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Kelly-Pharr Elementary

Q: Is Kelly-Pharr Elementary a good school?

Kelly-Pharr Elementary ranks 1960 th of 4627 Texas elementary schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 3 stars out of 5.

Public Grades PK, KG-5

1960^th

SchoolDigger Rank ?

of 4,627 Texas Elementary Schools

Better than 58% of Texas elementary schools

Summary

Kelly-Pharr Elementary in Pharr, TX, serves 587 students in grades PK-5 within the Pharr-San Juan-Alamo Independent School District (Isd), operating in a high-poverty area where over 93% of students qualify for free or reduced lunch.

This school stands out for its remarkable recent upward trajectory, climbing from the 27th percentile statewide in 2020-2021 to the 58th percentile in 2025-2026—a stronger recovery than nearby schools like Geraldine Palmer Elementary (stable at ~59th percentile) or Henry Ford Elementary (declining). Most notably, Kelly-Pharr excels with its economically disadvantaged students, ranking in the 72nd percentile statewide for this group—14 points higher than its overall rank. The school also shows strong support for special education students, who ranked in the 67th percentile in 2025-2026. However, math performance reveals a puzzling pattern: 4th graders achieved 59.09% proficiency in 2025-2026, well above state averages, while 5th graders dropped to just 42.05%, far below district and state levels. This sharp decline isn't seen as dramatically at nearby schools like Aida C Escobar Elementary, which consistently outperforms Kelly-Pharr in upper elementary grades.

Despite serving similar demographics, Aida C Escobar Elementary (just 1.14 miles away) ranks in the 80th percentile and significantly outperforms Kelly-Pharr in 5th-grade reading (75.56% vs. 50.57%) and math (75.9% vs. 42.05%). Kelly-Pharr's per-student spending ($11,110) and student-teacher ratio (15.9) are average for the area, suggesting its recent improvements stem from instructional quality and school culture rather than extra resources. The school also has a history of exceptional performance with "At Risk" students, who ranked in the 98th percentile statewide in 2018-2019, indicating a deep-seated ability to support students facing significant challenges.

587

Students ?

15.9

Student/teacher ratio ?

$10,959

Per pupil spending ?

93.7%

Free/discounted lunch ?

500 E Sam Houston St
Pharr, TX 78577-5540

(956) 354-2870

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

Students who attend Kelly-Pharr Elementary usually attend:

Middle:	Jaime Escalante Middle
High:	Psja Southwest Early College High School

Racial breakdown:

Hispanic:

98.3%

White:

1.5%

Asian:

0.2%

See top rated Texas elementary schools

Compare Kelly-Pharr Elementary to nearby elementary schools!

At a glance

▼ Ranking trend: Recently slipping — 80th percentile in 2019 → 58th in 2026

Strengths

✓Above the Texas median (58th percentile)

Worth a look

!Ranking has slipped from its 80th-percentile peak (2019) to 58th (2026)

!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%

1,960^th of 4,627

Texas public elementary schools ?

Top 42%▲ up 32 pts since 2016

From bottom 26% (2016) to top 42% (2026)

See the entire ranking list of Texas Elementary Schools →

★★★★★

SchoolDigger rating ?

21^st 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	53.0	1960 of 4627	57.6%	★★★☆☆
2025	41.0	2708 of 4651	41.8%	★★☆☆☆
2024	46.7	2392 of 4710	49.2%	★★☆☆☆
2023	58.8	1669 of 4647	64.1%	★★★☆☆
2022	48.6	2222 of 4581	51.5%	★★★☆☆
2021	27.9	3320 of 4578	27.5%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	74.7	885 of 4479	80.2%	★★★★☆
2018	60.9	1446 of 4359	66.8%	★★★☆☆
2017	42.9	2341 of 4329	45.9%	★★☆☆☆
2016	32.5	3178 of 4286	25.9%	★☆☆☆☆
2015	46.0	2538 of 4320	41.3%	★★☆☆☆
2014	43.3	2730 of 4260	35.9%	★★☆☆☆
2013	57.2	1900 of 4221	55.0%	★★★☆☆
2012	51.2	2197 of 4206	47.8%	★★☆☆☆
2011	48.9	2473 of 4095	39.6%	★★☆☆☆
2010	56.8	1973 of 3937	49.9%	★★☆☆☆
2009	59.9	1714 of 3884	55.9%	★★★☆☆
2008	49.6	2225 of 3768	41.0%	★★☆☆☆
2007	40.9	2646 of 3724	28.9%	★☆☆☆☆
2006	39.5	2517 of 3476	27.6%	★☆☆☆☆
2005	45.2	2249 of 3475	35.3%	★★☆☆☆
2004	44.9	2267 of 3465	34.6%	★★☆☆☆

At Risk

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Texas percentile	Rating
2022	76.4	560 of 4461	87.4%	★★★★☆
2021	52.9	1638 of 4331	62.2%	★★★☆☆
2019	94.5	72 of 4295	98.3%	★★★★★
2018	87.2	225 of 4240	94.7%	★★★★★

