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Atherton Elementary

Public Grades PK, KG-6
3138th
SchoolDigger Rank ?
of 4,651 Texas Elementary Schools
Better than 33% of Texas elementary schools
Summary

Atherton Elementary is a public elementary school in Arlington, Texas, serving 523 students in grades PK-6 and part of the Arlington Independent School District (ISD). Despite its relatively low student-teacher ratio and per-student spending, the school has consistently ranked in the bottom half of Texas elementary schools over the past 10 years, with a 1- or 2-star rating from SchoolDigger.

Atherton Elementary's academic performance, as measured by STAAR test scores, is significantly below the district and state averages across all grade levels and subjects. For example, in the 2024-2025 school year, the percentage of 3rd-grade students proficient or better in STAAR Reading at Atherton was 32.56%, compared to the district average of 41.53% and the state average of 52.02%. Similarly, in STAAR Mathematics, Atherton's proficiency rates ranged from 18.87% (3rd grade) to 59.26% (4th grade), while the district and state averages were significantly higher.

When compared to nearby schools in the Arlington ISD, such as McNutt Elementary, Burgin Elementary, and Hale Elementary, Atherton Elementary's academic performance is consistently lower, despite sharing similar demographic profiles with a high percentage of economically disadvantaged and minority students. This suggests that the academic challenges faced by Atherton Elementary may be common across the district, and a more comprehensive, district-wide approach may be needed to address these issues.

474
Students ?
13.0
Student/teacher ratio ?
$10,370
Per pupil spending ?
86.7%
Free/discounted lunch ?
 2101 Overbrook Dr
       Arlington, TX  76014-2639

(682) 867-4900

District: Arlington Independent School District (Isd)


Students who attend Atherton Elementary usually attend:

Middle:    Workman J H
High:    Sam Houston High School
Racial breakdown:

Hispanic:
63.1%
African American:
24.9%
White:
5.5%
more
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 Compare Atherton Elementary to nearby elementary schools!
At a glance
Ranking trend: Improving — 6th percentile in 2015 → 33rd in 2025
Strengths
Ranking is trending up — up 27 percentile points since 2015
Worth a look
!Test scores below the Texas average (36% vs 46% meeting standards)
!Some student groups rank well below the school's overall statewide standing
!Science scores 16 pts below the Texas average
Students meeting standards (2024-2025) ?
This school36%
District avg37%
Texas avg46%
3,138th of 4,651
Texas public elementary schools ?
Bottom 33%▲ up 26 pts since 2015
From bottom 6% (2015) to bottom 33% (2025)
See the entire ranking list of Texas Elementary Schools →
SchoolDigger rating ?
20th of 52Elementary Schools in the Arlington Independent School District (Isd)
660th of 961Arlington Independent School District (Isd) among Texas districts
Statewide rank percentile over time (100 = the top-ranked school in the state; click a legend item to add a student group)
Show full rank history (all student groups)

All Students

YearAvg scoreStatewide rankTexas percentileRating
202534.83138 of 465132.5%★★☆☆☆
202437.82968 of 471037.0%★★☆☆☆
202328.93466 of 464725.4%★☆☆☆☆
202220.43921 of 458114.4%★☆☆☆☆
202124.53546 of 457822.5%★☆☆☆☆
201936.22941 of 447934.3%★★☆☆☆
201834.12939 of 435932.6%★★☆☆☆
201733.12955 of 432931.7%★★☆☆☆
201617.63840 of 428610.4%★☆☆☆☆
201512.84043 of 43206.4%☆☆☆☆☆
201429.23439 of 426019.3%★☆☆☆☆
201317.43883 of 42218.0%☆☆☆☆☆
201227.83528 of 420616.1%★☆☆☆☆
201134.23213 of 409521.5%★☆☆☆☆
201036.72979 of 393724.3%★☆☆☆☆
200921.03531 of 38849.1%☆☆☆☆☆
200815.53539 of 37686.1%☆☆☆☆☆
200716.33487 of 37246.4%☆☆☆☆☆
20069.53382 of 34762.7%☆☆☆☆☆
200515.73274 of 34755.8%☆☆☆☆☆
200419.83173 of 34658.4%☆☆☆☆☆

