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North Central Elementary

Q: Is North Central Elementary a good school?

North Central Elementary ranks 2027 th of 4627 Texas elementary schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 3 stars out of 5.

Public, Charter Grades PK, KG-5

2027^th

SchoolDigger Rank ?

of 4,627 Texas Elementary Schools

Better than 56% of Texas elementary schools

Summary

North Central Elementary in Houston, TX, is a public charter school serving Pre-K through 5th grade with about 91% of its students qualifying for free or reduced lunch, and it is part of the Yes Prep Public Schools Inc district. This school stands out as a strong option in the 77039 area, consistently earning a 3-star rating from SchoolDigger and ranking in the 56th percentile statewide for the 2025-2026 school year. Compared to nearby schools in the Aldine Independent School District (Isd), North Central is a clear academic leader—while it earns 3 stars, its closest neighbors like Odom Elementary (2 stars), Stephens Elementary (1 star), and Reed Academy (1 star) all rank much lower, with many falling in the bottom 20% of Texas schools.

One of the most impressive findings is North Central’s exceptional performance on Spanish-language STAAR tests, which suggests a highly effective bilingual program. For example, in 4th grade math taken in Spanish, North Central students achieved a 68.6% proficiency rate—more than double the state average of 29.4%—and far outperformed nearby schools like Odom Elementary (52.9%) and Reed Academy (13.3%). In English math, North Central also leads, with 3rd graders scoring 53.2% proficient compared to just 27.6% at Odom and 30.0% at Reed. This strong academic foundation makes North Central a high-value choice for families, especially since the school offers a full PK-5 pathway, unlike the nearby Hinojosa Ec/Pk/K early childhood center, which feeds into lower-performing Aldine ISD schools.

However, there are areas for improvement. North Central’s performance with special education students is a notable weakness, ranking in the 29th percentile and earning just 1 star in 2023-2024, which contrasts sharply with its 4-star rating for low-income students. Additionally, the school’s overall state ranking has slightly declined over the past four years, from the 70th percentile in 2022-2023 to the 56th percentile in 2025-2026, though it stabilized recently. Despite these challenges, North Central remains a solid, middle-of-the-pack school that significantly outperforms its immediate geographic neighbors, offering a dramatically better academic trajectory for children in the area.

863

Students ?

17.3

Student/teacher ratio ?

$11,795

Per pupil spending ?

91.5%

Free/discounted lunch ?

1900 Strawn Rd
Houston, TX 77039

(713) 842-5650

District: Yes Prep Public Schools Inc

Racial breakdown:

Hispanic:

93.3%

African American:

4.1%

White:

0.9%

See top rated Texas elementary schools

Compare North Central Elementary to nearby elementary schools!

At a glance

▼ Ranking trend: Declining — 70th percentile in 2023 → 56th in 2026

Strengths

✓Above the Texas median (56th percentile)

Worth a look

!Ranking has slipped — down 14 percentile points since 2023

Students meeting standards (2025-2026) ?

This school51%

District avg47%

Texas avg50%

2,027^th of 4,627

Texas public elementary schools ?

Top 44%▼ down 14 pts since 2023

From top 30% (2023) to top 44% (2026)

See the entire ranking list of Texas Elementary Schools →

★★★★★

SchoolDigger rating ?

2^nd of 6Elementary Schools in the Yes Prep Public Schools Inc

248^th of 951Yes Prep Public Schools Inc 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	51.7	2027 of 4627	56.2%	★★★☆☆
2025	50.7	2107 of 4651	54.7%	★★★☆☆
2024	61.3	1533 of 4710	67.5%	★★★☆☆
2023	64.4	1402 of 4647	69.8%	★★★☆☆

African American

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Texas percentile	Rating
2024	61.7	737 of 2443	69.8%	★★★☆☆

English Language Learner

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Texas percentile	Rating
2026	51.5	752 of 1643	54.2%	★★★☆☆
2024	49.9	1669 of 3668	54.5%	★★★☆☆
2023	79.2	422 of 3556	88.1%	★★★★☆

Female

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Texas percentile	Rating
2026	55.9	1767 of 4575	61.4%	★★★☆☆
2024	53.7	1941 of 4658	58.3%	★★★☆☆
2023	68.0	1176 of 4588	74.4%	★★★★☆

Hispanic

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Texas percentile	Rating
2026	61.6	1365 of 4413	69.1%	★★★☆☆
2024	59.9	1464 of 4465	67.2%	★★★☆☆
2023	68.9	994 of 4401	77.4%	★★★★☆

Low Socio Economic Status

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Texas percentile	Rating
2026	66.3	1077 of 4520	76.2%	★★★★☆
2024	64.7	1217 of 4594	73.5%	★★★★☆
2023	79.4	471 of 4521	89.6%	★★★★☆

Male

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Texas percentile	Rating
2026	47.3	2291 of 4582	50.0%	★★★☆☆
2024	51.8	2069 of 4647	55.5%	★★★☆☆
2023	59.9	1581 of 4585	65.5%	★★★☆☆

Special Education

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Texas percentile	Rating
2026	55.8	1402 of 4301	67.4%	★★★☆☆
2024	33.2	3055 of 4292	28.8%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	31.9	2985 of 4086	26.9%	★☆☆☆☆

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)

Low Socio Economic Status (2026)76th percentile+20 vs school

African American (2024)70th percentile~ school

Hispanic (2026)69th percentile+13 vs school

Special Education (2026)67th percentile+11 vs school

Female (2026)61st percentile+5 vs school

English Language Learner (2026)54th percentile~ school

Male (2026)50th percentile-6 vs school

By subject vs Texas (2025-2026) ?