English Language Learner

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Texas percentile	Rating
2025	34.8	2007 of 2918	31.2%	★★☆☆☆
2024	41.9	2086 of 3668	43.1%	★★☆☆☆
2023	58.8	1229 of 3556	65.4%	★★★☆☆
2022	58.0	1198 of 3487	65.6%	★★★☆☆
2021	35.0	2359 of 3446	31.5%	★★☆☆☆
2019	85.4	187 of 3333	94.4%	★★★★★
2018	76.3	432 of 3226	86.6%	★★★★☆

Female

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Texas percentile	Rating
2026	53.4	1901 of 4575	58.4%	★★★☆☆
2025	42.3	2165 of 3744	42.2%	★★☆☆☆
2024	46.5	2399 of 4658	48.5%	★★☆☆☆
2023	52.4	2011 of 4588	56.2%	★★★☆☆
2022	45.8	2415 of 4561	47.1%	★★☆☆☆
2021	25.7	3478 of 4499	22.7%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	64.8	1250 of 4348	71.3%	★★★★☆
2018	60.6	1456 of 4306	66.2%	★★★☆☆

Gifted and Talented

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Texas percentile	Rating
2026	68.7	813 of 3075	73.6%	★★★★☆
2025	60.7	1238 of 2619	52.7%	★★★☆☆
2023	58.9	1527 of 2980	48.8%	★★☆☆☆
2019	81.4	24 of 3184	99.2%	★★★★★

Hispanic

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Texas percentile	Rating
2026	59.4	1505 of 4413	65.9%	★★★☆☆
2025	45.7	2005 of 3644	45.0%	★★☆☆☆
2024	55.5	1738 of 4465	61.1%	★★★☆☆
2023	65.7	1159 of 4401	73.7%	★★★★☆
2022	55.9	1707 of 4376	61.0%	★★★☆☆
2021	33.7	2999 of 4329	30.7%	★★☆☆☆
2019	80.4	456 of 4188	89.1%	★★★★☆
2018	67.5	990 of 4168	76.2%	★★★★☆

Low Socio Economic Status

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Texas percentile	Rating
2026	63.0	1271 of 4520	71.9%	★★★★☆
2025	50.1	1770 of 3705	52.2%	★★★☆☆
2024	57.0	1721 of 4594	62.5%	★★★☆☆
2023	73.3	734 of 4521	83.8%	★★★★☆
2022	61.3	1402 of 4477	68.7%	★★★☆☆
2021	31.4	3289 of 4451	26.1%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	84.0	298 of 4309	93.1%	★★★★★
2018	70.4	853 of 4264	80.0%	★★★★☆

Male

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Texas percentile	Rating
2026	52.5	1959 of 4582	57.2%	★★★☆☆
2025	33.8	2631 of 3739	29.6%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	45.3	2481 of 4647	46.6%	★★☆☆☆
2023	63.3	1422 of 4585	69.0%	★★★☆☆
2022	52.0	2056 of 4563	54.9%	★★★☆☆
2021	32.7	2989 of 4498	33.5%	★★☆☆☆
2019	80.3	632 of 4357	85.5%	★★★★☆
2018	59.6	1501 of 4319	65.2%	★★★☆☆

Migrant

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Texas percentile	Rating
2019	59.1	32 of 93	65.6%	★★★☆☆

Special Education

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Texas percentile	Rating
2026	55.3	1435 of 4301	66.6%	★★★☆☆
2025	50.3	1553 of 3549	56.2%	★★★☆☆
2024	74.2	638 of 4292	85.1%	★★★★☆
2023	67.1	793 of 4086	80.6%	★★★★☆
2022	61.5	997 of 3952	74.8%	★★★★☆
2021	74.6	452 of 3799	88.1%	★★★★☆
2019	88.3	152 of 3684	95.9%	★★★★★
2018	68.9	591 of 3558	83.4%	★★★★☆

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)87th percentile+36 vs school

Gifted and Talented (2026)74th percentile+16 vs school

Low Socio Economic Status (2026)72nd percentile+14 vs school

Special Education (2026)67th percentile+9 vs school

Hispanic (2026)66th percentile+8 vs school

Migrant (2019)66th percentile-15 vs school

Female (2026)58th percentile~ school

Male (2026)57th percentile~ school

English Language Learner (2025)31st percentile-11 vs school

By subject vs Texas (2025-2026) ?