African American

YearAvg scoreStatewide rankTexas percentileRating
202531.01439 of 190524.5%★☆☆☆☆
202437.21617 of 244333.8%★★☆☆☆
202330.51827 of 244325.2%★☆☆☆☆
202226.32005 of 242117.2%★☆☆☆☆
202133.61695 of 244430.6%★★☆☆☆
201941.71486 of 251540.9%★★☆☆☆
201843.91336 of 248346.2%★★☆☆☆

Asian

YearAvg scoreStatewide rankTexas percentileRating
202259.1430 of 95755.1%★★★☆☆
202141.2619 of 96736.0%★★☆☆☆
201927.2848 of 100916.0%★☆☆☆☆
201834.1767 of 100523.7%★☆☆☆☆

At Risk

YearAvg scoreStatewide rankTexas percentileRating
202242.82611 of 446141.5%★★☆☆☆
202157.31366 of 433168.5%★★★☆☆
201952.31822 of 429557.6%★★★☆☆
201843.62397 of 424043.5%★★☆☆☆

English Language Learner

YearAvg scoreStatewide rankTexas percentileRating
202546.41474 of 291849.5%★★☆☆☆
202446.11864 of 366849.2%★★☆☆☆
202356.61329 of 355662.6%★★★☆☆
202254.71381 of 348760.4%★★★☆☆
202162.8880 of 344674.5%★★★★☆
201959.31111 of 333366.7%★★★☆☆
201850.41478 of 322654.2%★★★☆☆

Female

YearAvg scoreStatewide rankTexas percentileRating
202525.83006 of 374419.7%★☆☆☆☆
202425.43765 of 465819.2%★☆☆☆☆
202323.23861 of 458815.8%★☆☆☆☆
202220.73974 of 456112.9%★☆☆☆☆
202125.83470 of 449922.9%★☆☆☆☆
201932.63165 of 434827.2%★☆☆☆☆
201833.23049 of 430629.2%★☆☆☆☆

Gifted and Talented

YearAvg scoreStatewide rankTexas percentileRating
202546.91793 of 261931.5%★★☆☆☆
202347.32036 of 298031.7%★★☆☆☆
202240.22201 of 295825.6%★☆☆☆☆
202123.22516 of 300616.3%★☆☆☆☆
201933.42589 of 318418.7%★☆☆☆☆
201837.22419 of 310622.1%★☆☆☆☆

Hispanic

YearAvg scoreStatewide rankTexas percentileRating
202543.02149 of 364441.0%★★☆☆☆
202443.02579 of 446542.2%★★☆☆☆
202342.02633 of 440140.2%★★☆☆☆
202224.83706 of 437615.3%★☆☆☆☆
202130.93165 of 432926.9%★☆☆☆☆
201953.61754 of 418858.1%★★★☆☆
201847.92067 of 416850.4%★★★☆☆

Low Socio Economic Status

YearAvg scoreStatewide rankTexas percentileRating
202540.02350 of 370536.6%★★☆☆☆
202445.72506 of 459445.5%★★☆☆☆
202336.33137 of 452130.6%★★☆☆☆
202226.53716 of 447717.0%★☆☆☆☆
202133.73132 of 445129.6%★☆☆☆☆
201946.62307 of 430946.5%★★☆☆☆
201845.12353 of 426444.8%★★☆☆☆

Male

YearAvg scoreStatewide rankTexas percentileRating
202545.01964 of 373947.5%★★☆☆☆
202447.22344 of 464749.6%★★☆☆☆
202338.22875 of 458537.3%★★☆☆☆
202224.23747 of 456317.9%★☆☆☆☆
202125.23511 of 449821.9%★☆☆☆☆
201941.02595 of 435740.4%★★☆☆☆
201835.92852 of 431934.0%★★☆☆☆

