Alice Moore Alexander

Alice Moore Alexander Elementary is a PK-5 school in Denton, TX, serving 573 students within the Denton Independent School District (Isd), where 67% of students qualify for free or reduced lunch, and the school has experienced a significant academic decline since the pandemic, now ranking in the bottom 20% of Texas elementary schools.

This school stands out for its persistent low performance compared to nearby schools. While Nette Shultz (76th percentile), Houston Elementary (70th percentile), and Pecan Creek Elementary (57th percentile) perform at or above the state average, Alexander is stuck in the bottom quintile, more comparable to Rivera Elementary (10th percentile) and Hodge Elementary (19th percentile). A major weakness is in Mathematics, where only about 25% of 4th and 5th graders are proficient—roughly half the state average. However, there is a bright spot in the Spanish-language program: 5th graders taking the Spanish Reading test achieved a 54.55% proficiency rate, which is 20 points higher than the state average, and 3rd graders in Spanish Math also outperformed state and district averages.

Despite spending more per student ($11,520) than high-performing peers like Nelson Elementary ($10,367), the school has not rebounded from the pandemic-era slump that hit it harder than many nearby schools. The Gifted and Talented program is a major concern, ranking in the bottom 2% of the state, suggesting the school is not challenging its highest-achieving students. On a positive note, African American students have shown dramatic improvement, jumping from the bottom 4% statewide in 2023-2024 to the 46th percentile in the most recent year, indicating targeted interventions may be working for this group.