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McNamara Elementary

Q: Is McNamara Elementary a good school?

McNamara Elementary ranks 2870 th of 4627 Texas elementary schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 2 stars out of 5.

Public Grades PK, KG-5

2870^th

SchoolDigger Rank ?

of 4,627 Texas Elementary Schools

Better than 38% of Texas elementary schools

Summary

McNamara Elementary is a PK-5 public school in the Houston Independent School District (Isd) serving 916 students in a high-poverty area of Houston, TX, where 98% of students qualify for free or reduced-price lunch.

McNamara has a clear strength in its bilingual program. In 3rd grade, students taking the STAAR test in Spanish scored 53.57% proficient in reading and 57.89% in math, far exceeding district and state averages. This suggests the school effectively teaches foundational skills in a student's native language. However, students taking the same tests in English scored much lower, creating an 18-point gap in reading. The school also shows a "math stronghold" in upper grades, with 5th graders scoring 52.5% proficient in math, outperforming the district and state. Yet, 5th grade science is a major weakness, with only 28.57% proficient. Nearby Elrod Elementary, serving a nearly identical demographic, achieves 20-30 points higher in reading and math, showing that school-level factors like leadership and instruction play a significant role in outcomes.

Performance for specific student groups is volatile. White students swung from the 4th percentile to the 73rd percentile in one year, while special education students dropped from the 81st to the 6th percentile, a critical red flag. Hispanic students also declined from the 58th to the 29th percentile. Overall, McNamara ranks in the 38th percentile statewide, making it a below-average school within an average-sized district. It outperforms only Braeburn Elementary (13th percentile) and Bonham Elementary (19th percentile) in its immediate cluster, while Herod Elementary (64th percentile) and Elrod (81st percentile) achieve much higher ratings. The school's leadership should investigate Elrod's practices to understand how similar students achieve dramatically better results.

916

Students ?

17.2

Student/teacher ratio ?

$8,573

Per pupil spending ?

98.1%

Free/discounted lunch ?

8714 McAvoy Dr
Houston, TX 77074-7308

(713) 778-3460

District: Houston Independent School District (Isd)

Students who attend McNamara Elementary usually attend:

Middle:	Sugar Grove Academy
High:	Sharpstown High School

Racial breakdown:

Hispanic:

66.7%

Asian:

21.2%

African American:

8.4%

See top rated Texas elementary schools

Compare McNamara Elementary to nearby elementary schools!

At a glance

▲ Ranking trend: Improving — 24th percentile in 2016 → 38th in 2026

Strengths

✓Ranking is trending up — up 14 percentile points since 2016

Worth a look

!Some student groups rank well below the school's overall statewide standing

!Reading scores 16 pts below the Texas average

Students meeting standards (2025-2026) ?

This school45%

District avg50%

Texas avg50%

2,870^th of 4,627

Texas public elementary schools ?

Bottom 38%▲ up 14 pts since 2016

From bottom 24% (2016) to bottom 38% (2026)

See the entire ranking list of Texas Elementary Schools →

★★★★★

SchoolDigger rating ?

103^rd of 170Elementary Schools in the Houston Independent School District (Isd)

