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Gross Elementary

Q: Is Gross Elementary a good school?

Gross Elementary ranks 1563 rd of 4627 Texas elementary schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 3 stars out of 5.

Public Grades PK, KG-5

1563^rd

SchoolDigger Rank ?

of 4,627 Texas Elementary Schools

Better than 66% of Texas elementary schools

Summary

Gross Elementary is a PK-5 public school in the Houston Independent School District (Isd) serving 390 students in a high-poverty area, where over 99% of students qualify for free or reduced lunch. This school has undergone a remarkable transformation, jumping from the 27th percentile statewide in 2024-2025 to the 66th percentile in 2025-2026—a 39-percentile-point increase in just one year. This dramatic turnaround sets Gross apart from nearby schools like Valley West Elementary, which saw its ranking drop from the 53rd to the 41st percentile over the same period, and Foerster Elementary, which remains in the bottom 21st percentile with no similar improvement.

The school's success is most evident in mathematics, where 4th graders achieved a 60% proficiency rate and 5th graders reached 70% proficiency—both significantly higher than district and state averages. This "math miracle" is especially strong in the Spanish-language program, where 3rd graders scored 73.33% proficient, far exceeding the district average of 35.78%. Gross also excels at supporting specific student groups, ranking in the 91st percentile for special education students and the 84th percentile for low socioeconomic status students. These subgroup rankings far outpace those at nearby schools like Tinsley Elementary, which struggles with very low reading scores despite strong math performance.

While the turnaround is inspiring, challenges remain. Fifth-grade science scores are a significant weakness, with only 12.9% proficiency on the English test and 0% on the Spanish version in 2024-2025. Reading scores have improved but are more mixed, with 4th grade reading at 43.75% still below the state average. The school's per-student spending of $10,446 is in the middle of the pack compared to peers like Fondren Elementary ($11,960), suggesting the success comes from how resources are used rather than simply having more money. Gross Elementary has found a formula that works, particularly in math and for its most vulnerable students, and the focus now is on sustaining this momentum across all subjects.

390

Students ?

15.0

Student/teacher ratio ?

$10,193

Per pupil spending ?

99.5%

Free/discounted lunch ?

12583 S Gessner Dr
Houston, TX 77071-2848

(713) 778-8450

District: Houston Independent School District (Isd)

Students who attend Gross Elementary usually attend:

Middle:	Welch Middle
High:	Westbury High School

Racial breakdown:

Hispanic:

57.7%

African American:

36.2%

Asian:

3.1%

See top rated Texas elementary schools

Compare Gross Elementary to nearby elementary schools!

At a glance

▲ Ranking trend: Improving — 2nd percentile in 2016 → 66th in 2026

Strengths

✓Test scores above the Texas average (55% vs 50% meeting standards)

✓Ranking is trending up — up 64 percentile points since 2016

✓Above the Texas median (66th percentile)

Students meeting standards (2025-2026) ?

This school55%

District avg50%

Texas avg50%

1,563^rd of 4,627

Texas public elementary schools ?

Top 34%▲ up 64 pts since 2016

From bottom 2% (2016) to top 34% (2026)

See the entire ranking list of Texas Elementary Schools →

★★★★★

SchoolDigger rating ?

51^st 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	61.2	1563 of 4627	66.2%	★★★☆☆
2025	30.5	3397 of 4651	27.0%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	31.6	3365 of 4710	28.6%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	22.4	3860 of 4647	16.9%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	20.9	3899 of 4581	14.9%	★☆☆☆☆
2021	37.6	2698 of 4578	41.1%	★★☆☆☆
2019	14.3	4182 of 4479	6.6%	☆☆☆☆☆
2018	16.6	3969 of 4359	8.9%	☆☆☆☆☆
2017	15.6	3989 of 4329	7.9%	☆☆☆☆☆
2016	5.0	4189 of 4286	2.3%	☆☆☆☆☆
2015	11.8	4071 of 4320	5.8%	☆☆☆☆☆
2014	16.6	3932 of 4260	7.7%	☆☆☆☆☆
2013	22.7	3702 of 4221	12.3%	★☆☆☆☆
2012	24.0	3691 of 4206	12.2%	★☆☆☆☆
2011	15.8	3856 of 4095	5.8%	☆☆☆☆☆
2010	24.1	3490 of 3937	11.4%	★☆☆☆☆
2009	15.6	3648 of 3884	6.1%	☆☆☆☆☆
2008	17.6	3482 of 3768	7.6%	☆☆☆☆☆
2007	15.2	3514 of 3724	5.6%	☆☆☆☆☆
2006	11.8	3345 of 3476	3.8%	☆☆☆☆☆
2005	11.1	3368 of 3475	3.1%	☆☆☆☆☆
2004	13.0	3328 of 3465	4.0%	☆☆☆☆☆

