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Zeferino Farias Elementary

Q: Is Zeferino Farias Elementary a good school?

Zeferino Farias Elementary ranks 1935 th of 4627 Texas elementary schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 3 stars out of 5.

Public Grades PK, KG-5

1935^th

SchoolDigger Rank ?

of 4,627 Texas Elementary Schools

Better than 58% of Texas elementary schools

Summary

Zeferino Farias Elementary in Alamo, TX, is a PK-5 school serving about 520 students within the Pharr-San Juan-Alamo Independent School District (Isd), and it has recently made a remarkable academic turnaround after years of struggling in the bottom quarter of Texas elementary schools.

In the 2025-2026 school year, Zeferino Farias jumped from the 24th to the 58th percentile statewide—the largest single-year improvement among nearby schools. This surge is especially notable given that over 96% of students qualify for free or reduced lunch. The school now ranks in the 77th percentile for serving low-income students, a 36-point leap from the prior year, and its Gifted and Talented program soared from the 16th to the 86th percentile. While Marcia R Garza (75th percentile) and Alfred Sorensen Elementary (70th percentile) remain higher-ranked overall, Zeferino Farias is closing the gap rapidly, outperforming its closest neighbor Santos Livas Elementary in 4th grade math (61.9% vs. 48.65%) and nearly tying in 5th grade reading. The school also achieves these results with lower spending per student ($11,409) than several peers, suggesting strong efficiency.

However, challenges remain. Only 23.64% of 3rd graders were proficient in math, a significant gap compared to the district (45.48%) and state (44.33%), though the school shows a strong "catch-up" effect by 4th grade (61.9% proficiency). Additionally, the Special Education program ranks in the 9th percentile, a notable weakness amid otherwise strong gains. On a positive note, the school excels in bilingual instruction, with 3rd graders outperforming the state average on the STAAR Spanish Reading test (36.36% vs. 28.3%). For parents, Zeferino Farias represents a school on the rise, particularly effective for low-income and bilingual students, but with room to grow in early math and special education support.

520

Students ?

16.2

Student/teacher ratio ?

$10,804

Per pupil spending ?

97.1%

Free/discounted lunch ?

1100 W Acacia St
Alamo, TX 78516-8601

(956) 354-2760

District: Pharr-San Juan-Alamo Independent School District (Isd)

Students who attend Zeferino Farias Elementary usually attend:

Middle:	Jesus - Jesse - Vela Junior Middle
High:	Psja Memorial Early College High School

Racial breakdown:

Hispanic:

98.5%

Asian:

1.0%

White:

0.6%

See top rated Texas elementary schools

Compare Zeferino Farias Elementary to nearby elementary schools!

At a glance

▲ Ranking trend: Improving — 46th percentile in 2016 → 58th in 2026

Strengths

✓Ranking is trending up — up 12 percentile points since 2016

✓Above the Texas median (58th percentile)

Worth a look

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

!Near the bottom of Pharr-San Juan-Alamo Independent School District (Isd)'s ranking

Students meeting standards (2025-2026) ?

This school50%

District avg54%

Texas avg50%

1,935^th of 4,627

Texas public elementary schools ?

Top 42%▲ up 12 pts since 2016

From bottom 46% (2016) to top 42% (2026)

See the entire ranking list of Texas Elementary Schools →

★★★★★

SchoolDigger rating ?

19^th of 25Elementary Schools in the Pharr-San Juan-Alamo Independent School District (Isd)

306^th of 951Pharr-San Juan-Alamo 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	53.5	1935 of 4627	58.2%	★★★☆☆
2025	28.4	3531 of 4651	24.1%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	27.4	3627 of 4710	23.0%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	21.2	3930 of 4647	15.4%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	27.5	3513 of 4581	23.3%	★☆☆☆☆
2021	17.0	4071 of 4578	11.1%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	46.5	2258 of 4479	49.6%	★★☆☆☆
2018	42.6	2377 of 4359	45.5%	★★☆☆☆
2017	39.1	2587 of 4329	40.2%	★★☆☆☆
2016	50.1	2301 of 4286	46.3%	★★☆☆☆
2015	62.1	1674 of 4320	61.3%	★★★☆☆
2014	53.0	2156 of 4260	49.4%	★★☆☆☆
2013	44.7	2615 of 4221	38.0%	★★☆☆☆
2012	48.7	2366 of 4206	43.7%	★★☆☆☆
2011	33.3	3246 of 4095	20.7%	★☆☆☆☆
2010	30.4	3256 of 3937	17.3%	★☆☆☆☆
2009	41.1	2685 of 3884	30.9%	★★☆☆☆
2008	35.6	2878 of 3768	23.6%	★☆☆☆☆
2007	51.7	2133 of 3724	42.7%	★★☆☆☆
2006	46.6	2209 of 3476	36.4%	★★☆☆☆
2005	54.1	1817 of 3475	47.7%	★★☆☆☆
2004	29.3	2890 of 3465	16.6%	★☆☆☆☆

At Risk

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Texas percentile	Rating
2022	43.9	2523 of 4461	43.4%	★★☆☆☆
2021	33.6	3083 of 4331	28.8%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	65.0	1047 of 4295	75.6%	★★★★☆
2018	65.3	1021 of 4240	75.9%	★★★★☆