Reading52%-3 vs state

Mathematics50%+3 vs state

★

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Schools Near Kelly-Pharr 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 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
Kelly-Pharr Elementary	Public	PK, KG-5	500 E Sam Houston St	Pharr	78577	Hidalgo County	Pharr-San Juan-Alamo Independent School District (Isd)	No	No	(n/a)	Yes	(956) 354-2870	587	37	15.9	93.7%	9 (1.5%)	0 (0.0%)	577 (98.3%)	1 (0.2%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	53	1960^th of 4627 public elementary schools	57.6%		41	2708^th of 4651 public elementary schools	41.8%	748	11.1	60.0				49.2	55.1	50.6	47.1	59.1	42.1	$10,959
Vanguard Picasso	Public, Charter	PK, KG-5	901 S Athol	Pharr	78577	Hidalgo County	Vanguard Academy	Yes	No	(n/a)	Yes	(956) 702-0134	572	36	15.6	91.4%	11 (1.9%)	1 (0.2%)	559 (97.7%)	1 (0.2%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	54	1912^th of 4627 public elementary schools	58.7%		54.6	1870^th of 4651 public elementary schools	59.8%	42	17.7	40.0	33.3	40.0	20.0	48.2	39.3	77.3	47.0	46.4	45.7	$10,531
Aida C Escobar Elementary	Public	PK, KG-5	901 W Kelly St	Pharr	78577	Hidalgo County	Pharr-San Juan-Alamo Independent School District (Isd)	No	No	(n/a)	Yes	(956) 354-2920	735	43	17.2	90.5%	7 (1.0%)	1 (0.1%)	726 (98.8%)	1 (0.1%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	75.8	909^th of 4627 public elementary schools	80.4%		76.5	887^th of 4651 public elementary schools	80.9%	22	31.6	63.6	73.7			64.0	59.3	75.6	43.2	61.9	75.9	$10,800
Henry Ford Elementary	Public	PK, KG-5	1110 E Polk St	Pharr	78577	Hidalgo County	Pharr-San Juan-Alamo Independent School District (Isd)	No	No	(n/a)	Yes	(956) 354-2770	643	40	15.9	98.1%	9 (1.4%)	0 (0.0%)	634 (98.6%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	55	1862^nd of 4627 public elementary schools	59.8%		38	2926^th of 4651 public elementary schools	37.1%	1064	30.0		75.0			42.2	50.7	52.6	51.4	54.7	54.9	$10,446
Psja Sotomayor Building Blocks Academy	Public	PK, KG-1	1200 E Polk Ave	Pharr	78577	Hidalgo County	Pharr-San Juan-Alamo Independent School District (Isd)	No	(n/a)	(n/a)	(n/a)	(956) 354-2000	167	11	15.6	84.4%	1 (0.6%)	0 (0.0%)	166 (99.4%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)								(n/a)												$16,909
Edith & Ethel Carman Elementary	Public	PK, KG-5	100 W Ridge Rd	San Juan	78589	Hidalgo County	Pharr-San Juan-Alamo Independent School District (Isd)	No	No	(n/a)	Yes	(956) 354-2700	686	40	17.2	84.5%	14 (2.0%)	0 (0.0%)	671 (97.8%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (0.1%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	53.1	1956^th of 4627 public elementary schools	57.7%		60.2	1570^th of 4651 public elementary schools	66.2%	386						52.0	51.8	59.4	31.7	56.0	51.6	$10,457
Geraldine Palmer Elementary	Public	PK, KG-5	1200 W Hall Acres Rd	Pharr	78577	Hidalgo County	Pharr-San Juan-Alamo Independent School District (Isd)	No	No	(n/a)	Yes	(956) 354-2860	657	38	17.2	88.6%	15 (2.3%)	5 (0.8%)	636 (96.8%)	1 (0.2%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	54.7	1881^st of 4627 public elementary schools	59.3%		51.5	2053^rd of 4651 public elementary schools	55.9%	172	18.2	9.1	18.2			45.3	56.1	56.3	43.0	52.0	53.8	$10,570
Amanda Garza-Pena Elementary	Public	PK, KG-5	500 E Fm 495	San Juan	78589	Hidalgo County	Pharr-San Juan-Alamo Independent School District (Isd)	No	No	(n/a)	Yes	(956) 354-2800	557	34	16.3	93.0%	4 (0.7%)	0 (0.0%)	553 (99.3%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	67.6	1240^th of 4627 public elementary schools	73.2%		54.9	1847^th of 4651 public elementary schools	60.3%	607		63.6				55.6	50.0	63.8	52.8	67.1	54.3	$10,693
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
Raul Longoria Elementary	Public	PK, KG-5	2500 N Cypress	Pharr	78577	Hidalgo County	Pharr-San Juan-Alamo Independent School District (Isd)	No	No	(n/a)	Yes	(956) 354-2820	568	36	15.7	94.5%	5 (0.9%)	2 (0.4%)	560 (98.6%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (0.2%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	70.1	1133^rd of 4627 public elementary schools	75.5%		54.9	1845^th of 4651 public elementary schools	60.3%	712	0.0		80.0			64.0	57.5	63.8	45.0	56.0	66.2	$10,509

Frequently Asked Questions about Kelly-Pharr Elementary

Is Kelly-Pharr Elementary a good school?

Kelly-Pharr Elementary ranks 1960^th of 4627 Texas elementary schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 3 stars out of 5.

What is the racial makeup of Kelly-Pharr Elementary?

Students at Kelly-Pharr Elementary are 98% Hispanic, 2% White.

What schools do graduates of Kelly-Pharr Elementary attend?

Students who attend Kelly-Pharr Elementary usually go on to attend:

Middle : Jaime Escalante Middle
High : Psja Southwest Early College High School

What district is Kelly-Pharr Elementary in?

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

How many students attend Kelly-Pharr Elementary?

In the 2024-25 school year, 587 students attended Kelly-Pharr Elementary.

Rate Kelly-Pharr 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.