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Honest take: what's the hardest part about being a student at FOUNDERS CLASSICAL ACADEMY-TYLER?
Community prompt from u/allk12. Replies below.
Enrollment
480
Combined
DISTRICT 590 · STATE 485
SCHOOL COMMUNITY·TEXAS COLLEGE PREPARATORY ACADEMIES·NCES 480016312859
Founders Classical Academy-Tyler
3405 E GRANDE BLVD, TYLER, TX 75707 · (972) 316-3663 · Smith County
GRADES KG–12COMBINED12-CITYCHARTERREGULAR SCHOOL480 STUDENTS
C+
allk12 Grade
Scored higher than 41% of Texas public K-12 schools
- B-Test scores Share of students meeting the state standard in reading, math, and other tested subjects, 2023-24 and 2024-25.
- C-Beats expectations How far test scores land above or below what the share of low-income students predicts for a school in this state.
- AThree-year trend Change in reading and math proficiency over the last three test years.
Grades compare a school only with schools in the same state, because every state gives its own test. How grades work · Top-graded Texas public K-12 schools
Student : Teacher
13.6:1
35 FTE teachers
DISTRICT 15.7:1 · STATE 11.7:1
Free / Reduced Lunch
39%
188 students
DISTRICT 49% · STATE 65%
Community
1
0 members
Enrollment and student:teacher ratio compared against other combined schools. Free/Reduced Lunch and demographics compared against all schools.
Enrollment by grade, 2024-25
| Grade | Students | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Kindergarten | 37 | 8% |
| Grade 1 | 47 | 10% |
| Grade 2 | 49 | 10% |
| Grade 3 | 45 | 9% |
| Grade 4 | 38 | 8% |
| Grade 5 | 46 | 10% |
| Grade 6 | 46 | 10% |
| Grade 7 | 41 | 9% |
| Grade 8 | 33 | 7% |
| Grade 9 | 26 | 5% |
| Grade 10 | 29 | 6% |
| Grade 11 | 25 | 5% |
| Grade 12 | 18 | 4% |
This year's kindergarten class (37) is 12% larger than its 8th grade class (33).
Student demographics
64%Diversity index
The chance that two students picked at random belong to different racial or ethnic groups.
DISTRICT 73% · STATE 63% · US 70%
Student head counts by race/ethnicity from federal NCES enrollment data. District, state, and US figures are each group's share of all public school students in that area (US excludes territories). Very small groups may be suppressed in the source, so categories do not always sum exactly to total enrollment.
Gender split
Test scores
STAAR 2025-26 . % Meets Grade Level or AboveReading
59.0%
TX avg 54.5% . +23.0pp since 2020
Mathematics
31.0%
TX avg 45.3% . -5.0pp since 2020
What this means: On the STAAR, Texas's statewide test, about 59 of every 100 students at this school read at grade level and about 31 of 100 do math at grade level. Across all Texas schools, those numbers are about 55 and 45. Reading scores are up about 23 points since 2020, while math scores are down about 5 points.
Performance levels, 2025-26
| Subject | Masters Grade Level | Meets Grade Level | Approaches Grade Level | Did Not Meet Grade Level |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Reading | 21.0% | 38.0% | 24.0% | 17.0% |
| Mathematics | 8.0% | 23.0% | 38.0% | 31.0% |
Share of tested students at each STAAR level. Each student counts in one level, so a row adds to about 100%.
STAAR results by year
| School year | Reading | Mathematics |
|---|---|---|
| 2025-26 | 59.0% | 31.0% |
| 2024-25 | 60.0% | 31.0% |
| 2023-24 | 54.0% | 28.0% |
| 2022-23 | 29.0% | 14.0% |
| 2021-22 | 29.0% | 13.0% |
| 2020-21 | 36.0% | 36.0% |
% Meets Grade Level or Above, all students and all tested grades.
Source: STAAR. All students, all grades. See all years and grades →
BeatsExpectations
Demographically-adjusted score · methodologyTier
AS EXPECTED
Performing as predicted given the school's student profile
Actual proficiency
43.8%
composite math + reading, all grades
Predicted
57.0%
based on TX schools with similar FRL share
Beats by
-13.1pp
below demographic expectation
What this means: About 44% of students here test proficient in math and reading, compared with the roughly 57% typical for Texas schools with a similar share of low-income students. BeatsExpectations measures results against demographically similar schools rather than by raw scores, and this school falls within the typical range, neither among Texas's top nor bottom 10%.
BeatsExpectations runs a per-state regression of proficiency on free/reduced-lunch share, then scores each school by residual. How this is calculated →
4-year change
SY 2020-21 vs SY 2024-25Enrollment
480
-127 (-21%) vs 2020
Student : Teacher
13.6:1
was 13.5:1
Source: NCES Common Core of Data
Enrollment and staffing by year
| School year | Students | Teachers (FTE) | Students per teacher | Free and reduced lunch |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2024-25 | 480 | 35.3 | 13.6:1 | 39% (188) |
| 2023-24 | 544 | 42.5 | 12.8:1 | 49% (265) |
| 2022-23 | 582 | 42.2 | 13.8:1 | 46% (270) |
| 2020-21 | 607 | 45 | 13.5:1 | 50% (306) |
| 2017-18 | 452 | 24 | 18.8:1 | 41% (184) |
| 2015-16 | 327 | 19 | 17.2:1 | 56% (183) |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data. Rows are the federal collections on file for Founders Classical Academy-Tyler.