438^th of 951Houston 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

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Texas percentile	Rating
2026	38.3	2870 of 4627	38.0%	★★☆☆☆
2025	37.9	2929 of 4651	37.0%	★★☆☆☆
2024	45.9	2456 of 4710	47.9%	★★☆☆☆
2023	40.0	2790 of 4647	40.0%	★★☆☆☆
2022	39.3	2787 of 4581	39.2%	★★☆☆☆
2021	12.3	4378 of 4578	4.4%	☆☆☆☆☆
2019	35.5	2997 of 4479	33.1%	★★☆☆☆
2018	39.0	2615 of 4359	40.0%	★★☆☆☆
2017	34.9	2850 of 4329	34.2%	★★☆☆☆
2016	30.5	3272 of 4286	23.7%	★☆☆☆☆
2015	30.2	3326 of 4320	23.0%	★☆☆☆☆
2014	24.4	3651 of 4260	14.3%	★☆☆☆☆
2013	14.2	3999 of 4221	5.3%	☆☆☆☆☆
2012	35.4	3128 of 4206	25.6%	★☆☆☆☆
2011	35.3	3165 of 4095	22.7%	★☆☆☆☆
2010	34.3	3107 of 3937	21.1%	★☆☆☆☆
2009	29.4	3217 of 3884	17.2%	★☆☆☆☆
2008	23.6	3335 of 3768	11.5%	★☆☆☆☆
2007	4.5	3692 of 3724	0.9%	☆☆☆☆☆
2006	1.0	3472 of 3476	0.1%	☆☆☆☆☆
2005	10.2	3378 of 3475	2.8%	☆☆☆☆☆
2004	19.3	3192 of 3465	7.9%	☆☆☆☆☆

African American

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Texas percentile	Rating
2026	51.4	1022 of 2406	57.5%	★★★☆☆
2024	55.3	947 of 2443	61.2%	★★★☆☆
2023	69.9	498 of 2443	79.6%	★★★★☆
2022	41.5	1409 of 2421	41.8%	★★☆☆☆
2021	19.9	2248 of 2444	8.0%	☆☆☆☆☆
2019	48.5	1186 of 2515	52.8%	★★★☆☆
2018	55.8	905 of 2483	63.6%	★★★☆☆

Asian

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Texas percentile	Rating
2026	16.4	920 of 999	7.9%	☆☆☆☆☆
2024	13.8	972 of 1045	7.0%	☆☆☆☆☆
2023	4.3	989 of 1015	2.6%	☆☆☆☆☆
2022	15.9	878 of 957	8.3%	☆☆☆☆☆
2021	2.7	953 of 967	1.4%	☆☆☆☆☆
2019	2.6	993 of 1009	1.6%	☆☆☆☆☆
2018	1.0	999 of 1005	0.6%	☆☆☆☆☆

At Risk

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Texas percentile	Rating
2022	64.0	1172 of 4461	73.7%	★★★★☆
2021	22.9	3859 of 4331	10.9%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	45.9	2264 of 4295	47.3%	★★☆☆☆
2018	48.7	2033 of 4240	52.1%	★★★☆☆

English Language Learner

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Texas percentile	Rating
2026	52.7	719 of 1643	56.2%	★★★☆☆
2024	50.1	1659 of 3668	54.8%	★★★☆☆
2023	46.7	1870 of 3556	47.4%	★★☆☆☆
2022	48.4	1743 of 3487	50.0%	★★★☆☆
2021	20.9	3155 of 3446	8.4%	☆☆☆☆☆
2019	31.5	2592 of 3333	22.2%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	29.8	2568 of 3226	20.4%	★☆☆☆☆

Female

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Texas percentile	Rating
2026	42.8	2565 of 4575	43.9%	★★☆☆☆
2024	50.1	2176 of 4658	53.3%	★★★☆☆
2023	42.9	2620 of 4588	42.9%	★★☆☆☆
2022	38.5	2862 of 4561	37.3%	★★☆☆☆
2021	16.6	4117 of 4499	8.5%	☆☆☆☆☆
2019	32.5	3170 of 4348	27.1%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	34.2	2981 of 4306	30.8%	★★☆☆☆

Gifted and Talented

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Texas percentile	Rating
2026	59.4	1501 of 3075	51.2%	★★★☆☆
2023	35.6	2408 of 2980	19.2%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	62.5	1280 of 2958	56.7%	★★★☆☆
2021	22.9	2525 of 3006	16.0%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	29.2	2711 of 3184	14.9%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	22.5	2797 of 3106	9.9%	☆☆☆☆☆

