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Vanguard Picasso

Q: Is Vanguard Picasso a good school?

Vanguard Picasso ranks 1912 th of 4627 Texas elementary schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 3 stars out of 5.

Public, Charter Grades PK, KG-5

1912^th

SchoolDigger Rank ?

of 4,627 Texas Elementary Schools

Better than 59% of Texas elementary schools

Summary

Vanguard Picasso is an elementary school in Pharr, TX, serving 572 students in grades PK-5 as part of the Vanguard Academy district, which is ranked in the 58th percentile statewide. The school stands out for its exceptional 5th-grade reading performance, with 77.27% of students proficient on the STAAR test—a dramatic 18-point lead over the state average and a 27-point gap compared to nearby Kelly-Pharr Elementary, which serves a similar demographic just 0.27 miles away. This "5th-grade spike" suggests a highly effective teaching team or intervention program in the final elementary year, though 3rd and 4th graders perform closer to district averages in reading and math.

Vanguard Picasso excels at serving its low-income student population, with 91.43% of students eligible for free or reduced lunch. The school ranked in the 91st percentile for this subgroup in 2023-2024, demonstrating strong outcomes despite high poverty rates. It also has a history of exceptional performance with Gifted and Talented students, reaching the 96th percentile in 2022-2023. However, the school shows a "Spanish test paradox"—while 4th-grade Spanish reading (40%) is above the state average, 3rd-grade Spanish reading (17.65%) lags significantly behind, especially compared to Daniel Ramirez Elementary (57.14%). Science remains a consistent weakness, with only 21.54% of 5th graders proficient versus the state average of 29.57%.

Despite spending less per student ($10,162) than nearby schools like Daniel Ramirez Elementary ($13,304), Vanguard Picasso achieves comparable or better results, indicating efficient resource allocation. The school has shown remarkable resilience, recovering from a low of the 17th percentile during the pandemic to reach the 59th percentile currently. When compared to its closest neighbor, Kelly-Pharr Elementary, Vanguard Picasso outperforms in nearly every metric, including a 29-point gap in 4th-grade math (58.33% vs. 29.59%). This suggests that the school's instructional strategies are yielding significantly better results for upper elementary students in the same neighborhood.

572

Students ?

15.6

Student/teacher ratio ?

$10,531

Per pupil spending ?

91.4%

Free/discounted lunch ?

901 S Athol
Pharr, TX 78577

(956) 702-0134

District: Vanguard Academy

Racial breakdown:

Hispanic:

97.7%

White:

1.9%

African American:

0.2%

See top rated Texas elementary schools

Compare Vanguard Picasso to nearby elementary schools!

At a glance

▼ Ranking trend: Declining — 83rd percentile in 2016 → 59th in 2026

Strengths

✓Above the Texas median (59th percentile)

Worth a look

!Ranking has slipped — down 24 percentile points since 2016

!Some student groups rank well below the school's overall statewide standing

Students meeting standards (2025-2026) ?

This school48%

District avg44%

Texas avg50%

1,912^th of 4,627

Texas public elementary schools ?

Top 41%▼ down 24 pts since 2016

From top 17% (2016) to top 41% (2026)

See the entire ranking list of Texas Elementary Schools →

★★★★★

SchoolDigger rating ?

1^st of 2Elementary Schools in the Vanguard Academy

404^th of 951Vanguard Academy 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	54.0	1912 of 4627	58.7%	★★★☆☆
2025	54.6	1870 of 4651	59.8%	★★★☆☆
2024	69.9	1137 of 4710	75.9%	★★★★☆
2023	62.9	1460 of 4647	68.6%	★★★☆☆
2022	45.9	2379 of 4581	48.1%	★★☆☆☆
2021	20.9	3784 of 4578	17.3%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	63.5	1336 of 4479	70.2%	★★★★☆
2018	57.2	1617 of 4359	62.9%	★★★☆☆
2017	73.2	943 of 4329	78.2%	★★★★☆
2016	80.5	722 of 4286	83.2%	★★★★☆
2015	79.8	746 of 4320	82.7%	★★★★☆

At Risk

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Texas percentile	Rating
2022	65.4	1089 of 4461	75.6%	★★★★☆
2021	29.6	3398 of 4331	21.5%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	81.0	395 of 4295	90.8%	★★★★★
2018	62.0	1194 of 4240	71.8%	★★★★☆

English Language Learner

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Texas percentile	Rating
2025	56.0	1087 of 2918	62.7%	★★★☆☆
2024	69.3	793 of 3668	78.4%	★★★★☆
2023	69.7	733 of 3556	79.4%	★★★★☆
2022	45.2	1933 of 3487	44.6%	★★☆☆☆
2021	26.9	2853 of 3446	17.2%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	68.7	684 of 3333	79.5%	★★★★☆
2018	62.7	920 of 3226	71.5%	★★★★☆

