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Central Athens

Q: Is Central Athens a good school?

Central Athens ranks 2846 th of 4643 Texas elementary schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 2 stars out of 5.

Public Grades PK, KG-5

2846^th

SchoolDigger Rank ?

of 4,643 Texas Elementary Schools

Better than 39% of Texas elementary schools

Summary

Central Athens is a PK-5 school in Athens, TX, serving 568 students within the Athens Independent School District (Isd), where about 78-81% of students qualify for free or reduced lunch, reflecting a high-poverty community that faces significant socioeconomic challenges.

The school presents a striking paradox: it boasts an exceptional Gifted and Talented program that ranks in the 94th percentile statewide, earning a 5-star rating, yet it struggles with core academics, particularly in math, where only 26.67% of 3rd graders and 28.13% of 4th graders are proficient compared to state averages of 44.33% and 49.28%. There is also a notable gender gap, with male students ranking in the 57th percentile while female students rank in the 24th percentile. Compared to nearby schools, Eustace Intermediate (69th percentile) and Cross Roads Elementary (74th percentile) outperform Central Athens, likely due to lower poverty rates (62.91% and 53.82% respectively). However, Malakoff Elementary (58th percentile) serves a similar 69.46% low-income population and still achieves better results, suggesting other factors are at play.

Within the Athens ISD, Central Athens is the highest-ranked elementary school, ahead of South Athens Elementary (28th percentile) and Bel Air Elementary (24th percentile), but all three sit in the bottom half of Texas schools. The school spends $9,488 per student, less than many higher-performing neighbors like Lapoynor Elementary ($11,334) and Malakoff ($11,691), and has a higher student-to-teacher ratio of 16.5:1 versus Eustace Intermediate's 14.8:1. To improve, Central Athens must replicate the success of its GT program across all student groups, with urgent focus on math instruction and targeted support for its most struggling demographics.

568

Students ?

16.5

Student/teacher ratio ?

$7,292

Per pupil spending ?

78.5%

Free/discounted lunch ?

307 Madole St
Athens, TX 75751-2853

(903) 677-6960

District: Athens Independent School District (Isd)

Students who attend Central Athens usually attend:

Middle:	Athens Middle
High:	Athens High School

Racial breakdown:

Hispanic:

41.9%

White:

32.6%

African American:

17.6%

See top rated Texas elementary schools

Compare Central Athens to nearby elementary schools!

At a glance

▼ Ranking trend: Declining — 44th percentile in 2016 → 39th in 2026

Worth a look

!Test scores below the Texas average (43% vs 51% meeting standards)

!Ranking has slipped — down 5 percentile points since 2016

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

Students meeting standards (2025-2026) ?

This school43%

District avg41%

Texas avg51%

2,846^th of 4,643

Texas public elementary schools ?

Bottom 39%▼ down 6 pts since 2016

From bottom 44% (2016) to bottom 39% (2026)

See the entire ranking list of Texas Elementary Schools →

★★★★★

SchoolDigger rating ?

1^st 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	38.9	2846 of 4643	38.7%	★★☆☆☆
2025	42.7	2595 of 4651	44.2%	★★☆☆☆
2024	39.7	2855 of 4710	39.4%	★★☆☆☆
2023	38.4	2899 of 4647	37.6%	★★☆☆☆
2022	46.4	2352 of 4581	48.7%	★★☆☆☆
2021	52.2	1927 of 4578	57.9%	★★★☆☆
2019	22.0	3802 of 4479	15.1%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	25.0	3519 of 4359	19.3%	★☆☆☆☆
2017	40.3	2506 of 4329	42.1%	★★☆☆☆
2016	48.2	2388 of 4286	44.3%	★★☆☆☆
2015	40.9	2800 of 4320	35.2%	★★☆☆☆
2014	44.8	2661 of 4260	37.5%	★★☆☆☆
2013	33.7	3218 of 4221	23.8%	★☆☆☆☆
2012	46.5	2490 of 4206	40.8%	★★☆☆☆
2011	35.3	3166 of 4095	22.7%	★☆☆☆☆
2010	39.4	2860 of 3937	27.4%	★☆☆☆☆
2009	39.8	2745 of 3884	29.3%	★☆☆☆☆
2008	37.7	2772 of 3768	26.4%	★☆☆☆☆
2007	31.5	3011 of 3724	19.1%	★☆☆☆☆
2006	33.2	2731 of 3476	21.4%	★☆☆☆☆
2005	21.7	3125 of 3475	10.1%	★☆☆☆☆
2004	34.9	2681 of 3465	22.6%	★☆☆☆☆

