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Polk Elementary

Public Grades PK, KG-5
464th
SchoolDigger Rank ?
of 4,627 Texas Elementary Schools
Better than 90% of Texas elementary schools
Summary

Polk Elementary in El Paso, TX, is a PK-5 school in the El Paso Independent School District (Isd) serving 649 students, and it has a long history of academic excellence, consistently ranking in the top 10-20% of Texas elementary schools over the past decade. While it has seen a slight decline from its peak performance in the late 2010s, it remains a top-tier school, ranking in the 90th percentile statewide for the 2025-2026 school year. This places it in the same elite category as nearby Tippin Elementary (89th percentile) and Marguerite J Lundy Elementary (94th percentile), and far ahead of other nearby schools like William C Herrera Elementary (49th percentile) and Charles Q Murphree Pk-8 (38th percentile).

Polk stands out for its exceptional performance in 5th-grade mathematics, with 81.31% of students proficient compared to the district average of 51.25% and the state average of 47.38%, the highest rate among all nearby schools. The school is also notably effective at serving its Hispanic and low-socioeconomic status students, ranking in the 96th percentile for Hispanic students and the 92nd percentile for low-SES students. This is a stark contrast to schools like William C Herrera Elementary and Charles Q Murphree Pk-8, which have higher percentages of low-income students but struggle to achieve similar results. Polk’s per-student spending is lower than many of its neighbors, suggesting its success is driven by effective instruction and school culture rather than higher funding.

Despite its overall excellence, Polk has areas for improvement. Its performance with Gifted and Talented students ranks in the 30th percentile, indicating it may not be adequately challenging its highest-achieving students. Additionally, there is a significant gap between English and Spanish-language STAAR scores; for example, 4th-grade math proficiency in Spanish was only 18.18% compared to 59.34% in English. This suggests a challenge in serving its English Language Learner population in their native language. Overall, Polk remains a top choice in the area, competing directly with Tippin Elementary and Marguerite J Lundy Elementary, but parents should be aware of these specific areas where the school could improve.

649
Students ?
15.7
Student/teacher ratio ?
$9,335
Per pupil spending ?
43.9%
Free/discounted lunch ?
 940 Belvidere St
       El Paso, TX  79912-2425

(915) 236-2775

District: El Paso Independent School District (Isd)


Students who attend Polk Elementary usually attend:

Middle:    Hornedo Middle
High:    Franklin High School
Racial breakdown:

Hispanic:
81.7%
White:
12.0%
Asian:
3.1%
more
 See top rated Texas elementary schools

 Compare Polk Elementary to nearby elementary schools!
At a glance
Ranking trend: Holding steady — 94th percentile in 2016 → 90th in 2026
Strengths
Test scores above the Texas average (68% vs 50% meeting standards)
Ranks in the top 10% of Texas elementary schools
Among the top-ranked schools in El Paso Independent School District (Isd)
Worth a look
!Some student groups rank well below the school's overall statewide standing
Students meeting standards (2025-2026) ?
This school68%
District avg49%
Texas avg50%
464th of 4,627
Texas public elementary schools ?
Top 10%▼ down 4 pts since 2016
From top 6% (2016) to top 10% (2026)
See the entire ranking list of Texas Elementary Schools →
SchoolDigger rating ?
2nd of 43Elementary Schools in the El Paso Independent School District (Isd)
531st of 951El Paso 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
202687.7464 of 462790.0%★★★★☆
202586.9495 of 465189.4%★★★★☆
202477.2868 of 471081.6%★★★★☆
202376.4906 of 464780.5%★★★★☆
202290.1349 of 458192.4%★★★★★
202189.8412 of 457891.0%★★★★★
201995.2160 of 447996.4%★★★★★
201896.2134 of 435996.9%★★★★★
201794.4219 of 432994.9%★★★★★
201689.1256 of 428694.0%★★★★★
201590.4180 of 432095.8%★★★★★
201486.6371 of 426091.3%★★★★★
201392.3108 of 422197.4%★★★★★
201287.3337 of 420692.0%★★★★★
201184.2230 of 409594.4%★★★★★
201081.3389 of 393790.1%★★★★★
200982.9328 of 388491.6%★★★★★
200881.8378 of 376890.0%★★★★☆
200781.9334 of 372491.0%★★★★★
200682.2294 of 347691.5%★★★★★
200583.2272 of 347592.2%★★★★★
200480.4394 of 346588.6%★★★★☆