Special Education

YearAvg scoreStatewide rankTexas percentileRating
202534.62437 of 354931.3%★★☆☆☆
202432.23123 of 429227.2%★☆☆☆☆
202328.83208 of 408621.5%★☆☆☆☆
202221.23619 of 39528.4%☆☆☆☆☆
202129.22875 of 379924.3%★☆☆☆☆
201951.31350 of 368463.4%★★★☆☆
201862.8808 of 355877.3%★★★★☆

White

YearAvg scoreStatewide rankTexas percentileRating
202418.12799 of 31089.9%☆☆☆☆☆
202340.91989 of 310636.0%★★☆☆☆
202214.12906 of 30825.7%☆☆☆☆☆
202112.02932 of 30824.9%☆☆☆☆☆
201918.32853 of 31429.2%☆☆☆☆☆
201835.72151 of 312731.2%★★☆☆☆
How student groups rank statewide ? (each group's percentile vs the same group at other schools — higher is better; the +/- beside each compares the group with this school's overall percentile)
Asian (2022)55th percentile+41 vs school
English Language Learner (2025)49th percentile+17 vs school
Male (2025)47th percentile+15 vs school
At Risk (2022)41st percentile+27 vs school
Hispanic (2025)41st percentile+8 vs school
Low Socio Economic Status (2025)37th percentile+4 vs school
Gifted and Talented (2025)32nd percentile~ school
Special Education (2025)31st percentile~ school
African American (2025)24th percentile-8 vs school
Female (2025)20th percentile-13 vs school
White (2024)10th percentile-27 vs school
By subject vs Texas (2024-2025) ?
Reading41%-13 vs state
Mathematics39%-4 vs state
Science14%-16 vs state

1.0
1 rating · 1 written review
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What people are saying
by a parent
Friday, May 23, 2025

Open Quote After waiting for six long years to share my honest opinion about Atherton School, I am finally sharing my review on various platforms due to Google's review posting being turned off. My experience with this school has been nothing but disappointing and distressing, primarily due to the majority of the faculty and administrators.
While there were a few exceptional teachers, the overwhelming majority of the staff and administration are awful. My son was constantly subjected to an oppressive environment, feeling as though he was in trouble even for minor infractions. The school rarely adhered to his 504 program, and I had to involve Ebony Nix, the district's 504 program supervisor, just to ensure they followed it. Unfortunately, even then, there were instances where they failed to comply.
The school frequently called me to report misconduct, often for trivial matters, resulting in numerous suspensions. I dreaded seeing the school's number on my caller ID, which is unacceptable. Addressing concerns about my son's treatment was often met with more issues being created for him, rather than addressing the root problems.
Racism was prevalent at the school, with students and staff treating white students unfairly. My son faced racial slurs in class, and when reported, the school took no action. In contrast, I was contacted the next day about another unrelated issue. The principal, Mrs. Gholston, avoided me, failed to respond to emails, and even spoke negatively about my son to a Boys and Girls Club employee.
Communication skills at Atherton School are severely lacking. They seem to disregard the fact that not all parents are stay-at-home caregivers. A recent example includes notifying 6th-grade parents at 3:52 PM on May 22nd about a 6th-grade clap-out event, giving parents little to no time to adjust their schedules.
In conclusion, I strongly advise parents to explore alternative school options for their children. Atherton School's administration, faculty, and environment are problematic and require serious attention. Close Quote





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Frequently Asked Questions about Atherton Elementary

Students at Atherton Elementary are 63% Hispanic, 25% African American, 5% White, 4% Asian, 3% Two or more races.

In the 2024-25 school year, 474 students attended Atherton Elementary.

Atherton Elementary ranks 3138th of 4651 Texas elementary schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 2 stars out of 5.

Students who attend Atherton Elementary usually go on to attend:

Middle : Workman J H
High : Sam Houston High School


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SchoolDigger data sources: National Center for Education Statistics, U.S. Department of Education, the U.S. Census Bureau and the Texas Education Agency.

IMPORTANT DISCLAIMERS: Not all boundaries are included. We make every effort to ensure that boundaries are up-to-date. But it's important to note that these are approximations and are for general informational purposes only. To verify legal descriptions of boundaries or school locations, contact your local tax assessor's office and/or school district.





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