Elementary Schools in Brownsville Independent School District (Isd)

The Brownsville Independent School District (Isd) includes 31 elementary schools serving grades PK-5 in a Texas border community where the vast majority of students come from economically disadvantaged backgrounds.

Several schools stand out for exceptional performance despite high poverty rates. Pullam Elementary is the district's largest school with 889 students and has earned a 5-star rating for two consecutive years, consistently outperforming state averages in reading, math, and science. Benavides Elementary and Ortiz Elementary also achieve top ratings, with Ortiz showing remarkable math proficiency despite 94% of students qualifying for free or reduced lunch. Garden Park Elementary has shown strong improvement, jumping from a 3-star to a 4-star rating. At the other end, Canales Elementary ranks in the 9th percentile with critically low test scores, and Skinner Elementary has the district's lowest science scores despite spending the most per student at $16,226.

A key finding is that higher spending does not guarantee better results. Top-performing Pullam Elementary spends the least per student ($9,924), while lower-performing schools often spend more. Mathematics is a relative strength across the district, with Sharp Elementary achieving 87% proficiency in 5th-grade math. Science remains the weakest subject area district-wide. The Cromack - Castaneda Elementary bilingual program shows notable success, with 67% of 4th graders proficient in Spanish reading, far exceeding state averages. Most schools fall in the middle range of 2-3 star ratings, suggesting the district has pockets of excellence but faces systemic challenges in raising average performance.