Ed 
Kelly Lane vs Walsh: Two A Rated Middle Schools, Two Different Districts
This is a cross-district comparison. Kelly Lane Middle School is part of Pflugerville ISD. Walsh Middle School is part of Round Rock ISD. Both campuses carry an overall A rating from the Texas Education Agency, but they answer to different superintendents, different school boards, and different long-term high school pathways.
Per the Texas Tribune Schools Explorer, Kelly Lane and Walsh both post the same accountability pattern: A in Student Achievement, B in School Progress, A in Closing the Gaps, and A overall. They are statistically close to twins on the report card.
Where they diverge is on price, neighborhood character, and high school feed. I have been a licensed Texas broker since 2007 and have spent 19 years helping buyers think through exactly these kinds of trade offs. Lets dig in.
About Kelly Lane Middle School
District: Pflugerville ISD (PfISD)
Kelly Lane is on Falcon Pointe Boulevard in the 78660 zip code, in the Falcon Pointe and Avalon master-planned corridor on the east side of Pflugerville. The campus serves grades 6 through 8 and feeds into Hendrickson High School, with portions of the zone now also feeding the newer Weiss High School.
Pflugerville ISD has its own identity. The district has been investing heavily in dual language programs, CTE pathways, and recently opened campuses to handle growth on the east side. The Kelly Lane zone is one of the strongest middle school zones in PfISD.
About Walsh Middle School
District: Round Rock ISD (RRISD)
Walsh sits on Walsh Ranch Boulevard in the 78681 zip code, on the western side of Round Rock. Officially James Garland Walsh Middle School. The campus serves grades 6 through 8 and feeds primarily into Round Rock High School, with some attendance areas feeding Westwood or Stony Point depending on the specific boundary.
Round Rock ISD is one of the largest and best-known suburban districts in Central Texas, with a long track record of strong academic performance across most of its campuses.
TEA Accountability: Side by Side
The Texas Education Agency rates every public school across three official domains: Student Achievement, School Progress, and Closing the Gaps. The overall rating is a weighted combination of those three. There is no separately published “Academic Growth” letter grade. Academic Growth is one of two sub-components inside School Progress, but the public-facing letter is School Progress as a whole.
Here is how Kelly Lane and Walsh compare per the Tribune’s reporting of TEA’s most recent published accountability cycle.
| Domain | Kelly Lane (Pflugerville ISD) | Walsh (Round Rock ISD) |
|---|---|---|
| Overall Rating | A | A |
| Student Achievement | A | A |
| School Progress | B | B |
| Closing the Gaps | A | A |
| District | Pflugerville ISD | Round Rock ISD |
| Grades Served | 6 to 8 | 6 to 8 |
| Feeds Into | Hendrickson HS (some Weiss HS) | Round Rock HS (some Westwood / Stony Point) |
Source: Texas Tribune Schools Explorer for Kelly Lane and Walsh. TEA framework: A-F Accountability.
On paper these two campuses look the same. A overall, A in Student Achievement, B in School Progress, A in Closing the Gaps. The differences that will actually drive your buying decision are not on this table. They are on the next two.
Neighborhoods Served by Kelly Lane
Kelly Lane’s attendance boundary is concentrated in 78660 across east Pflugerville. Notable neighborhoods inside the zone:
- Falcon Pointe: large master-planned community with amenity center, walkable to the campus
- Avalon: newer build community with a strong amenity package
- Highland Park: established Pflugerville neighborhood with mix of price points
- Bohls Place: newer construction east of 130
- Mountain Creek: 2000s and 2010s construction
Neighborhoods Served by Walsh
Walsh pulls primarily from 78681 in west Round Rock. Notable neighborhoods inside the zone:
- Walsh Ranch: the namesake master-planned community surrounding the campus
- Cat Hollow: established 1990s neighborhood with mature trees
- Brushy Creek: corridor neighborhoods along the greenbelt
- Wood Glen: older Round Rock established area
- Sendero Springs: newer construction on the western edge of the boundary
Home Prices: Kelly Lane Zone vs Walsh Zone
Pulled fresh from the ACTRIS MLS through our VOW data feed, here is what closed in the last 12 months in the primary zip codes for each attendance zone.
| Zip Code (Zone) | Closed Sales (12 mo) | Median Sale Price | Median Price per Sqft |
|---|---|---|---|
| 78660 (Kelly Lane, Pflugerville ISD) | 1,123 | $397,500 | $191 |
| 78681 (Walsh, Round Rock ISD) | 519 | $500,000 | $214 |
Data: ACTRIS MLS closed sales, trailing 12 months, single-family residential, pulled May 2026.
The headline: a buyer choosing the Walsh zone pays roughly $100,000 more for the median home and about $23 more per square foot than the same buyer in the Kelly Lane zone. Both campuses earn the same A overall rating from TEA, with the same letter grades in all three domains.
The District Question: PfISD vs RRISD
This is the part that often gets overlooked when buyers compare across district lines. You are not just buying a middle school. You are buying into a school district with its own elementary, middle, and high school portfolio, its own bond history, its own tax rate, its own bus routes, and its own future boundary changes.
Pflugerville ISD has been growing fast on the east side and has opened multiple new campuses in the last decade. The district’s tax rate and bond projects look different than RRISD’s. Round Rock ISD is a larger, more established district with more total schools and a longer history of strong overall ratings. Neither is universally better than the other. They are different products.
The high school feeder also matters. Hendrickson HS (Kelly Lane’s primary feeder) is a Pflugerville ISD comprehensive campus with strong CTE and athletics programs. Round Rock HS (Walsh’s primary feeder) is one of the older RRISD high schools with deep alumni networks and a long academic and athletic track record. Either feeder can be a great fit. Neither is automatic.
Which School Zone Fits You?
Kelly Lane zone may be the right fit if:
- An A overall TEA rating is your bar, and you want to hit that bar at a lower price point
- Your budget targets the $375,000 to $450,000 range
- You want a newer master-planned community feel with current amenity packages
- The Pflugerville ISD trajectory and Hendrickson HS pathway works for your kid
- You value east-side commute access to 130 and 45
Walsh zone may be the right fit if:
- You want an A rated middle school inside Round Rock ISD’s established footprint
- Your budget supports a median around $500,000 with room to flex up
- The Round Rock HS feeder pathway aligns with your long-term plans
- You prefer the west-side feel of mature trees, the Brushy Creek greenbelt, and proximity to the 1431 corridor
- RRISD’s broader district reputation is part of why you are buying
What I have learned over 19 years in this market is that the right answer is rarely about which middle school posts a higher score on the latest report card. When the report cards are this close, the differences that matter are the ones you can only feel by driving the neighborhoods, walking the parks, and talking to people who live there.
Browse all homes zoned to Kelly Lane Middle School or homes zoned to Walsh Middle School. Questions about either zone? Reach out through our contact page.
Frequently Asked Questions
Ed Neuhaus is the broker of Neuhaus Realty Group. Licensed in Texas since 2007, broker since 2009, with over $250 million in production across 2,000+ properties. School data verified against the Texas Tribune Schools Explorer and the TEA A-F accountability framework. Home price data pulled from ACTRIS MLS closed sales over the trailing 12 months as of May 2026.
