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South Athens Elementary

Q: Is South Athens Elementary a good school?

South Athens Elementary ranks 3344 th of 4643 Texas elementary schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 1 star out of 5.

Public Grades PK, KG-5

3344^th

SchoolDigger Rank ?

of 4,643 Texas Elementary Schools

Better than 28% of Texas elementary schools

Summary

South Athens Elementary in Athens, TX, serves 457 students in grades PK-5 within the Athens Independent School District (Isd), a district ranked in the 20th percentile statewide, and nearly 79% of its students qualify for free or reduced lunch, indicating a high level of economic disadvantage.

South Athens Elementary is at a critical juncture, having experienced a dramatic performance decline from the 72nd percentile in 2023-2024 to the 28th percentile in 2025-2026, its lowest point in nearly a decade. This recent drop is steeper than that of its district peers, Central Athens and Bel Air Elementary, which have remained in the 39th-53rd percentile range. The school shows a stark contrast in serving different student groups: it excels with Gifted and Talented students (84th percentile) but struggles significantly with African American students (7th percentile), a precipitous drop from 69th percentile the prior year. Math is a persistent weakness, with only 30.77% of 3rd graders proficient compared to 44.33% statewide. Notably, the school spends the least per student ($8,927) among nearby schools, including Malakoff Elementary ($11,691) and Murchison Elementary ($12,189).

Despite these challenges, South Athens has a history of strong performance, including a peak in 2023-2024 and a proven ability to support "At Risk" students (79th percentile in 2021-2022). This suggests the school can be effective with vulnerable populations, but a new, acute problem emerged in the 2024-2025 school year. Nearby rural schools like Cross Roads Elementary (74th percentile) and Eustace Intermediate (82nd percentile) consistently outperform South Athens despite similar economic disadvantage rates, indicating the challenges may be related to specific school or district strategies rather than poverty alone. The school needs to diagnose the root cause of its recent collapse and re-establish the effective practices that led to its earlier success.

457

Students ?

17.1

Student/teacher ratio ?

$6,741

Per pupil spending ?

78.8%

Free/discounted lunch ?

718 Robbins Rd
Athens, TX 75751-2928

(903) 677-6970

District: Athens Independent School District (Isd)

Students who attend South Athens Elementary usually attend:

Middle:	Athens Middle
High:	Athens High School

Racial breakdown:

Hispanic:

58.2%

White:

26.0%

African American:

10.1%

See top rated Texas elementary schools

Compare South Athens Elementary to nearby elementary schools!

At a glance

▼ Ranking trend: Declining — 51st percentile in 2016 → 28th in 2026

Worth a look

!Test scores below the Texas average (40% vs 50% meeting standards)

!Ranking has slipped — down 23 percentile points since 2016

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

Students meeting standards (2025-2026) ?

This school40%

District avg41%

Texas avg50%

3,344^th of 4,643

Texas public elementary schools ?

Bottom 28%▼ down 23 pts since 2016

From top 49% (2016) to bottom 28% (2026)

See the entire ranking list of Texas Elementary Schools →

★★★★★

SchoolDigger rating ?

2^nd of 3Elementary Schools in the Athens Independent School District (Isd)

750^th of 947Athens Independent School District (Isd) 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	31.6	3344 of 4643	28.0%	★☆☆☆☆
2025	43.5	2526 of 4651	45.7%	★★☆☆☆
2024	65.0	1340 of 4710	71.5%	★★★★☆
2023	55.4	1862 of 4647	59.9%	★★★☆☆
2022	52.7	2003 of 4581	56.3%	★★★☆☆
2021	42.9	2402 of 4578	47.5%	★★☆☆☆
2019	59.4	1536 of 4479	65.7%	★★★☆☆
2018	71.7	957 of 4359	78.0%	★★★★☆
2017	67.8	1118 of 4329	74.2%	★★★★☆
2016	53.9	2114 of 4286	50.7%	★★★☆☆

