Alcorta Elementary

Alcorta Elementary is a K-5 school in Abilene, TX, serving 410 students within the Abilene Independent School District (Isd). While the school had a promising peak in the 2023-2024 school year, earning a 3-star rating, it has since experienced a sharp decline to a 1-star rating, ranking in the 17th percentile statewide. This recent drop is steeper than at nearby schools like Austin Elementary and Ward Elementary, which have maintained more stable mid-range rankings. The most concerning trend is the school's performance with its most vulnerable students: effectiveness with low-income students has fallen to the bottom 5% of the state, and with special education students to the bottom 3%.

Despite these challenges, Alcorta has a clear strength in 5th grade mathematics, where it has consistently outperformed both the district and state averages for three consecutive years. In the 2024-2025 school year, nearly 55% of 5th graders were proficient in math, compared to just 35% for the district and 46% for the state. This bright spot suggests effective instruction at that grade level. However, the school's overall struggles are systemic, affecting even its Gifted and Talented students, whose performance ranking dropped from the 69th percentile to the 28th percentile over the same period.

A striking comparison can be made with schools in the nearby Wylie Independent School District (Isd), located just over three miles away. Wylie East Elementary, a 5-star school, achieves nearly double the proficiency rates in 3rd grade reading (76% vs. 40%) and 5th grade science (55% vs. 30%) while spending significantly less per student ($5,901 vs. $9,809). This efficiency gap highlights the urgent need for Alcorta and the Abilene ISD to investigate the root causes of the post-2023-2024 collapse and implement targeted interventions, particularly for the school's highest-need student populations.