Reading53%~ state avg

Mathematics48%~ state avg

★

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Schools Near North Central Elementary

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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 4th 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
North Central Elementary	Public, Charter	PK, KG-5	1900 Strawn Rd	Houston	77039	Harris County	Yes Prep Public Schools Inc	Yes	No	(n/a)	Yes	(713) 842-5650	863	50	17.3	91.5%	8 (0.9%)	35 (4.1%)	805 (93.3%)	6 (0.7%)	3 (0.3%)	0 (0.0%)	6 (0.7%)	51.7	2027^th of 4627 public elementary schools	56.2%		50.7	2107^th of 4651 public elementary schools	54.7%	80	51.9	52.9		46.3	68.6		46.8	50.0	57.5	53.2	51.3	42.5	$11,795
Hinojosa Ec/Pk/K	Public	PK-K	1620 Lauder Rd	Houston	77039	Harris County	Aldine Independent School District (Isd)	No	No	(n/a)	Yes	(281) 985-4750	578	31	18.6	92.7%	9 (1.6%)	19 (3.3%)	549 (95.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (0.2%)								(n/a)													$12,024
Reed Academy	Public, Magnet	1-5	1616 Lauder Rd	Houston	77039	Harris County	Aldine Independent School District (Isd)	No	Yes	(n/a)	Yes	(281) 985-6670	637	40	15.8	83.0%	11 (1.7%)	87 (13.7%)	523 (82.1%)	4 (0.6%)	2 (0.3%)	1 (0.2%)	9 (1.4%)	26.4	3664^th of 4627 public elementary schools	20.8%		37.9	2933^rd of 4651 public elementary schools	36.9%	731	17.1	46.7	10.0	18.2	13.3	0.0	33.3	35.9	50.3	30.0	31.1	38.9	$9,557
Raymond Elementary	Public, Magnet	1-5	1605 Connorvale Rd	Houston	77039	Harris County	Aldine Independent School District (Isd)	No	Yes	(n/a)	Yes	(281) 985-6550	297	24	12.5	97.0%	9 (3.0%)	2 (0.7%)	285 (96.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (0.3%)								(n/a)													$10,973
Stephens Elementary	Public	1-5	2402 Aldine Mail Route Rd	Houston	77039	Harris County	Aldine Independent School District (Isd)	No	No	(n/a)	Yes	(281) 985-6560	517	32	16.2	90.9%	6 (1.2%)	13 (2.5%)	497 (96.1%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (0.2%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	25	3753^rd of 4627 public elementary schools	18.9%		29.6	3459^th of 4651 public elementary schools	25.6%	294	50.0	16.7	27.3	50.0	0.0	0.0	24.7	35.9	39.4	39.0	47.9	24.3	$10,011
Vardeman Ec/Pk/K	Public	PK-K	3302 Connorvale Rd	Houston	77039	Harris County	Aldine Independent School District (Isd)	No	No	(n/a)	Yes	(281) 985-3740	624	37	16.6	94.2%	8 (1.3%)	20 (3.2%)	589 (94.4%)	0 (0.0%)	2 (0.3%)	1 (0.2%)	4 (0.6%)								(n/a)													$9,928
De Santiago Ec/Pk/K	Public	PK-K	1420 Aldine Meadows	Houston	77032	Harris County	Aldine Independent School District (Isd)	No	No	(n/a)	Yes	(281) 985-7500	575	32	17.9	93.0%	10 (1.7%)	70 (12.2%)	483 (84.0%)	4 (0.7%)	2 (0.3%)	1 (0.2%)	5 (0.9%)								(n/a)													$11,789
Eckert Elementary	Public	1-5	1430 Aldine Meadows Rd	Houston	77032	Harris County	Aldine Independent School District (Isd)	No	No	(n/a)	Yes	(281) 985-6380	454	31	14.6	88.3%	5 (1.1%)	101 (22.2%)	338 (74.4%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (0.2%)	9 (2.0%)								(n/a)													$10,466
Odom Elementary	Public	1-5	14701 Henry Rd	Houston	77060	Harris County	Aldine Independent School District (Isd)	No	No	(n/a)	Yes	(281) 878-0390	322	25	12.9	92.2%	6 (1.9%)	8 (2.5%)	305 (94.7%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	3 (0.9%)	46.2	2321^st of 4627 public elementary schools	49.8%		54.1	1901^st of 4651 public elementary schools	59.1%	420	13.3	52.9	54.8	33.3	52.9	70.6	31.0	50.0	60.4	27.6	38.2	56.5	$12,387
Oleson Elementary	Public	1-5	12345 Vickery St	Houston	77039	Harris County	Aldine Independent School District (Isd)	No	No	(n/a)	Yes	(281) 985-6530	411	29	14.2	90.3%	13 (3.2%)	12 (2.9%)	386 (93.9%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)								(n/a)													$12,493

Frequently Asked Questions about North Central Elementary

Is North Central Elementary a good school?

North Central Elementary ranks 2027^th of 4627 Texas elementary schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 3 stars out of 5.

How many students attend North Central Elementary?

In the 2024-25 school year, 863 students attended North Central Elementary.

What is the racial makeup of North Central Elementary?

Students at North Central Elementary are 93% Hispanic, 4% African American.

What district is North Central Elementary in?

Yes Prep Public Schools Inc

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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.