Summary:
The South San Antonio Independent School District (Isd) is a single-star district serving 13 schools—8 elementary, 3 middle, and 2 high schools—in a predominantly low-income area where over 92% of students qualify for free or reduced lunch, placing it in the bottom 10% of Texas districts.
Standout schools include Price Elementary, the district’s highest-performing elementary school, which jumped from the 19th to the 36th percentile and boasts the best 5th-grade math scores in the district (54.55% proficient), outpacing even the state average. Robert C Zamora Middle is the only middle school to earn a 2-star rating, with the highest reading scores for 6th and 8th grades and a low dropout rate of 0.4%. In contrast, Palo Alto Elementary and Frank Madla Elementary are among the bottom 5% of Texas elementary schools, with 0-star ratings and persistent low performance. The Alternative School serves a high-need population and records 0% proficiency in nearly every subject, as expected for its mission.
Key metrics reveal a district-wide "math gap," with proficiency rates far below state averages—for example, 6th-grade math is just 21.94% versus 38.57% statewide. Science is a critical weakness, with 5th-grade proficiency at only 10.95%. Interestingly, higher spending does not guarantee better results: Neil Armstrong Elementary and Miguel Carrillo Junior Elementary spend the most per student but are among the lowest-performing, while Price Elementary achieves strong results with below-average spending. Bilingual programs show promise, as students taking Spanish-language STAAR tests often outperform their English-testing peers. The transition from 5th to 6th grade is a major failure point, with reading and math scores dropping sharply, highlighting the need for targeted interventions in middle school.
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