen Elementary both received F ratings from the Texas Education Agency in 2025. Houston scored 48 out of 100 and Widen scored 59 out of 100. Those are tough numbers to read, and I am not going to sugarcoat them. But I am also going to give you the full picture, because buyers shopping in this part of south Austin at median prices around $230,000 deserve to understand exactly what they are working with and why the context behind these scores matters as much as the scores themselves.
Both schools are part of Austin ISD, both sit in the southeast Austin corridor, and they are only 1.1 miles apart. If you are looking at homes in this area, you are almost certainly going to be zoned to one of these two campuses, so understanding the differences (and they do exist) is worth your time.
Houston vs Widen Elementary: Quick Comparison
| Houston Elementary | Widen Elementary | |
|---|---|---|
| TEA Rating | F (48/100) | F (59/100) |
| Enrollment | 495 students | 462 students |
| Grades | EE – 06 | EE – 05 |
| District | Austin ISD | Austin ISD |
| Median Home Price | $229,990 | $232,500 |
| Feeds Into | Mendez MS, Travis HS | Mendez MS, Akins / Crockett / Travis HS |
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.
| Performance Metric | Houston Elementary | Widen Elementary |
|---|---|---|
| Overall Rating | F (48/100) | F (59/100) |
| Student Achievement | F (47/100) | F (42/100) |
| School Progress | F (56/100) | F (57/100) |
| Academic Growth | F (56/100) | F (57/100) |
| Closing the Gaps | F (30/100) | D (62/100) |
| Enrollment | 495 students (EE-06) | 462 students (EE-05) |
| Economically Disadvantaged | 92.1% | 93.7% |
| English Learners | 64.6% | 79.0% |
| TEA Distinctions | Not eligible (F rated) | Not eligible (F rated) |
Both schools are F rated, but the domain scores reveal real differences. The biggest gap is in Closing the Gaps, where Widen scored a 62 (a D rating) compared to Houston’s 30 (an F). That 32 point difference in Closing the Gaps is enormous. It means Widen is doing substantially better at serving its most underserved student subgroups, even though the overall scores are both below passing. Widen’s 62 in that domain is actually approaching the kind of score some C rated schools post.
Interestingly, Houston edges ahead in Student Achievement at 47 versus Widen’s 42. School Progress and Academic Growth are essentially tied (56 vs 57 for both). These are schools serving nearly identical student populations (92% and 94% economically disadvantaged, with 65% and 79% English learners) in the same corner of the city, so the Closing the Gaps disparity is the most meaningful differentiator between them.
For the full TEA breakdown on each campus, including rating history, visit the Houston Elementary school page or the Widen Elementary school page.
Widen Elementary: Bilingual Strength in a Challenging Environment
Widen’s bilingual education program is one of its most distinctive features and a genuine asset for the community it serves. With 79% of students classified as English learners, the campus is essentially running a dual language mission alongside its core academic curriculum. The Closing the Gaps score of 62, well above Houston’s 30, suggests that Widen’s strategies for supporting its diverse student body are producing measurably better results in that specific domain.
At 462 students, Widen is a small campus where students and teachers can build close relationships. The school’s parent community is actively engaged, and Austin ISD provides district level support including bilingual specialists, after school enrichment, and access to the district’s broader network of academic resources. The neighborhoods around Widen include pockets of southeast Austin where homes at the $232,500 median represent some of the most affordable options within the Austin city limits.
Houston Elementary: Neighborhood Campus Working Through Challenges
Houston Elementary’s overall score of 48 is the lower of the two, and the Closing the Gaps score of 30 is a genuine concern. That said, the campus serves a community that faces concentrated economic challenges, with 92.1% of students economically disadvantaged and 64.6% English learners. Austin ISD has invested in support programming across its campuses serving similar populations, and Houston benefits from those district resources.
Houston is slightly larger than Widen at 495 students and extends through sixth grade (Widen stops at fifth). The campus draws from south Austin neighborhoods that offer some of the most affordable housing in the city. After Houston, students feed into Mendez Middle School and then Travis High School, giving residents a clear K through 12 path within Austin ISD.
The Neighborhoods
Southeast Austin at these price points offers buyers something increasingly rare in the Austin metro: homeownership within the city limits at prices that work on modest incomes. The housing stock ranges from older single family homes to condos and townhomes, with pockets of newer development scattered through the area. Both zones sit along the Pleasant Valley and Stassney Lane corridors, with access to I-35 for commuting and proximity to everyday retail along East William Cannon and South Pleasant Valley.
The area offers genuine outdoor recreation through McKinney Falls State Park, one of Austin’s best kept secrets for hiking and swimming, located just a short drive southeast. Onion Creek trails and neighborhood parks add green space to the daily routine.
Browse all homes zoned to Houston Elementary or homes zoned to Widen Elementary.
Which School Fits You?
Both campuses are F rated, so this comparison is less about choosing between a strong and weak school and more about understanding the nuances within a challenging part of the TEA landscape.
You might lean toward Widen if:
- The Closing the Gaps score of 62 (vs Houston’s 30) signals a campus better equipped to serve underserved student groups
- The bilingual program is an asset for your child’s education
- A slightly smaller campus at 462 students provides the personal environment you want
You might lean toward Houston if:
- The EE through 6th grade range (vs Widen’s EE through 5th) means one additional year before the middle school transition
- The Student Achievement score of 47 (slightly above Widen’s 42) matters to you
- The specific neighborhood and commute from the Houston zone fits your life better
I want to be direct. Neither school is posting the kind of TEA numbers that make buyers jump, and I think anyone considering these zones should go in with realistic expectations about the academic profiles. But these are also campuses in neighborhoods where $230,000 buys you a home inside Austin city limits, and that price point simply does not exist in most other parts of the city. Real estate decisions are multifaceted, and affordability is a legitimate and important factor.
Frequently Asked Questions
Ready to Find Your Home?
Buying in southeast Austin at this price point takes a specific kind of market knowledge, and I have spent nearly two decades building exactly that. Whether you are a first time buyer, an investor, or someone relocating who wants to understand what these neighborhoods really offer, I can help. Lets talk.
