Summary
Underwood Elementary in Andrews, TX, serves 638 students in 4th and 5th grades within the Andrews Independent School District (Isd), a mid-sized school in a community where over half of its students come from low socio-economic backgrounds. The school has faced persistent academic challenges, earning a 1-star rating for the 2025-2026 school year, with performance trending downward over the past decade. A key concern is a sharp decline in 4th grade math, where proficiency rates have consistently lagged 15-24 percentage points below the state average, suggesting a systemic issue with math instruction at this critical grade level.
In contrast, 5th grade reading is a relative bright spot, with proficiency rates nearly matching the state average, indicating effective literacy strategies that could be leveraged to improve other subjects. However, 5th grade science scores are critically low, with proficiency rates around 17%, well below the state average, highlighting a major area of concern as students take this test for the first time. Compared to nearby Devonian Elementary, which serves 3rd graders and shows proficiency closer to state averages, Underwood’s performance suggests a potential "transition problem" as students move from 3rd to 4th grade, with academic gains failing to accelerate.
Underwood effectively challenges its Gifted and Talented students, who rank in the 57th percentile, but struggles to support its large population of economically disadvantaged students, who consistently rank in the 19th percentile. Special education support shows volatility, with rankings swinging from the 11th to 41st percentile, indicating inconsistent systems. Additionally, a significant number of students take the STAAR test in Spanish, and while Spanish reading scores are sometimes comparable to state averages, Spanish math scores are abysmal, with 0% proficiency in 5th grade, pointing to a critical need for improved bilingual math instruction. Despite higher per-student spending than other district elementary schools, these outcomes suggest a need for strategic review of curriculum and interventions.
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