Asian

YearAvg scoreStatewide rankTexas percentileRating
202679.0102 of 99989.8%★★★★☆
202481.767 of 104593.6%★★★★★
201988.512 of 100998.8%★★★★★
201877.7137 of 100586.4%★★★★☆

At Risk

YearAvg scoreStatewide rankTexas percentileRating
202291.2152 of 446196.6%★★★★★
202193.1116 of 433197.3%★★★★★
201996.840 of 429599.1%★★★★★
201891.8121 of 424097.1%★★★★★

English Language Learner

YearAvg scoreStatewide rankTexas percentileRating
202478.0515 of 366886.0%★★★★☆
202375.1548 of 355684.6%★★★★☆
202289.7137 of 348796.1%★★★★★
202186.8204 of 344694.1%★★★★★
201991.194 of 333397.2%★★★★★
201891.673 of 322697.7%★★★★★

Female

YearAvg scoreStatewide rankTexas percentileRating
202682.0622 of 457586.4%★★★★☆
202581.5517 of 374486.2%★★★★☆
202472.5982 of 465878.9%★★★★☆
202370.51083 of 458876.4%★★★★☆
202286.6428 of 456190.6%★★★★★
202188.2412 of 449990.8%★★★★★
201992.6211 of 434895.1%★★★★★
201895.4134 of 430696.9%★★★★★

Gifted and Talented

YearAvg scoreStatewide rankTexas percentileRating
202645.72165 of 307529.6%★☆☆☆☆
202560.81236 of 261952.8%★★★☆☆
202336.62373 of 298020.4%★☆☆☆☆
202237.62281 of 295822.9%★☆☆☆☆
202141.22045 of 300632.0%★★☆☆☆
201965.31146 of 318464.0%★★★☆☆
201867.81031 of 310666.8%★★★☆☆

Hispanic

YearAvg scoreStatewide rankTexas percentileRating
202691.1179 of 441395.9%★★★★★
202471.7874 of 446580.4%★★★★☆
202372.7809 of 440181.6%★★★★☆
202290.1203 of 437695.4%★★★★★
202191.8171 of 432996.0%★★★★★
201995.082 of 418898.0%★★★★★
201895.872 of 416898.3%★★★★★

Low Socio Economic Status

YearAvg scoreStatewide rankTexas percentileRating
202683.0374 of 452091.7%★★★★★
202460.21487 of 459467.6%★★★☆☆
202369.8916 of 452179.7%★★★★☆
202286.9251 of 447794.4%★★★★★
202188.6184 of 445195.9%★★★★★
201995.652 of 430998.8%★★★★★
201889.8158 of 426496.3%★★★★★

Male

YearAvg scoreStatewide rankTexas percentileRating
202688.6386 of 458291.6%★★★★★
202586.4380 of 373989.8%★★★★☆
202472.61005 of 464778.4%★★★★☆
202377.3818 of 458582.2%★★★★☆
202290.4300 of 456393.4%★★★★★
202188.6395 of 449891.2%★★★★★
201995.3120 of 435797.2%★★★★★
201894.5168 of 431996.1%★★★★★

Multi-racial

YearAvg scoreStatewide rankTexas percentileRating
201991.435 of 111296.9%★★★★★
201895.213 of 104698.8%★★★★★

Special Education

YearAvg scoreStatewide rankTexas percentileRating
202667.6816 of 430181.0%★★★★☆
202441.42491 of 429242.0%★★☆☆☆
202376.4491 of 408688.0%★★★★☆
202286.4216 of 395294.5%★★★★★
202191.2116 of 379996.9%★★★★★
201991.6101 of 368497.3%★★★★★
201885.9174 of 355895.1%★★★★★