African American

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Texas percentile	Rating
2026	18.0	2250 of 2414	6.8%	☆☆☆☆☆
2025	61.0	588 of 1905	69.1%	★★★☆☆
2024	42.0	1424 of 2443	41.7%	★★☆☆☆
2023	43.8	1302 of 2443	46.7%	★★☆☆☆
2022	36.1	1633 of 2421	32.5%	★★☆☆☆
2021	27.8	1956 of 2444	20.0%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	28.8	2009 of 2515	20.1%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	53.3	997 of 2483	59.8%	★★★☆☆

At Risk

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Texas percentile	Rating
2022	67.6	955 of 4461	78.6%	★★★★☆
2021	52.5	1664 of 4331	61.6%	★★★☆☆
2019	48.8	2052 of 4295	52.2%	★★★☆☆
2018	74.4	599 of 4240	85.9%	★★★★☆

English Language Learner

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Texas percentile	Rating
2025	27.7	2314 of 2918	20.7%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	52.2	1558 of 3668	57.5%	★★★☆☆
2023	37.7	2382 of 3556	33.0%	★★☆☆☆
2022	72.6	594 of 3487	83.0%	★★★★☆
2021	52.4	1341 of 3446	61.1%	★★★☆☆
2019	41.8	2011 of 3333	39.7%	★★☆☆☆
2018	58.1	1123 of 3226	65.2%	★★★☆☆

Female

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Texas percentile	Rating
2026	24.4	3803 of 4588	17.1%	★☆☆☆☆
2025	27.5	2924 of 3744	21.9%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	55.7	1810 of 4658	61.1%	★★★☆☆
2023	50.0	2155 of 4588	53.0%	★★★☆☆
2022	56.5	1748 of 4561	61.7%	★★★☆☆
2021	44.7	2313 of 4499	48.6%	★★☆☆☆
2019	63.8	1291 of 4348	70.3%	★★★★☆
2018	73.0	896 of 4306	79.2%	★★★★☆

Gifted and Talented

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Texas percentile	Rating
2026	74.1	495 of 3080	83.9%	★★★★☆
2025	65.2	992 of 2619	62.1%	★★★☆☆
2019	76.0	311 of 3184	90.2%	★★★★☆

Hispanic

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Texas percentile	Rating
2026	31.5	3366 of 4425	23.9%	★☆☆☆☆
2025	40.4	2280 of 3644	37.4%	★★☆☆☆
2024	61.2	1387 of 4465	68.9%	★★★☆☆
2023	57.4	1628 of 4401	63.0%	★★★☆☆
2022	72.7	807 of 4376	81.6%	★★★★☆
2021	53.3	1730 of 4329	60.0%	★★★☆☆
2019	57.7	1520 of 4188	63.7%	★★★☆☆
2018	71.4	791 of 4168	81.0%	★★★★☆

Low Socio Economic Status

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Texas percentile	Rating
2026	37.9	3021 of 4535	33.4%	★★☆☆☆
2025	41.4	2270 of 3705	38.7%	★★☆☆☆
2024	69.3	956 of 4594	79.2%	★★★★☆
2023	58.8	1604 of 4521	64.5%	★★★☆☆
2022	62.0	1361 of 4477	69.6%	★★★☆☆
2021	52.4	1853 of 4451	58.4%	★★★☆☆
2019	61.7	1258 of 4309	70.8%	★★★★☆
2018	77.1	530 of 4264	87.6%	★★★★☆

Male

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Texas percentile	Rating
2026	41.4	2668 of 4597	42.0%	★★☆☆☆
2025	56.2	1440 of 3739	61.5%	★★★☆☆
2024	73.1	981 of 4647	78.9%	★★★★☆
2023	57.8	1709 of 4585	62.7%	★★★☆☆
2022	52.4	2036 of 4563	55.4%	★★★☆☆
2021	41.5	2471 of 4498	45.1%	★★☆☆☆
2019	52.5	1857 of 4357	57.4%	★★★☆☆
2018	67.1	1139 of 4319	73.6%	★★★★☆