English Language Learner

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Texas percentile	Rating
2025	37.5	1881 of 2918	35.5%	★★☆☆☆
2024	28.3	2907 of 3668	20.7%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	27.5	2895 of 3556	18.6%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	34.2	2547 of 3487	27.0%	★☆☆☆☆
2021	31.3	2585 of 3446	25.0%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	58.2	1173 of 3333	64.8%	★★★☆☆
2018	60.4	998 of 3226	69.1%	★★★☆☆

Female

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Texas percentile	Rating
2026	49.4	2137 of 4575	53.3%	★★★☆☆
2025	32.0	2689 of 3744	28.2%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	29.8	3504 of 4658	24.8%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	22.7	3893 of 4588	15.1%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	28.7	3503 of 4561	23.2%	★☆☆☆☆
2021	12.6	4336 of 4499	3.6%	☆☆☆☆☆
2019	53.7	1845 of 4348	57.6%	★★★☆☆
2018	54.8	1760 of 4306	59.1%	★★★☆☆

Gifted and Talented

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Texas percentile	Rating
2026	74.3	431 of 3075	86.0%	★★★★☆
2025	30.4	2213 of 2619	15.5%	★☆☆☆☆

Hispanic

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Texas percentile	Rating
2026	59.1	1527 of 4413	65.4%	★★★☆☆
2025	36.9	2457 of 3644	32.6%	★★☆☆☆
2024	35.5	3090 of 4465	30.8%	★★☆☆☆
2023	26.0	3606 of 4401	18.1%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	31.7	3303 of 4376	24.5%	★☆☆☆☆
2021	20.5	3871 of 4329	10.6%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	51.7	1865 of 4188	55.5%	★★★☆☆
2018	49.5	1965 of 4168	52.9%	★★★☆☆

Low Socio Economic Status

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Texas percentile	Rating
2026	66.9	1045 of 4520	76.9%	★★★★☆
2025	43.2	2174 of 3705	41.3%	★★☆☆☆
2024	43.0	2701 of 4594	41.2%	★★☆☆☆
2023	30.0	3520 of 4521	22.1%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	35.8	3104 of 4477	30.7%	★★☆☆☆
2021	22.4	3894 of 4451	12.5%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	55.9	1640 of 4309	61.9%	★★★☆☆
2018	53.3	1804 of 4264	57.7%	★★★☆☆

Male

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Texas percentile	Rating
2026	57.1	1714 of 4582	62.6%	★★★☆☆
2025	32.5	2689 of 3739	28.1%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	28.9	3521 of 4647	24.2%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	21.7	3915 of 4585	14.6%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	27.9	3519 of 4563	22.9%	★☆☆☆☆
2021	22.1	3725 of 4498	17.2%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	38.9	2736 of 4357	37.2%	★★☆☆☆
2018	31.9	3126 of 4319	27.6%	★☆☆☆☆

Special Education

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Texas percentile	Rating
2026	22.2	3905 of 4301	9.2%	☆☆☆☆☆
2025	31.7	2616 of 3549	26.3%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	35.4	2876 of 4292	33.0%	★★☆☆☆
2023	25.0	3477 of 4086	14.9%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	36.5	2534 of 3952	35.9%	★★☆☆☆
2018	14.9	3547 of 3558	0.3%	☆☆☆☆☆

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)

Gifted and Talented (2026)86th percentile+28 vs school

Low Socio Economic Status (2026)77th percentile+19 vs school

Hispanic (2026)65th percentile+7 vs school

Male (2026)63rd percentile+4 vs school

Female (2026)53rd percentile-5 vs school

At Risk (2022)43rd percentile+20 vs school

English Language Learner (2025)36th percentile+11 vs school

Special Education (2026)9th percentile-49 vs school

By subject vs Texas (2025-2026) ?

Reading56%~ state avg

Mathematics45%~ state avg

★

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Schools Near Zeferino Farias Elementary

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Ranking:

E Elementary M Middle H High A Alternative P Private

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
Zeferino Farias Elementary	Public	PK, KG-5	1100 W Acacia St	Alamo	78516	Hidalgo County	Pharr-San Juan-Alamo Independent School District (Isd)	No	No	(n/a)	Yes	(956) 354-2760	520	32	16.2	97.1%	3 (0.6%)	0 (0.0%)	512 (98.5%)	5 (1.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	53.5	1935^th of 4627 public elementary schools	58.2%		28.4	3531^st of 4651 public elementary schools	24.1%	1596	36.4						46.7	51.6	65.3	23.6	61.9	47.3	$10,804
Santos Livas Elementary	Public	PK, KG-5	733 N Alamo Rd	Alamo	78516	Hidalgo County	Pharr-San Juan-Alamo Independent School District (Isd)	No	No	(n/a)	Yes	(956) 354-2840	515	30	17.3	89.1%	4 (0.8%)	0 (0.0%)	511 (99.2%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	60.7	1584^th of 4627 public elementary schools	65.8%		49.1	2191^st of 4651 public elementary schools	52.9%	607		50.0					48.3	51.6	68.3	51.7	48.7	55.0	$11,675
Psja Alamo Building Blocks Academy	Public	PK-K	1440 W Crockett	Alamo	78516	Hidalgo County	Pharr-San Juan-Alamo Independent School District (Isd)	No	(n/a)	(n/a)	(n/a)	(956) 354-2000	94	5	17.7	87.2%	2 (2.1%)	0 (0.0%)	92 (97.9%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)								(n/a)													$00
John McKeever Elementary	Public	PK, KG-5	1310 W Ridge	Alamo	78516	Hidalgo County	Pharr-San Juan-Alamo Independent School District (Isd)	No	No	(n/a)	Yes	(956) 354-2680	699	42	16.6	92.4%	7 (1.0%)	2 (0.3%)	690 (98.7%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	49.4	2146^th of 4627 public elementary schools	53.6%		51.4	2059^th of 4651 public elementary schools	55.7%	87	20.0						41.8	48.8	56.0	35.7	56.1	53.3	$10,336
Vida N Clover Elementary	Public	PK, KG-5	800 E Carrol St	San Juan	78589	Hidalgo County	Pharr-San Juan-Alamo Independent School District (Isd)	No	No	(n/a)	Yes	(956) 354-2730	378	25	14.8	94.7%	2 (0.5%)	0 (0.0%)	376 (99.5%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	62.7	1474^th of 4627 public elementary schools	68.1%		44.6	2464^th of 4651 public elementary schools	47.0%	990	29.4	26.7	33.3				60.0	47.6	59.7	52.5	57.1	50.7	$11,327
Augusto Guerra Elementary	Public	PK, KG-5	807 Fm495	Alamo	78516	Hidalgo County	Pharr-San Juan-Alamo Independent School District (Isd)	No	No	(n/a)	Yes	(956) 354-2810	731	42	17.5	96.7%	7 (1.0%)	0 (0.0%)	724 (99.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	60.7	1587^th of 4627 public elementary schools	65.7%		60	1578^th of 4651 public elementary schools	66.1%	9			100.0				40.7	58.8	65.5	31.0	69.1	62.6	$9,894
Capt D Salinas II Elementary	Public	PK, KG-5	333 E Hwy 83	Alamo	78516	Hidalgo County	Donna Independent School District (Isd)	No	No	(n/a)	Yes	(956) 783-1332	457	33	13.6	86.0%	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	457 (100.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	61.5	1543^rd of 4627 public elementary schools	66.7%		48.5	2226^th of 4651 public elementary schools	52.1%	683	34.8	60.0	18.5	52.2	61.9	42.1	44.7	48.9	57.7	51.3	57.9	65.0	$10,270
Alfred Sorensen Elementary	Public	PK, KG-5	701 E Sam Houston	San Juan	78589	Hidalgo County	Pharr-San Juan-Alamo Independent School District (Isd)	No	No	(n/a)	Yes	(956) 354-2910	583	35	16.7	84.6%	7 (1.2%)	2 (0.3%)	574 (98.5%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	64.6	1377^th of 4627 public elementary schools	70.2%		67.9	1215^th of 4651 public elementary schools	73.9%	162		20.0					57.4	62.5	53.0	47.1	64.5	54.2	$10,213
Idea Academy Alamo	Public, Charter	K-5	325 Kansas Rd	Alamo	78516	Hidalgo County	Idea Public Schools	Yes	No	(n/a)	Yes	(956) 588-4005	698	32	21.8	98.1%	38 (5.4%)	1 (0.1%)	659 (94.4%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	31.7	3326^th of 4627 public elementary schools	28.1%		38.6	2875^th of 4651 public elementary schools	38.2%	451							42.7	34.8	50.8	32.0	39.3	41.1	$10,527
Marcia R Garza	Public	PK, KG-5	810 E El Gato	Alamo	78516	Hidalgo County	Pharr-San Juan-Alamo Independent School District (Isd)	No	No	(n/a)	Yes	(956) 354-2780	545	35	15.7	99.3%	9 (1.7%)	0 (0.0%)	536 (98.3%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	69.7	1150^th of 4627 public elementary schools	75.1%		51.2	2067^th of 4651 public elementary schools	55.6%	917							59.3	63.2	54.3	56.4	65.5	57.8	$10,917

Frequently Asked Questions about Zeferino Farias Elementary

How many students attend Zeferino Farias Elementary?

In the 2024-25 school year, 520 students attended Zeferino Farias Elementary.

Is Zeferino Farias Elementary a good school?

Zeferino Farias Elementary ranks 1935^th of 4627 Texas elementary schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 3 stars out of 5.

What district is Zeferino Farias Elementary in?

Pharr-San Juan-Alamo Independent School District (Isd)

What schools do graduates of Zeferino Farias Elementary attend?

Students who attend Zeferino Farias Elementary usually go on to attend:

Middle : Jesus - Jesse - Vela Junior Middle
High : Psja Memorial Early College High School

What is the racial makeup of Zeferino Farias Elementary?

Students at Zeferino Farias Elementary are 98% Hispanic.

Rate Zeferino Farias 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.