African American

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Texas percentile	Rating
2026	61.2	717 of 2406	70.2%	★★★★☆
2024	50.9	1087 of 2443	55.5%	★★★☆☆
2023	35.8	1617 of 2443	33.8%	★★☆☆☆
2022	37.1	1593 of 2421	34.2%	★★☆☆☆
2021	65.5	540 of 2444	77.9%	★★★★☆
2019	23.3	2193 of 2515	12.8%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	30.3	1899 of 2483	23.5%	★☆☆☆☆

At Risk

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Texas percentile	Rating
2022	34.0	3228 of 4461	27.6%	★☆☆☆☆
2021	38.5	2683 of 4331	38.1%	★★☆☆☆
2019	26.8	3601 of 4295	16.2%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	27.9	3515 of 4240	17.1%	★☆☆☆☆

English Language Learner

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Texas percentile	Rating
2024	33.8	2585 of 3668	29.5%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	42.0	2128 of 3556	40.2%	★★☆☆☆
2022	33.4	2581 of 3487	26.0%	★☆☆☆☆
2021	36.3	2276 of 3446	34.0%	★★☆☆☆
2019	31.1	2614 of 3333	21.6%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	38.0	2159 of 3226	33.1%	★★☆☆☆

Female

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Texas percentile	Rating
2026	62.4	1455 of 4575	68.2%	★★★☆☆
2024	32.9	3310 of 4658	28.9%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	23.0	3870 of 4588	15.6%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	22.3	3893 of 4561	14.6%	★☆☆☆☆
2021	36.8	2748 of 4499	38.9%	★★☆☆☆
2019	15.8	4062 of 4348	6.6%	☆☆☆☆☆
2018	22.1	3718 of 4306	13.7%	★☆☆☆☆

Gifted and Talented

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Texas percentile	Rating
2026	74.3	431 of 3075	86.0%	★★★★☆
2023	27.1	2602 of 2980	12.7%	★☆☆☆☆
2021	26.0	2438 of 3006	18.9%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	1.4	3100 of 3106	0.2%	☆☆☆☆☆

Hispanic

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Texas percentile	Rating
2026	73.6	780 of 4413	82.3%	★★★★☆
2024	34.8	3144 of 4465	29.6%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	36.1	3008 of 4401	31.7%	★★☆☆☆
2022	28.3	3513 of 4376	19.7%	★☆☆☆☆
2021	32.5	3072 of 4329	29.0%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	25.8	3516 of 4188	16.0%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	25.7	3479 of 4168	16.5%	★☆☆☆☆

Low Socio Economic Status

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Texas percentile	Rating
2026	73.8	722 of 4520	84.0%	★★★★☆
2024	44.0	2624 of 4594	42.9%	★★☆☆☆
2023	31.2	3454 of 4521	23.6%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	30.2	3500 of 4477	21.8%	★☆☆☆☆
2021	53.9	1765 of 4451	60.3%	★★★☆☆
2019	22.4	3871 of 4309	10.2%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	25.9	3609 of 4264	15.4%	★☆☆☆☆

Male

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Texas percentile	Rating
2026	57.7	1676 of 4582	63.4%	★★★☆☆
2024	27.8	3599 of 4647	22.6%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	23.7	3786 of 4585	17.4%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	23.5	3785 of 4563	17.1%	★☆☆☆☆
2021	41.0	2499 of 4498	44.4%	★★☆☆☆
2019	14.9	4092 of 4357	6.1%	☆☆☆☆☆
2018	15.1	4054 of 4319	6.1%	☆☆☆☆☆

