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Santa Maria Elementary

Q: Is Santa Maria Elementary a good school?

Santa Maria Elementary ranks 2084 th of 4627 Texas elementary schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 3 stars out of 5.

Public Grades PK, KG-5

2084^th

SchoolDigger Rank ?

of 4,627 Texas Elementary Schools

Better than 55% of Texas elementary schools

Summary

Santa Maria Elementary is a PK-5 public school in the Laredo Independent School District (Isd) serving 465 students in a high-poverty area of Laredo, TX, where over 99% of students qualify for free or reduced lunch. The school has achieved a remarkable turnaround over the past decade, climbing from the bottom 7% of Texas elementary schools in 2015-2016 to the 55th percentile in 2025-2026, earning a consistent 3-star rating in recent years.

Santa Maria excels in serving its most vulnerable students, ranking in the 74th percentile statewide for low socio-economic status students and an impressive 98th percentile for special education students in recent years. However, the school shows a "two-speed" pattern: reading proficiency is strong, with 5th-grade reading at 74.55% (well above the state average), while math proficiency lags significantly behind. For example, 4th-grade math proficiency was just 34.33% in 2025-2026, compared to 98.21% at nearby Leyendecker Elementary and 83.33% at Farias Elementary, both just a short distance away. Science scores are also an area for growth, with only 27.87% of 5th graders proficient in 2024-2025.

The most striking comparison is with Farias Elementary, located just 0.26 miles away and serving an identical demographic. While Farias ranks in the 99th percentile statewide, Santa Maria sits at the 55th percentile, with the biggest gap in math: 5th-grade math proficiency is 50% at Santa Maria versus 96.25% at Farias. This suggests that the disparity stems from differences in instruction and leadership rather than student population. Santa Maria has found a successful formula for literacy but has not yet replicated that success in math and science, making these key areas for continued improvement.

465

Students ?

13.5

Student/teacher ratio ?

$10,344

Per pupil spending ?

99.4%

Free/discounted lunch ?

3817 Santa Maria
Laredo, TX 78041-4299

(956) 273-4600

District: Laredo Independent School District (Isd)

Students who attend Santa Maria Elementary usually attend:

Middle:	Christen Middle
High:	Martin High School

Racial breakdown:

Hispanic:

99.4%

White:

0.4%

Asian:

0.2%

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Compare Santa Maria Elementary to nearby elementary schools!

At a glance

▲ Ranking trend: Improving — 7th percentile in 2016 → 55th in 2026

Strengths

✓Ranking is trending up — up 48 percentile points since 2016

✓Above the Texas median (55th percentile)

Worth a look

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

!Near the bottom of Laredo Independent School District (Isd)'s ranking

Students meeting standards (2025-2026) ?

This school49%

District avg66%

Texas avg51%

2,084^th of 4,627

Texas public elementary schools ?

Top 45%▲ up 48 pts since 2016

From bottom 7% (2016) to top 45% (2026)

See the entire ranking list of Texas Elementary Schools →

★★★★★

SchoolDigger rating ?

17^th of 20Elementary Schools in the Laredo Independent School District (Isd)

253^rd of 951Laredo 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	50.6	2084 of 4627	55.0%	★★★☆☆
2025	55.5	1804 of 4651	61.2%	★★★☆☆
2024	50.8	2129 of 4710	54.8%	★★★☆☆
2023	39.2	2850 of 4647	38.7%	★★☆☆☆
2022	40.2	2729 of 4581	40.4%	★★☆☆☆
2021	35.0	2844 of 4578	37.9%	★★☆☆☆
2019	61.1	1465 of 4479	67.3%	★★★☆☆
2018	49.9	1996 of 4359	54.2%	★★★☆☆
2017	25.1	3465 of 4329	20.0%	★☆☆☆☆
2016	14.0	3968 of 4286	7.4%	☆☆☆☆☆
2015	6.6	4213 of 4320	2.5%	☆☆☆☆☆
2014	11.3	4093 of 4260	3.9%	☆☆☆☆☆
2013	8.7	4116 of 4221	2.5%	☆☆☆☆☆
2012	9.1	4106 of 4206	2.4%	☆☆☆☆☆
2011	38.4	3034 of 4095	25.9%	★☆☆☆☆
2010	39.9	2835 of 3937	28.0%	★☆☆☆☆
2009	39.6	2754 of 3884	29.1%	★☆☆☆☆
2008	25.9	3255 of 3768	13.6%	★☆☆☆☆
2007	29.0	3111 of 3724	16.5%	★☆☆☆☆
2006	27.9	2930 of 3476	15.7%	★☆☆☆☆
2005	23.6	3066 of 3475	11.8%	★☆☆☆☆
2004	50.2	2012 of 3465	41.9%	★★☆☆☆

At Risk

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Texas percentile	Rating
2022	65.4	1090 of 4461	75.6%	★★★★☆
2021	47.1	2048 of 4331	52.7%	★★★☆☆
2019	66.2	984 of 4295	77.1%	★★★★☆
2018	54.2	1669 of 4240	60.6%	★★★☆☆