Special Education

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Texas percentile	Rating
2026	37.1	2727 of 4308	36.7%	★★☆☆☆
2025	34.9	2419 of 3549	31.8%	★★☆☆☆
2024	44.9	2229 of 4292	48.1%	★★☆☆☆
2023	59.9	1094 of 4086	73.2%	★★★★☆
2022	54.5	1315 of 3952	66.7%	★★★☆☆
2021	40.4	2019 of 3799	46.9%	★★☆☆☆
2019	44.3	1779 of 3684	51.7%	★★★☆☆
2018	28.7	2804 of 3558	21.2%	★☆☆☆☆

White

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Texas percentile	Rating
2026	40.4	1961 of 3015	35.0%	★★☆☆☆
2025	48.0	1416 of 2612	45.8%	★★☆☆☆
2024	79.3	413 of 3108	86.7%	★★★★☆
2023	67.4	900 of 3106	71.0%	★★★★☆
2022	43.8	1859 of 3082	39.7%	★★☆☆☆
2021	38.0	2027 of 3082	34.2%	★★☆☆☆
2019	67.8	864 of 3142	72.5%	★★★★☆
2018	75.2	605 of 3127	80.7%	★★★★☆

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 (2026)84th percentile+56 vs school

At Risk (2022)79th percentile+22 vs school

Male (2026)42nd percentile+14 vs school

Special Education (2026)37th percentile+9 vs school

White (2026)35th percentile+7 vs school

Low Socio Economic Status (2026)33rd percentile+5 vs school

Hispanic (2026)24th percentile-4 vs school

English Language Learner (2025)21st percentile-25 vs school

Female (2026)17th percentile-11 vs school

African American (2026)7th percentile-21 vs school

By subject vs Texas (2025-2026) ?