Special Education

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Texas percentile	Rating
2026	83.0	371 of 4301	91.4%	★★★★★
2024	55.9	1514 of 4292	64.7%	★★★☆☆
2023	32.1	2971 of 4086	27.3%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	16.8	3808 of 3952	3.6%	☆☆☆☆☆
2021	22.6	3343 of 3799	12.0%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	15.7	3634 of 3684	1.4%	☆☆☆☆☆
2018	25.1	3050 of 3558	14.3%	★☆☆☆☆

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)

Special Education (2026)91st percentile+25 vs school

Gifted and Talented (2026)86th percentile+20 vs school

Low Socio Economic Status (2026)84th percentile+18 vs school

Hispanic (2026)82nd percentile+16 vs school

African American (2026)70th percentile+4 vs school

Female (2026)68th percentile~ school

Male (2026)63rd percentile-3 vs school

English Language Learner (2024)30th percentile~ school

At Risk (2022)28th percentile+13 vs school

By subject vs Texas (2025-2026) ?

Mathematics56%+9 vs state

Reading55%~ state avg

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Schools Near Gross 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 Reading (2026)			STAAR Mathematics (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 Reading 3rd Grade	STAAR Reading 4th Grade	STAAR Reading 5th Grade	STAAR Mathematics 3rd Grade	STAAR Mathematics 4th Grade	STAAR Mathematics 5th Grade	Total
Gross Elementary	Public	PK, KG-5	12583 S Gessner Dr	Houston	77071	Harris County	Houston Independent School District (Isd)	No	No	(n/a)	Yes	(713) 778-8450	390	26	15.0	99.5%	8 (2.1%)	141 (36.2%)	225 (57.7%)	12 (3.1%)	1 (0.3%)	1 (0.3%)	2 (0.5%)	61.2	1563^rd of 4627 public elementary schools	66.2%		30.5	3397^th of 4651 public elementary schools	27.0%	1834	27.3	60.0	0.0	73.3		40.0	62.3	43.8	58.0	29.4	60.0	70.0	$10,193
Step Charter III	Public, Charter	K-3	8320 W Airport Blvd	Houston	77071	Harris County	Step Charter School	Yes	(n/a)	(n/a)	(n/a)	(713) 636-9918	76	7	10.3	77.6%	5 (6.6%)	38 (50.0%)	30 (39.5%)	1 (1.3%)	1 (1.3%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (1.3%)	52.9	1965^th of 4627 public elementary schools	57.5%					(n/a)							55.6	46.2		66.7	38.5		$00
Bell Elementary	Public, Magnet	PK, KG-5	12323 Shaftsbury Dr	Houston	77031	Harris County	Houston Independent School District (Isd)	No	Yes	(n/a)	Yes	(281) 983-2800	539	38	14.1	87.6%	13 (2.4%)	106 (19.7%)	404 (75.0%)	7 (1.3%)	1 (0.2%)	0 (0.0%)	8 (1.5%)	41.4	2628^th of 4627 public elementary schools	43.2%		27.7	3571^st of 4651 public elementary schools	23.2%	943	0.0						54.1	48.4	41.8	40.9	38.8	45.5	$10,007
Valley West Elementary	Public, Magnet	PK, KG-5	10707 S Gessner Dr	Houston	77071	Harris County	Houston Independent School District (Isd)	No	Yes	(n/a)	Yes	(713) 773-6151	505	38	13.3	90.9%	12 (2.4%)	156 (30.9%)	320 (63.4%)	9 (1.8%)	2 (0.4%)	0 (0.0%)	6 (1.2%)	40.1	2741^st of 4627 public elementary schools	40.8%		49.4	2179^th of 4651 public elementary schools	53.1%	562					0.0		47.0	42.1	57.0	40.0	42.1	36.7	$8,689
