Democracy Prep At Stewart Academy

Democracy Prep At Stewart Academy is a public PK-8 school in San Antonio, TX, serving 645 students within the San Antonio Independent School District (Isd), a district that ranks in the bottom 20% of Texas. The school serves a student body where over 94% of students qualify for free or reduced lunch, and its academic performance has persistently ranked in the bottom 5% of all Texas elementary schools for nearly a decade.

The most striking finding is a "bright spot" in Algebra I: 8th-grade students taking the subject consistently outperform the district and approach the state average, with a 72% proficiency rate in 2022-2023 compared to the district's 26%. This success, however, does not extend to general math proficiency, as only 17% of 8th graders were proficient in 8th-grade math that same year. Another interesting pattern is the school's performance on Spanish-language STAAR tests, which often exceeds English-language results—for example, 3rd-grade math proficiency was 39% in Spanish versus 18% in English. This suggests bilingual instruction may be a relative strength. In contrast, nearby Steele Montessori Elementary, just 1.95 miles away, serves a much lower percentage of economically disadvantaged students (56%) and dramatically outperforms Democracy Prep in nearly every subject, highlighting the powerful link between poverty and academic outcomes.

Despite high per-student spending of $13,924 in 2020-2021—higher than most nearby schools like Highland Hills Elementary ($10,210) and Hirsch Elementary ($11,228)—academic gains have not followed. The school also reports a dropout rate of 2.3% for 2023-2024, which is higher than the district average and significantly higher than nearby PK-8 schools like M L King Academy (0.0%). Subgroup performance is universally low, with the school ranking in the bottom 5% for serving female, male, African American, Hispanic, special education, and low socio-economic status students, indicating systemic challenges across the entire student body.