White

YearAvg scoreStatewide rankTexas percentileRating
202656.01322 of 300656.0%★★★☆☆
202478.4439 of 310885.9%★★★★☆
202384.4270 of 310691.3%★★★★★
202289.9106 of 308296.6%★★★★★
202181.7332 of 308289.2%★★★★☆
201989.7131 of 314295.8%★★★★★
201895.328 of 312799.1%★★★★★
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)
Multi-racial (2019)97th percentile~ school
At Risk (2022)97th percentile+4 vs school
Hispanic (2026)96th percentile+6 vs school
Low Socio Economic Status (2026)92nd percentile~ school
Male (2026)92nd percentile~ school
Asian (2026)90th percentile~ school
Female (2026)86th percentile-4 vs school
English Language Learner (2024)86th percentile+4 vs school
Special Education (2026)81st percentile-9 vs school
White (2026)56th percentile-34 vs school
Gifted and Talented (2026)30th percentile-60 vs school
By subject vs Texas (2025-2026) ?
Reading76%+22 vs state
Mathematics67%+20 vs state

1.0
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What people are saying
by a parent
Tuesday, August 4, 2015

Open Quote I'm rather confused by the poor treatment my family has received at Polk Elementary. It would seem to me that only those children whose parents make a generous living are treated respectably at Polk. I'm talking about the cost of the extracurricular activities as well as the bill-collector attitude of the cafeteria administration who will treat my child like a second-class student while hounding me for a 5 cent debt. This may only be my misconception but certain other occurrences happened over the course of my children's attendance to lead me to believe that the school's administration is very accommodating to those parents with means who silently toe the line and much less to those of us on budgets who do the unthinkable and stand up for our children. While the teaching staff sports some very accomplished teachers there are a few bad apples whose behavior left me facing the daunting possibility of sending my little ones elsewhere. The choice was eventually made for me by the school itself. I had a few words with an office attendant over a situation where I felt it my duty to defend my son. There was no altercation, only my son's hurt feelings with regard to an annual talent show, and my need to hold an uncaring office attendant accountable for her "it's not my problem" attitude. There were other things that happened during that year and the year before but this was the instance when I decided we'd had enough. Soon after, I received a letter from the school that we would not be invited back the following year (we'd moved the year before to a home a few feet outside of Polk's district but had been assured at the time that we'd be accepted for the duration). The letter ambiguously stated that enrollment was up and we were wait listed and to seek enrollment elsewhere. I called episd to follow up on Polk's enrollment and learned this was not the case. It would seem that the administration at Polk was not thoroughly truthful with respect to the true reason we were wait listed. This left me questioning: Were we bumped in favor of another whose wallet is bigger than ours? Or perhaps I'm right after all that defending your child against a perceived bully is frowned upon at Polk. However far I may be reaching here, they are both still legitimate possibilities. Despite the sour grapes feelings I have toward the two rogue teachers, the aggressive lunch ladies, and the office attendant in question, I actually had faith in Polk and faith in my children's future there. I am very disappointed in this school. So many teachers and counselors there are wonderful, dedicated people and it saddens me to think that the actions and deceit of a few may prove to be systemic in nature. So my children must go to a new school-hopefully a better school-to make a fresh start, leaving all their friends behind. Maybe this is not so very bad, but I'm still disappointed in Polk and cannot, in good conscience, recommend this school to the average family. Close Quote





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Frequently Asked Questions about Polk Elementary

Polk Elementary ranks 464th of 4627 Texas elementary schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 4 stars out of 5.

In the 2024-25 school year, 649 students attended Polk Elementary.

Students who attend Polk Elementary usually go on to attend:

Middle : Hornedo Middle
High : Franklin High School

Students at Polk Elementary are 82% Hispanic, 12% White, 3% Asian, 2% Two or more races, 2% African American.


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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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