Reading43%-11 vs state

Mathematics37%-10 vs state

★

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Schools Near South Athens 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)						STAAR Social Studies (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 (2025)	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 Reading 6th Grade	STAAR Reading 7th Grade	STAAR Reading 8th Grade	STAAR Mathematics 3rd Grade	STAAR Mathematics 4th Grade	STAAR Mathematics 5th Grade	STAAR Mathematics 6th Grade	STAAR Mathematics 7th Grade	STAAR Mathematics 8th Grade	STAAR Social Studies 8th Grade	Total
South Athens Elementary	Public	PK, KG-5	718 Robbins Rd	Athens	75751	Henderson County	Athens Independent School District (Isd)	No	No	(n/a)	Yes	(903) 677-6970	457	27	17.1	78.8%	119 (26.0%)	46 (10.1%)	266 (58.2%)	1 (0.2%)	1 (0.2%)	0 (0.0%)	24 (5.3%)	31.6	3344^th of 4643 public elementary schools	28.0%		43.5	2526^th of 4651 public elementary schools	45.7%	818							41.5	33.3	52.2				30.8	35.1	44.9					$6,741
Central Athens	Public	PK, KG-5	307 Madole St	Athens	75751	Henderson County	Athens Independent School District (Isd)	No	No	(n/a)	Yes	(903) 677-6960	568	34	16.5	78.5%	185 (32.6%)	100 (17.6%)	238 (41.9%)	16 (2.8%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	29 (5.1%)	38.9	2846^th of 4643 public elementary schools	38.7%		42.7	2595^th of 4651 public elementary schools	44.2%	251							45.6	56.3	58.6				26.7	28.1	44.3					$7,292
Bel Air Elementary	Public	PK, KG-5	215 Willowbrook Dr	Athens	75751	Henderson County	Athens Independent School District (Isd)	No	No	(n/a)	Yes	(903) 677-6980	465	29	16.2	81.9%	137 (29.5%)	44 (9.5%)	254 (54.6%)	1 (0.2%)	1 (0.2%)	0 (0.0%)	28 (6.0%)	28.9	3516^th of 4643 public elementary schools	24.3%		46.2	2370^th of 4651 public elementary schools	49.0%	1146							38.4	40.4	49.0				38.4	33.3	31.4					$8,744
Murchison Elementary	Public	PK, KG-8	9661 E Bankhead St	Murchison	75778	Henderson County	Murchison Independent School District (Isd)	No	No	(n/a)	Yes	(903) 469-3636	169	18	9.5	71.0%	126 (74.6%)	1 (0.6%)	37 (21.9%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	5 (3.0%)	28.3	3549^th of 4643 public elementary schools	23.6%		45.5	2412^th of 4651 public elementary schools	48.1%	1137							28.6	28.0	69.2	41.2	43.8	43.8	21.4	40.0	30.8	35.3	43.8	56.3	18.8	$12,568
Malakoff Elementary	Public	PK, KG-4	310 N Terry	Malakoff	75148	Henderson County	Malakoff Independent School District (Isd)	No	No	(n/a)	Yes	(903) 489-1964	429	30	14.2	69.5%	243 (56.6%)	51 (11.9%)	105 (24.5%)	4 (0.9%)	3 (0.7%)	2 (0.5%)	21 (4.9%)	53.7	1932^nd of 4643 public elementary schools	58.4%		74.3	953^rd of 4651 public elementary schools	79.5%	979							45.5	52.4					43.9	53.7						$8,615
Cross Roads Elementary	Public	PK, KG-5	14434 Fm 59	Malakoff	75148	Henderson County	Cross Roads Independent School District (Isd)	No	No	(n/a)	Yes	(903) 489-1774	288	20	14.5	53.8%	234 (81.3%)	11 (3.8%)	39 (13.5%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	4 (1.4%)	68.8	1196^th of 4643 public elementary schools	74.2%		50.3	2127^th of 4651 public elementary schools	54.3%	931							35.6	61.5	65.9				75.6	59.0	61.0					$7,634
Eustace Intermediate	Public	3-5	205 W Henderson St	Eustace	75124	Henderson County	Eustace Independent School District (Isd)	No	No	(n/a)	Yes	(903) 425-5181	399	27	14.8	62.9%	299 (74.9%)	4 (1.0%)	80 (20.1%)	2 (0.5%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	14 (3.5%)	63.6	1430^th of 4643 public elementary schools	69.2%		77.9	837^th of 4651 public elementary schools	82.0%	593							50.4	66.7	61.6				40.2	63.3	52.4					$8,297
Eustace Pri	Public	PK, KG-2	211 W Henderson St	Eustace	75124	Henderson County	Eustace Independent School District (Isd)	No	No	(n/a)	Yes	(903) 425-5191	431	27	15.8	73.5%	315 (73.1%)	1 (0.2%)	86 (20.0%)	0 (0.0%)	5 (1.2%)	0 (0.0%)	24 (5.6%)								(n/a)																				$9,119
Brownsboro Elementary	Public	PK, KG-3	12331 State Hwy 31 E	Brownsboro	75756	Henderson County	Brownsboro Independent School District (Isd)	No	No	(n/a)	Yes	(903) 852-6461	422	26	16.2	60.2%	293 (69.4%)	30 (7.1%)	80 (19.0%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (0.2%)	3 (0.7%)	15 (3.6%)								(n/a)							45.4						41.9							$7,153
Lapoynor Elementary	Public	PK, KG-5	13155 Hwy 175 E	Larue	75770	Henderson County	Lapoynor Independent School District (Isd)	No	No	(n/a)	Yes	(903) 876-5293	214	22	9.6	46.7%	182 (85.0%)	15 (7.0%)	10 (4.7%)	1 (0.5%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	6 (2.8%)	15.5	4283^rd of 4643 public elementary schools	7.8%		34	3191^st of 4651 public elementary schools	31.4%	1092							32.4	45.2	26.1				18.9	29.0	17.4					$9,898

Frequently Asked Questions about South Athens Elementary

What district is South Athens Elementary in?

Athens Independent School District (Isd)

Is South Athens Elementary a good school?

South Athens Elementary ranks 3344^th of 4643 Texas elementary schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 1 star out of 5.

How many students attend South Athens Elementary?

In the 2024-25 school year, 457 students attended South Athens Elementary.

What is the racial makeup of South Athens Elementary?

Students at South Athens Elementary are 58% Hispanic, 26% White, 10% African American, 5% Two or more races.

What schools do graduates of South Athens Elementary attend?

Students who attend South Athens Elementary usually go on to attend:

Middle : Athens Middle
High : Athens High School

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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.