Reilly vs Wooldridge Elementary: B and F Near North Loop Austin

Why Do Buyers in the North Loop Area Pay More for the Weaker School Zone?

Reilly Elementary earned a B with an 82 on the 2025 TEA accountability rating. Wooldridge Elementary earned an F with a 59. Both are Austin ISD campuses separated by about a mile in one of Austin’s most popular neighborhoods. And yet, the median home price near Wooldridge ($450,000) is only $85,000 less than Reilly ($535,000), despite the 23 point gap in school performance. In many parts of Austin, an F rated school would drag home prices down significantly. Not in the North Loop and Brentwood corridor. The neighborhoods here have their own gravity.

I have had this exact conversation with probably 50 buyers over the years. They love the North Loop vibe. The restaurants, the walkability, the vintage shops. And then they look at Wooldridge’s TEA scores and pause. Reilly, just a bit further north, offers a B rated campus with 6 of 7 distinctions in a neighborhood with similar character. The price premium is modest. So why does Wooldridge’s zone still command $450K median? Location, lifestyle, and the assumption that the school will eventually catch up to the neighborhood. But “eventually” is not a TEA metric.

Reilly vs Wooldridge: 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 Student Achievement gap is 43 points. That is not a gap, that is a chasm. Reilly posted an 85 (B) while Wooldridge posted a 42 (F), the second lowest Student Achievement score in this batch of comparisons. School Progress and Academic Growth show a 24 point spread (81 vs 57). Reilly earned 6 of 7 distinctions. Wooldridge is not eligible. The demographic differences are significant (Wooldridge has 93.7% economically disadvantaged vs Reilly’s 42.1%), but the outcome gap far exceeds what demographics alone would predict.

For the full TEA breakdown on each campus, including rating history and all distinctions, visit the Reilly Elementary school page or the Wooldridge Elementary school page.

Reilly: Strong Performance in a Walkable North Austin Neighborhood

Reilly serves 349 students in the Wooten and North Burnet area. The campus is small, the community is tight, and the B rating with 6 of 7 distinctions reflects a school that is doing the work. With 42.1% economically disadvantaged and 40.7% English Learners, Reilly is not a campus where the demographics make the job easy. Posting an 85 in Student Achievement with that population is genuinely strong.

The school feeds primarily into Lamar Middle School (A rated, 90/100) and then McCallum High School. That feeder pathway is one of the best value pathways in Austin ISD, as we covered in the Lamar vs Murchison comparison. For buyers who want strong academics from elementary through high school without paying Allandale or Rosedale prices, the Reilly to Lamar to McCallum route is hard to beat.

Wooldridge: An F in a Gentrifying Corridor

Wooldridge has 462 students and sits in the heart of the North Loop and Brentwood area. The F rating at 59 is the lowest score in this comparison, and the 42 in Student Achievement means the school has serious work to do. Wooldridge feeds into Burnet Middle School and has multiple high school options including Austin, McCallum, and Navarro.

The campus’s challenge is instructional, not investment related. The neighborhood around Wooldridge has transformed dramatically, but the school demographics still reflect the older rental stock and affordable housing in the zone rather than the newer construction and renovated homes that are driving the median price up.

The Neighborhoods

Reilly draws from the Wooten neighborhood area north of Anderson Lane along Burnet Road. The $535,000 median gets you into 1960s ranch homes, some with updates, in a neighborhood that is walkable to restaurants, coffee shops, and the growing North Burnet corridor. The vibe is authentic Austin without the premium of the trendier neighborhoods to the south.

Wooldridge pulls from the North Loop and Brentwood neighborhoods between Anderson Lane and Airport Boulevard. The $450,000 median is lower than Reilly, which might seem surprising for such a popular area. The price reflects the mix of smaller homes, duplexes, and condos alongside the renovated properties and new builds that make headlines. North Loop itself has become one of the coolest strips in Austin for independent shops and restaurants.

Browse all homes zoned to Reilly Elementary or homes zoned to Wooldridge Elementary.

Which School Fits You?

The school data makes this straightforward. The neighborhood character makes it complicated.

You might lean toward Reilly if:

• A B rated campus with 6 of 7 distinctions is important to your decision
• The Lamar Middle School (A rated) to McCallum HS pathway is a draw
• You are comfortable spending $85,000 more for significantly stronger school performance

You might lean toward Wooldridge if:

• The North Loop neighborhood lifestyle is your number one priority
• You are betting on the school improving as the neighborhood continues to change
• The $450,000 price point fits your budget better

I would be lying if I said the school data does not matter here. A 23 point gap is significant. But I also know that some buyers will choose North Loop over any other neighborhood in Austin regardless of the school scores, and I respect that decision when it is informed. Just make sure you are making it with your eyes open. Reilly is the better school by a wide margin, and it is right up the road.

Ready to Find Your Home?

The North Loop and Wooten corridor is full of surprises when it comes to school zones. I have been guiding buyers through these decisions for 19 years. Lets meet up and figure out which zone fits your life.

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