Milne Elementary	Public	PK, KG-5	7800 Portal Dr	Houston	77071	Harris County	Houston Independent School District (Isd)	No	No	(n/a)	Yes	(713) 778-3420	498	32	15.5	95.6%	9 (1.8%)	197 (39.6%)	284 (57.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	8 (1.6%)	42.1	2582^nd of 4627 public elementary schools	44.2%		21.6	3933^rd of 4651 public elementary schools	15.4%	1351	0.0	22.2	10.0	46.2	29.4	0.0	50.0	32.8	56.9	37.1	35.6	56.7	$9,119
Foerster Elementary	Public	PK, KG-5	14200 Fonmeadow Dr	Houston	77035	Harris County	Houston Independent School District (Isd)	No	No	(n/a)	Yes	(713) 726-3604	531	36	14.7	98.9%	3 (0.6%)	202 (38.0%)	318 (59.9%)	3 (0.6%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	5 (0.9%)	26.7	3642^nd of 4627 public elementary schools	21.3%		15.2	4281^st of 4651 public elementary schools	8.0%	639	16.7	72.4	17.4	32.1	65.7	0.0	29.4	45.2	47.8	30.0	19.4	40.0	$10,971
E A Jones Elementary	Public	PK, KG-5	302 Martin Ln	Missouri City	77489	Fort Bend County	Fort Bend Independent School District (Isd)	No	No	(n/a)	Yes	(281) 634-4960	536	40	13.3	81.2%	12 (2.2%)	214 (39.9%)	284 (53.0%)	8 (1.5%)	5 (0.9%)	1 (0.2%)	12 (2.2%)	46.3	2315^th of 4627 public elementary schools	50.0%		35.2	3112^th of 4651 public elementary schools	33.1%	797	7.1	7.1	45.5	24.1	22.2	33.3	63.8	44.4	56.3	39.5	41.8	40.0	$12,121
Fondren Elementary	Public	PK, KG-5	12405 Carlsbad St	Houston	77085	Harris County	Houston Independent School District (Isd)	No	No	(n/a)	Yes	(713) 726-3611	341	22	15.5	93.5%	3 (0.9%)	58 (17.0%)	274 (80.4%)	4 (1.2%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	2 (0.6%)	44.1	2438^th of 4627 public elementary schools	47.3%		29.1	3488^th of 4651 public elementary schools	25.0%	1050							46.3	43.5	68.6	47.6	37.0	34.3	$11,424
KIPP Mosaic Pri	Public, Charter	PK, KG-5	12751 Hillcroft Ave	Houston	77085	Harris County	KIPP Texas Public Schools	Yes	No	(n/a)	Yes	(281) 879-3110	1,092	44	24.9	91.9%	10 (0.9%)	343 (31.4%)	718 (65.8%)	8 (0.7%)	4 (0.4%)	0 (0.0%)	9 (0.8%)	17.4	4179^th of 4627 public elementary schools	9.7%		24.7	3750^th of 4651 public elementary schools	19.4%	429							31.3	29.9	47.1	28.4	32.3	20.9	$6,226
Tinsley Elementary	Public	1-5	11035 Bob White	Houston	77096	Harris County	Houston Independent School District (Isd)	No	No	(n/a)	Yes	(713) 778-8400	590	33	17.8	98.5%	6 (1.0%)	50 (8.5%)	530 (89.8%)	4 (0.7%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	30.2	3414^th of 4627 public elementary schools	26.2%		43.4	2534^th of 4651 public elementary schools	45.5%	880	27.3	66.7	66.7	31.6	55.7	50.0	22.8	34.3	46.3	53.9	50.0	58.3	$8,522

Frequently Asked Questions about Gross Elementary

What district is Gross Elementary in?

Houston Independent School District (Isd)

How many students attend Gross Elementary?

In the 2024-25 school year, 390 students attended Gross Elementary.

Is Gross Elementary a good school?

Gross Elementary ranks 1563^rd of 4627 Texas elementary schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 3 stars out of 5.

What is the racial makeup of Gross Elementary?

Students at Gross Elementary are 58% Hispanic, 36% African American, 3% Asian, 2% White.

What schools do graduates of Gross Elementary attend?

Students who attend Gross Elementary usually go on to attend:

Middle : Welch Middle
High : Westbury 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.