English Language Learner

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Texas percentile	Rating
2025	68.7	658 of 2918	77.5%	★★★★☆
2024	60.2	1161 of 3668	68.3%	★★★☆☆
2023	46.5	1878 of 3556	47.2%	★★☆☆☆
2022	40.5	2202 of 3487	36.9%	★★☆☆☆
2021	37.3	2233 of 3446	35.2%	★★☆☆☆
2019	58.7	1145 of 3333	65.6%	★★★☆☆
2018	43.2	1860 of 3226	42.3%	★★☆☆☆

Female

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Texas percentile	Rating
2026	52.6	1941 of 4575	57.6%	★★★☆☆
2025	60.2	1271 of 3744	66.1%	★★★☆☆
2024	60.5	1541 of 4658	66.9%	★★★☆☆
2023	47.7	2309 of 4588	49.7%	★★☆☆☆
2022	37.6	2920 of 4561	36.0%	★★☆☆☆
2021	30.4	3166 of 4499	29.6%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	55.2	1761 of 4348	59.5%	★★★☆☆
2018	45.9	2235 of 4306	48.1%	★★☆☆☆

Gifted and Talented

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Texas percentile	Rating
2026	44.6	2214 of 3075	28.0%	★☆☆☆☆
2025	59.2	1313 of 2619	49.9%	★★☆☆☆
2023	60.0	1460 of 2980	51.0%	★★★☆☆
2022	55.8	1613 of 2958	45.5%	★★☆☆☆
2019	54.0	1845 of 3184	42.1%	★★☆☆☆
2018	77.4	314 of 3106	89.9%	★★★★☆

Hispanic

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Texas percentile	Rating
2026	55.8	1718 of 4413	61.1%	★★★☆☆
2025	66.9	918 of 3644	74.8%	★★★★☆
2024	64.6	1213 of 4465	72.8%	★★★★☆
2023	46.1	2340 of 4401	46.8%	★★☆☆☆
2022	47.1	2288 of 4376	47.7%	★★☆☆☆
2021	42.1	2448 of 4329	43.5%	★★☆☆☆
2019	66.2	1051 of 4188	74.9%	★★★★☆
2018	56.1	1592 of 4168	61.8%	★★★☆☆

Low Socio Economic Status

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Texas percentile	Rating
2026	64.5	1182 of 4520	73.8%	★★★★☆
2025	74.3	558 of 3705	84.9%	★★★★☆
2024	71.6	847 of 4594	81.6%	★★★★☆
2023	54.2	1889 of 4521	58.2%	★★★☆☆
2022	54.3	1867 of 4477	58.3%	★★★☆☆
2021	48.6	2129 of 4451	52.2%	★★★☆☆
2019	73.0	670 of 4309	84.5%	★★★★☆
2018	64.7	1110 of 4264	74.0%	★★★★☆

Male

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Texas percentile	Rating
2026	47.1	2308 of 4582	49.6%	★★☆☆☆
2025	61.9	1214 of 3739	67.5%	★★★☆☆
2024	50.9	2120 of 4647	54.4%	★★★☆☆
2023	31.6	3285 of 4585	28.4%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	44.0	2508 of 4563	45.0%	★★☆☆☆
2021	40.9	2507 of 4498	44.3%	★★☆☆☆
2019	66.9	1145 of 4357	73.7%	★★★★☆
2018	53.5	1815 of 4319	58.0%	★★★☆☆

Special Education

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Texas percentile	Rating
2026	42.8	2265 of 4301	47.3%	★★☆☆☆
2025	63.5	926 of 3549	73.9%	★★★★☆
2024	92.9	104 of 4292	97.6%	★★★★★
2021	18.8	3741 of 3799	1.5%	☆☆☆☆☆
2019	68.8	619 of 3684	83.2%	★★★★☆
2018	89.6	131 of 3558	96.3%	★★★★★

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)

English Language Learner (2025)77th percentile+16 vs school

At Risk (2022)76th percentile+35 vs school

Low Socio Economic Status (2026)74th percentile+19 vs school

Hispanic (2026)61st percentile+6 vs school

Female (2026)58th percentile+3 vs school

Male (2026)50th percentile-5 vs school

Special Education (2026)47th percentile-8 vs school

Gifted and Talented (2026)28th percentile-27 vs school

By subject vs Texas (2025-2026) ?