Female

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Texas percentile	Rating
2026	49.9	2102 of 4575	54.1%	★★★☆☆
2025	57.2	1422 of 3744	62.0%	★★★☆☆
2024	71.7	1018 of 4658	78.1%	★★★★☆
2023	62.0	1465 of 4588	68.1%	★★★☆☆
2022	44.7	2493 of 4561	45.3%	★★☆☆☆
2021	20.0	3882 of 4499	13.7%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	60.2	1496 of 4348	65.6%	★★★☆☆
2018	44.9	2302 of 4306	46.5%	★★☆☆☆

Gifted and Talented

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Texas percentile	Rating
2025	74.2	423 of 2619	83.8%	★★★★☆
2023	76.7	119 of 2980	96.0%	★★★★★
2022	69.6	792 of 2958	73.2%	★★★★☆
2021	45.1	1931 of 3006	35.8%	★★☆☆☆

Hispanic

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Texas percentile	Rating
2026	60.5	1432 of 4413	67.6%	★★★☆☆
2025	58.8	1286 of 3644	64.7%	★★★☆☆
2024	75.3	710 of 4465	84.1%	★★★★☆
2023	69.0	989 of 4401	77.5%	★★★★☆
2022	53.8	1840 of 4376	58.0%	★★★☆☆
2021	26.2	3499 of 4329	19.2%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	69.4	897 of 4188	78.6%	★★★★☆
2018	63.8	1174 of 4168	71.8%	★★★★☆

Low Socio Economic Status

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Texas percentile	Rating
2026	64.8	1159 of 4520	74.4%	★★★★☆
2025	65.8	943 of 3705	74.5%	★★★★☆
2024	81.8	407 of 4594	91.1%	★★★★★
2023	75.0	647 of 4521	85.7%	★★★★☆
2022	53.7	1907 of 4477	57.4%	★★★☆☆
2021	27.8	3536 of 4451	20.6%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	75.5	569 of 4309	86.8%	★★★★☆
2018	67.2	980 of 4264	77.0%	★★★★☆

Male

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Texas percentile	Rating
2026	56.7	1731 of 4582	62.2%	★★★☆☆
2025	46.0	1918 of 3739	48.7%	★★☆☆☆
2024	62.0	1480 of 4647	68.2%	★★★☆☆
2023	61.1	1517 of 4585	66.9%	★★★☆☆
2022	46.3	2361 of 4563	48.3%	★★☆☆☆
2021	25.1	3518 of 4498	21.8%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	63.3	1306 of 4357	70.0%	★★★★☆
2018	68.1	1090 of 4319	74.8%	★★★★☆

Special Education

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Texas percentile	Rating
2026	40.2	2473 of 4301	42.5%	★★☆☆☆
2025	46.9	1745 of 3549	50.8%	★★★☆☆
2024	46.6	2141 of 4292	50.1%	★★★☆☆
2023	25.6	3433 of 4086	16.0%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	23.6	3474 of 3952	12.1%	★☆☆☆☆
2021	20.0	3634 of 3799	4.3%	☆☆☆☆☆
2019	68.8	619 of 3684	83.2%	★★★★☆

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)

Gifted and Talented (2025)84th percentile+24 vs school

At Risk (2022)76th percentile+28 vs school

Low Socio Economic Status (2026)74th percentile+16 vs school

Hispanic (2026)68th percentile+9 vs school

English Language Learner (2025)63rd percentile+3 vs school

Male (2026)62nd percentile+4 vs school

Female (2026)54th percentile-5 vs school

Special Education (2026)43rd percentile-16 vs school

By subject vs Texas (2025-2026) ?

Reading56%~ state avg

Mathematics46%~ state avg

★

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Schools Near Vanguard Picasso

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Ranking:

E Elementary M Middle H High A Alternative P Private

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
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
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
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
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
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
Daniel Ramirez Elementary	Public	PK, KG-5	1920 N Hibiscus	Pharr	78577	Hidalgo County	Pharr-San Juan-Alamo Independent School District (Isd)	No	No	(n/a)	Yes	(956) 354-2880	516	33	15.5	95.0%	7 (1.4%)	0 (0.0%)	509 (98.6%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	39.5	2791^st of 4627 public elementary schools	39.7%		29.9	3441^st of 4651 public elementary schools	26.0%	650	57.1	26.3	62.5			46.0	52.6	46.7	53.1	36.8	35.5	$11,999
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
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

Frequently Asked Questions about Vanguard Picasso

What is the racial makeup of Vanguard Picasso?

Students at Vanguard Picasso are 98% Hispanic, 2% White.

How many students attend Vanguard Picasso?

In the 2024-25 school year, 572 students attended Vanguard Picasso.

Is Vanguard Picasso a good school?

Vanguard Picasso ranks 1912^th of 4627 Texas elementary schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 3 stars out of 5.

What district is Vanguard Picasso in?

Vanguard Academy

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Latest Texas data All new data »

2025–26 STAAR, STAAR EOC & STAAR Spanish test scoresJun 12, 2026

2021–22 through 2023–24 school spending dataJan 10, 2026

2023–24 dropout rates & graduation ratesSep 17, 2025

2024–25 STAAR EOC & STAAR Spanish test scoresJun 23, 2025

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.