Hispanic

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Texas percentile	Rating
2026	34.5	3142 of 4413	28.8%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	53.7	1873 of 4465	58.1%	★★★☆☆
2023	50.5	2032 of 4401	53.8%	★★★☆☆
2022	46.2	2366 of 4376	45.9%	★★☆☆☆
2021	15.8	4112 of 4329	5.0%	☆☆☆☆☆
2019	48.0	2135 of 4188	49.0%	★★☆☆☆
2018	56.6	1559 of 4168	62.6%	★★★☆☆

Low Socio Economic Status

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Texas percentile	Rating
2026	53.6	1873 of 4520	58.6%	★★★☆☆
2024	58.7	1582 of 4594	65.6%	★★★☆☆
2023	53.3	1960 of 4521	56.6%	★★★☆☆
2022	54.0	1887 of 4477	57.9%	★★★☆☆
2021	17.1	4175 of 4451	6.2%	☆☆☆☆☆
2019	50.1	2062 of 4309	52.1%	★★★☆☆
2018	54.5	1729 of 4264	59.5%	★★★☆☆

Male

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Texas percentile	Rating
2026	35.2	3076 of 4582	32.9%	★★☆☆☆
2024	40.1	2805 of 4647	39.6%	★★☆☆☆
2023	37.8	2908 of 4585	36.6%	★★☆☆☆
2022	40.5	2707 of 4563	40.7%	★★☆☆☆
2021	10.6	4410 of 4498	2.0%	☆☆☆☆☆
2019	40.3	2637 of 4357	39.5%	★★☆☆☆
2018	47.2	2139 of 4319	50.5%	★★★☆☆

Special Education

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Texas percentile	Rating
2026	19.8	4036 of 4301	6.2%	☆☆☆☆☆
2024	69.3	833 of 4292	80.6%	★★★★☆
2023	26.5	3378 of 4086	17.3%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	26.5	3275 of 3952	17.1%	★☆☆☆☆
2021	18.8	3741 of 3799	1.5%	☆☆☆☆☆
2019	29.8	2844 of 3684	22.8%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	21.8	3218 of 3558	9.6%	☆☆☆☆☆

White

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Texas percentile	Rating
2026	69.2	818 of 3006	72.8%	★★★★☆
2024	11.9	2973 of 3108	4.3%	☆☆☆☆☆
2023	20.2	2739 of 3106	11.8%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	33.8	2274 of 3082	26.2%	★☆☆☆☆
2021	16.1	2822 of 3082	8.4%	☆☆☆☆☆
2019	10.3	3035 of 3142	3.4%	☆☆☆☆☆
2018	4.4	3099 of 3127	0.9%	☆☆☆☆☆

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)

At Risk (2022)74th percentile+35 vs school

White (2026)73rd percentile+35 vs school

Low Socio Economic Status (2026)59th percentile+21 vs school

African American (2026)58th percentile+20 vs school

English Language Learner (2026)56th percentile+18 vs school

Gifted and Talented (2026)51st percentile+13 vs school

Female (2026)44th percentile+6 vs school

Male (2026)33rd percentile-5 vs school

Hispanic (2026)29th percentile-9 vs school

Asian (2026)8th percentile-30 vs school

Special Education (2026)6th percentile-32 vs school

By subject vs Texas (2025-2026) ?

Mathematics49%~ state avg

Reading38%-16 vs state

★

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Schools Near McNamara Elementary

Choose columns to see: Summary School Students/Teachers Ranking Test Scores Finance All

