Summary:
The Salado Independent School District (Isd) is served by a single elementary school, Thomas Arnold Elementary, which educates 1,073 students in grades PK-5 and consistently outperforms state averages across all subjects and grade levels.
Thomas Arnold Elementary is a standout school, ranking in the 80th percentile among Texas elementary schools and earning a 4-star rating. The school’s most impressive achievement is in 5th Grade Science, where 50% of students were proficient in the 2024-2025 school year—a remarkable 20.43 percentage points higher than the state average. Reading proficiency is also strong and consistent across grades 3-5, ranging from 61% to 71%. However, math proficiency shows a clear downward trend as students advance: 3rd graders scored 61% proficient, but this dropped to 51% by 5th grade, a 10-point decline that suggests a need for targeted support in upper elementary math. The school also demonstrates efficiency, achieving top-quintile results with per-student spending of $7,763, which is below the national average but common for high-performing Texas districts.
Demographically, the school has a relatively low percentage of economically disadvantaged students at 24.51%, and its student-teacher ratio of 16.8:1 is slightly higher than the state average. Year-over-year performance is somewhat inconsistent, with 4th Grade Math proficiency dropping from 53.8% to 49.48% between the 2025-2026 and 2024-2025 school years, while 5th Grade Reading jumped from 61% to 71% over the same period. This volatility likely reflects different cohort strengths rather than a systemic issue. Overall, Thomas Arnold Elementary is a high-performing school with a notable strength in science and a consistent challenge in maintaining math proficiency as students progress through the grades.
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