Since 2017-18: students up 6% (452 to 480); teachers up 47% (24 to 35.3).
About Founders Classical Academy-Tyler
Founders Classical Academy-Tyler is a medium-sized combined-grade school in TYLER, Texas, that operates as a charter school. It educates 480 students in kindergarten through 12.
Founders Classical Academy-Tyler is part of TEXAS COLLEGE PREPARATORY ACADEMIES, where 44 schools serve 17,100 students.
White students make up a majority at Founders Classical Academy-Tyler, at 52%. The next largest groups are 26% Hispanic, 11% Black, 8% Asian, and 3% multiracial. In Smith County overall, about 67% of residents are White. Pick two students at random and there is a 64% chance they belong to different racial or ethnic groups; that figure is the school's diversity index.
Teachers at Founders Classical Academy-Tyler total 35.3 full-time equivalents, and the ratio is 13.6:1. The school has more students per teacher than the 11.7:1 average for combined schools in Texas. The school counts 188 students as eligible for free or reduced-price lunch, or 39%. Across public schools in Smith County, the average is 64%.
allk12 grades Founders Classical Academy-Tyler a C+. The grade compares the school only with Texas public K-12 schools, because each state gives its own test.
Founders Classical Academy-Tyler's actual average proficiency rate on state tests (43.8%) and its predicted rate (57.0%) put it outside the top and bottom 10% of Texas schools.
In the county around the school, Smith County, the median household income is $74,192, a bachelor's degree or higher is held by about 29% of adults, and the poverty rate is about 8%. Smith County is home to 65 public schools and about 37,385 public school students.
The shortest distance from Founders Classical Academy-Tyler to another public school is about 1.0 miles, to Cumberland Academy Middle School. Other public schools within five miles: at least 8. Founders Classical Academy-Tyler comes in 4th of 6 nearby schools on average proficiency.
The school's federal locale classification is City: Mid-size. Founders Classical Academy-Tyler holds a charter, making it a public charter school.
Federal data show a 21% enrollment decrease, from 607 in 2020-21 to 480 in 2024-25.
Posts about school events, clubs, and volunteer needs are welcome on this page. Reviews and ratings from people who know the school are welcome.
Smith County at a glance
View full county profilePopulation
241,740
Census ACS
Median income
$74,192
Household, ACS
Bachelor's+
29%
Adults 25+
Poverty rate
8%
Below federal line
Schools in county
65
37,385 students
Quick facts
Related schools
Other schools in TEXAS COLLEGE PREPARATORY ACADEMIES
- Founders Classical Academy - FriscoCombined · 1,013 students
- Founders Classical Academy of Flower MoundCombined · 949 students
- Founders Classical Academy of ProsperCombined · 929 students
- Founders Classical Academy - ConroeCombined · 921 students
- Founders Classical Academy - LewisvilleCombined · 912 students
- Ischool Virtual Academy of TexasHigh · 778 students
Other schools in TYLER
- Tyler Legacy High SchoolHigh · 2,770 students
- Tyler High SchoolHigh · 2,148 students
- Moore Middle SchoolMiddle · 1,019 students
- Chapel Hill High SchoolHigh · 990 students
- Three Lakes Middle SchoolMiddle · 948 students
- Boulter Middle SchoolMiddle · 901 students
Nearby schools
- Cumberland Academy Middle School1.0 mi · 361
- Mozelle Brown Elementary School1.0 mi · 575
- Cumberland High School1.5 mi · 503
- Trinity Charter Schools - Virtual Reclaim Academy2.2 mi · 68
- Cumberland Academy Lower Elementary School2.5 mi · 459
- Ut Tyler University Academy at Tyler2.5 mi · 446
Frequently asked questions
About Founders Classical Academy-TylerWhat is the total enrollment at Founders Classical Academy-Tyler?
Founders Classical Academy-Tyler enrolls approximately 480 students in grades KG-12.
What age range does Founders Classical Academy-Tyler serve?
Founders Classical Academy-Tyler serves students from grade KG through grade 12.
How many students per teacher at Founders Classical Academy-Tyler?
Approximately 13.6:1 students per teacher at Founders Classical Academy-Tyler.
What is the student diversity at Founders Classical Academy-Tyler?
Student demographics at Founders Classical Academy-Tyler are roughly 52% White, 26% Hispanic, 11% Black, 8% Asian, 3% Two or more.
Is Founders Classical Academy-Tyler public or private?
Founders Classical Academy-Tyler is a public K-12 school operated as a charter, overseen by TEXAS COLLEGE PREPARATORY ACADEMIES.
Data sourceSchool profile facts are sourced from the NCES. Community content is posted by allk12 members.