School													Students/Teachers											Ranking (2026)				Ranking (2025)				STAAR Spanish Reading (2026)			STAAR Spanish Mathematics (2026)			STAAR EOC Algebra I (2026)	STAAR Reading (2026)						STAAR Mathematics (2026)					STAAR Social Studies (2026)	Per Pupil Expenditures (2024)
Name	Type	Grades	Address	City	Zip	County	District	Is Charter	Is Magnet	Is Virtual	Is Title I	Phone	Enrollment	Full-time Teachers	Student/ Teacher Ratio	Free/Discounted Lunch Recipients	White	Black	Hispanic	Asian	American Indian	Pacific Islander	Two or More Races	Average Standard Score (2026)	Statewide Rank (2026)	State Percentile (2026)	SchoolDigger Rating (2026)	Average Standard Score (2025)	Statewide Rank (2025)	State Percentile (2025)	Rank Change from Previous Year	STAAR Spanish Reading 3rd Grade	STAAR Spanish Reading 4th Grade	STAAR Spanish Reading 5th Grade	STAAR Spanish Mathematics 3rd Grade	STAAR Spanish Mathematics 4th Grade	STAAR Spanish Mathematics 5th Grade	STAAR EOC Algebra I End of Course	STAAR Reading 3rd Grade	STAAR Reading 4th Grade	STAAR Reading 5th Grade	STAAR Reading 6th Grade	STAAR Reading 7th Grade	STAAR Reading 8th Grade	STAAR Mathematics 3rd Grade	STAAR Mathematics 4th Grade	STAAR Mathematics 5th Grade	STAAR Mathematics 6th Grade	STAAR Mathematics 7th Grade	STAAR Social Studies 8th Grade	Total
McNamara Elementary	Public	PK, KG-5	8714 McAvoy Dr	Houston	77074	Harris County	Houston Independent School District (Isd)	No	No	(n/a)	Yes	(713) 778-3460	916	53	17.2	98.1%	27 (2.9%)	77 (8.4%)	611 (66.7%)	194 (21.2%)	2 (0.2%)	1 (0.1%)	4 (0.4%)	38.3	2870^th of 4627 public elementary schools	38.0%		37.9	2929^th of 4651 public elementary schools	37.0%	59	53.6			57.9				35.4	41.3	37.0				42.4	48.4	52.5				$8,573
Elrod Elementary	Public, Magnet	PK, KG-5	6230 Dumfries Dr	Houston	77096	Harris County	Houston Independent School District (Isd)	No	Yes	(n/a)	Yes	(713) 778-3330	742	42	17.6	98.0%	11 (1.5%)	128 (17.3%)	584 (78.7%)	16 (2.2%)	1 (0.1%)	0 (0.0%)	2 (0.3%)	76.8	877^th of 4627 public elementary schools	81.0%		67.8	1219^th of 4651 public elementary schools	73.8%	342	56.8	61.9	56.0	40.0	76.9	78.1		52.6	70.3	75.7				41.7	60.7	67.2				$8,903
Sutton Elementary	Public	PK, KG-5	7402 Albacore Dr	Houston	77074	Harris County	Houston Independent School District (Isd)	No	No	(n/a)	Yes	(713) 778-3400	833	51	16.3	96.4%	29 (3.5%)	57 (6.8%)	698 (83.8%)	41 (4.9%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (0.1%)	7 (0.8%)	57.9	1719^th of 4627 public elementary schools	62.8%		54.5	1873^rd of 4651 public elementary schools	59.7%	154	54.1	20.6	35.3	46.2	23.3	0.0		42.4	55.6	55.3				34.1	67.4	54.5				$9,997
Bonham Elementary	Public	PK, KG-5	8302 Braes River Dr	Houston	77074	Harris County	Houston Independent School District (Isd)	No	No	(n/a)	Yes	(713) 778-3480	940	64	14.7	98.2%	26 (2.8%)	130 (13.8%)	643 (68.4%)	134 (14.3%)	2 (0.2%)	0 (0.0%)	5 (0.5%)	25.4	3726^th of 4627 public elementary schools	19.5%		19.4	4064^th of 4651 public elementary schools	12.6%	338				31.9	31.5			30.3	30.9	35.4				43.6	37.1	46.9				$10,915
Herod Elementary	Public, Magnet	PK, KG-5	5627 Jason St	Houston	77096	Harris County	Houston Independent School District (Isd)	No	Yes	(n/a)	Yes	(713) 778-3315	682	44	15.5	58.8%	89 (13.0%)	227 (33.3%)	294 (43.1%)	36 (5.3%)	1 (0.1%)	0 (0.0%)	35 (5.1%)	58.9	1656^th of 4627 public elementary schools	64.2%		55.4	1811^th of 4651 public elementary schools	61.1%	155								51.1	54.3	62.4				45.4	52.4	51.7				$8,483