Reading58%+3 vs state

Mathematics40%-7 vs state

★

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Schools Near Santa Maria 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 5th 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
Santa Maria Elementary	Public	PK, KG-5	3817 Santa Maria	Laredo	78041	Webb County	Laredo Independent School District (Isd)	No	No	(n/a)	Yes	(956) 273-4600	465	34	13.5	99.4%	2 (0.4%)	0 (0.0%)	462 (99.4%)	1 (0.2%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	50.6	2084^th of 4627 public elementary schools	55.0%		55.5	1804^th of 4651 public elementary schools	61.2%	280			63.2	39.7	74.6	38.6	34.3	50.0	$10,344
Farias Elementary	Public	PK, KG-5	1510 Chicago St	Laredo	78041	Webb County	Laredo Independent School District (Isd)	No	No	(n/a)	Yes	(956) 273-3400	597	36	16.6	100.0%	5 (0.8%)	0 (0.0%)	592 (99.2%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	98.2	47^th of 4627 public elementary schools	99.0%		81.5	707^th of 4651 public elementary schools	84.8%	660			79.4	86.9	97.5	79.4	83.3	96.3	$8,705
Leyendecker Elementary	Public	PK, KG-5	1311 Garden St	Laredo	78040	Webb County	Laredo Independent School District (Isd)	No	No	(n/a)	Yes	(956) 273-3800	406	30	13.5	100.0%	5 (1.2%)	0 (0.0%)	399 (98.3%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (0.2%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (0.2%)	87.5	479^th of 4627 public elementary schools	89.6%		92.8	281^st of 4651 public elementary schools	94.0%	198			57.1	78.2	66.7	61.9	98.2	100.0	$10,731
T Sanchez Elementary / H Ochoa Elementary	Public	PK, KG-5	211 E Ash St	Laredo	78041	Webb County	Laredo Independent School District (Isd)	No	No	(n/a)	Yes	(956) 273-4500	569	36	15.7	98.2%	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	569 (100.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	73.5	1000^th of 4627 public elementary schools	78.4%		59.8	1591^st of 4651 public elementary schools	65.8%	591			53.7	58.8	59.0	56.7	77.7	60.7	$9,720
Clark Elementary	Public	PK, KG-5	400 W Mayberry	Laredo	78041	Webb County	United Independent School District (Isd)	No	No	(n/a)	Yes	(956) 476-4600	354	28	12.6	89.3%	1 (0.3%)	1 (0.3%)	352 (99.4%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	60.3	1604^th of 4627 public elementary schools	65.3%		69.3	1161^st of 4651 public elementary schools	75.0%	443			35.0	57.6	65.4	40.0	57.6	76.9	$13,925
Pierce Elementary	Public	PK, KG-5	800 E Eistetter	Laredo	78041	Webb County	Laredo Independent School District (Isd)	No	No	(n/a)	Yes	(956) 273-4300	662	41	16.0	99.8%	2 (0.3%)	0 (0.0%)	660 (99.7%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	84.6	591^st of 4627 public elementary schools	87.2%		77.4	867^th of 4651 public elementary schools	81.4%	276			59.5	71.6	75.6	57.0	81.5	63.9	$8,772
Tarver Elementary	Public	PK, KG-5	3000 Tilden Ave	Laredo	78040	Webb County	Laredo Independent School District (Isd)	No	No	(n/a)	Yes	(956) 273-4800	421	29	14.4	95.2%	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	421 (100.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	72.8	1024^th of 4627 public elementary schools	77.9%		55.8	1788^th of 4651 public elementary schools	61.6%	764			59.6	75.5	53.7	42.6	67.9	70.4	$11,683
Macdonell Elementary	Public	PK, KG-5	1606 Benavides	Laredo	78040	Webb County	Laredo Independent School District (Isd)	No	No	(n/a)	Yes	(956) 273-4000	426	32	13.3	98.6%	4 (0.9%)	0 (0.0%)	422 (99.1%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	68.3	1214^th of 4627 public elementary schools	73.8%		81.7	693^rd of 4651 public elementary schools	85.1%	521			30.2	80.0	55.2	53.1	73.3	74.1	$10,006
Bruni Elementary	Public	PK, KG-5	1508 San Eduardo	Laredo	78040	Webb County	Laredo Independent School District (Isd)	No	No	(n/a)	Yes	(956) 273-3000	441	30	14.7	98.4%	1 (0.2%)	0 (0.0%)	439 (99.5%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (0.2%)	50.1	2109^th of 4627 public elementary schools	54.4%		52.2	2007^th of 4651 public elementary schools	56.8%	102	25.0	22.2	46.8	57.5	62.2	21.0	61.1	36.4	$10,896
Dovalina Elementary	Public	PK, KG-5	1700 W Anna Ave	Laredo	78040	Webb County	Laredo Independent School District (Isd)	No	No	(n/a)	Yes	(956) 273-3320	399	28	14.2	99.5%	1 (0.3%)	0 (0.0%)	398 (99.7%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	85.1	574^th of 4627 public elementary schools	87.6%		38.4	2898^th of 4651 public elementary schools	37.7%	2324	80.0	100.0	60.9	76.9	92.1	47.8	67.3	94.6	$10,514

Frequently Asked Questions about Santa Maria Elementary

How many students attend Santa Maria Elementary?

In the 2024-25 school year, 465 students attended Santa Maria Elementary.

What schools do graduates of Santa Maria Elementary attend?

Students who attend Santa Maria Elementary usually go on to attend:

Middle : Christen Middle
High : Martin High School

Is Santa Maria Elementary a good school?

Santa Maria Elementary ranks 2084^th of 4627 Texas elementary schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 3 stars out of 5.

What district is Santa Maria Elementary in?

Laredo Independent School District (Isd)

What is the racial makeup of Santa Maria Elementary?

Students at Santa Maria Elementary are 99% Hispanic.

Rate Santa Maria Elementary!

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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.