Energized For Excellence Academy Elementary	Public, Charter	K-5	6201 Bissonnet	Houston	77081	Harris County	Houston Independent School District (Isd)	Yes	No	(n/a)	Yes	(713) 773-3600	857	31	27.7	98.0%	5 (0.6%)	67 (7.8%)	778 (90.8%)	5 (0.6%)	1 (0.1%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (0.1%)	35.5	3052^nd of 4627 public elementary schools	34.0%		31	3366^th of 4651 public elementary schools	27.6%	314		25.0			0.0	0.0		42.5	39.3	44.8				53.3	37.4	36.4				$7,741
Braeburn Elementary	Public	PK, KG-5	5550 Pine St	Houston	77081	Harris County	Houston Independent School District (Isd)	No	No	(n/a)	Yes	(713) 295-5210	853	50	17.0	98.8%	8 (0.9%)	41 (4.8%)	796 (93.3%)	6 (0.7%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	2 (0.2%)	20.2	4030^th of 4627 public elementary schools	12.9%		17	4180^th of 4651 public elementary schools	10.1%	150								26.4	37.0	27.0				36.4	36.4	32.8				$10,546
Step Charter II	Public, Charter	K-8	8282 Bissonnet St	Houston	77074	Harris County	Step Charter School	Yes	No	(n/a)	Yes	(281) 988-7797	324	20	16.0	88.0%	5 (1.5%)	52 (16.0%)	265 (81.8%)	1 (0.3%)	1 (0.3%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	36.6	2979^th of 4627 public elementary schools	35.6%		39	2839^th of 4651 public elementary schools	39.0%	140							32.3	47.2	40.0	48.7	41.5	57.1	48.4	55.6	25.0	25.6	46.3	45.2	29.0	$10,997
Mistral Center For Early Childhood	Public	PK-K	6203 Jessamine	Houston	77081	Harris County	Houston Independent School District (Isd)	No	No	(n/a)	Yes	(713) 773-6253	329	18	18.2	92.4%	19 (5.8%)	30 (9.1%)	258 (78.4%)	19 (5.8%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	3 (0.9%)								(n/a)																				$9,308
Southwest Public Schools Int'l Leadership Academy	Public, Charter	PK, KG-5	8440 Bissonnet St	Houston	77074	Harris County	Southwest Public Schools	Yes	No	(n/a)	Yes	(713) 988-5839	526	7	77.0	97.3%	2 (0.4%)	26 (4.9%)	496 (94.3%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (0.2%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (0.2%)	25	3756^th of 4627 public elementary schools	18.8%		26.9	3612^th of 4651 public elementary schools	22.3%	144	7.1	50.0	36.4	0.0		0.0		27.1	37.7	45.8				26.0	42.1	37.5				$10,918

Frequently Asked Questions about McNamara Elementary

What district is McNamara Elementary in?

Houston Independent School District (Isd)

What schools do graduates of McNamara Elementary attend?

Students who attend McNamara Elementary usually go on to attend:

Middle : Sugar Grove Academy
High : Sharpstown High School

Is McNamara Elementary a good school?

McNamara Elementary ranks 2870^th of 4627 Texas elementary schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 2 stars out of 5.

How many students attend McNamara Elementary?

In the 2024-25 school year, 916 students attended McNamara Elementary.

What is the racial makeup of McNamara Elementary?

Students at McNamara Elementary are 67% Hispanic, 21% Asian, 8% African American, 3% White.

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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.