African American

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Texas percentile	Rating
2026	19.6	2212 of 2414	8.4%	☆☆☆☆☆
2025	16.1	1795 of 1905	5.8%	☆☆☆☆☆
2024	23.5	2109 of 2443	13.7%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	28.5	1908 of 2443	21.9%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	54.4	933 of 2421	61.5%	★★★☆☆
2021	57.3	809 of 2444	66.9%	★★★☆☆
2019	24.0	2172 of 2515	13.6%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	20.9	2227 of 2483	10.3%	★☆☆☆☆

At Risk

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Texas percentile	Rating
2022	38.0	2946 of 4461	34.0%	★★☆☆☆
2021	50.4	1807 of 4331	58.3%	★★★☆☆
2019	26.9	3590 of 4295	16.4%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	21.7	3860 of 4240	9.0%	☆☆☆☆☆

English Language Learner

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Texas percentile	Rating
2025	33.7	2048 of 2918	29.8%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	35.6	2475 of 3668	32.5%	★★☆☆☆
2023	24.4	3039 of 3556	14.5%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	37.4	2355 of 3487	32.5%	★★☆☆☆
2021	53.7	1284 of 3446	62.7%	★★★☆☆
2019	29.6	2705 of 3333	18.8%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	22.6	2885 of 3226	10.6%	★☆☆☆☆

Female

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Texas percentile	Rating
2026	29.7	3479 of 4588	24.2%	★☆☆☆☆
2025	39.9	2300 of 3744	38.6%	★★☆☆☆
2024	41.6	2712 of 4658	41.8%	★★☆☆☆
2023	43.7	2562 of 4588	44.2%	★★☆☆☆
2022	45.4	2440 of 4561	46.5%	★★☆☆☆
2021	40.8	2536 of 4499	43.6%	★★☆☆☆
2019	30.2	3312 of 4348	23.8%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	24.2	3596 of 4306	16.5%	★☆☆☆☆

Gifted and Talented

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Texas percentile	Rating
2026	74.9	179 of 3080	94.2%	★★★★★
2025	71.8	578 of 2619	77.9%	★★★★☆
2021	82.7	106 of 3006	96.5%	★★★★★
2018	37.9	2387 of 3106	23.1%	★☆☆☆☆

Hispanic

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Texas percentile	Rating
2026	47.0	2274 of 4425	48.6%	★★☆☆☆
2025	46.3	1967 of 3644	46.0%	★★☆☆☆
2024	41.0	2719 of 4465	39.1%	★★☆☆☆
2023	25.9	3614 of 4401	17.9%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	38.2	2871 of 4376	34.4%	★★☆☆☆
2021	56.4	1551 of 4329	64.2%	★★★☆☆
2019	28.6	3369 of 4188	19.6%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	28.3	3354 of 4168	19.5%	★☆☆☆☆

Low Socio Economic Status

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Texas percentile	Rating
2026	44.2	2567 of 4535	43.4%	★★☆☆☆
2025	35.9	2581 of 3705	30.3%	★★☆☆☆
2024	37.6	3076 of 4594	33.0%	★★☆☆☆
2023	28.3	3627 of 4521	19.8%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	47.6	2312 of 4477	48.4%	★★☆☆☆
2021	58.5	1485 of 4451	66.6%	★★★☆☆
2019	29.9	3456 of 4309	19.8%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	28.0	3499 of 4264	17.9%	★☆☆☆☆

Male

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Texas percentile	Rating
2026	51.9	1992 of 4597	56.7%	★★★☆☆
2025	49.4	1745 of 3739	53.3%	★★★☆☆
2024	38.8	2896 of 4647	37.7%	★★☆☆☆
2023	35.1	3079 of 4585	32.8%	★★☆☆☆
2022	48.7	2254 of 4563	50.6%	★★★☆☆
2021	58.9	1543 of 4498	65.7%	★★★☆☆
2019	19.4	3880 of 4357	10.9%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	29.4	3282 of 4319	24.0%	★☆☆☆☆

Multi-racial

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Texas percentile	Rating
2025	13.5	913 of 975	6.4%	☆☆☆☆☆
2021	38.8	622 of 961	35.3%	★★☆☆☆
2019	1.6	1111 of 1112	0.1%	☆☆☆☆☆
2018	3.8	1038 of 1046	0.8%	☆☆☆☆☆

Special Education

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Texas percentile	Rating
2026	36.0	2842 of 4308	34.0%	★★☆☆☆
2025	35.9	2359 of 3549	33.5%	★★☆☆☆
2024	28.5	3377 of 4292	21.3%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	27.4	3315 of 4086	18.9%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	52.0	1455 of 3952	63.2%	★★★☆☆
2021	56.8	1084 of 3799	71.5%	★★★★☆
2019	33.5	2532 of 3684	31.3%	★★☆☆☆
2018	21.0	3259 of 3558	8.4%	☆☆☆☆☆

White

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Texas percentile	Rating
2026	38.3	2052 of 3015	31.9%	★★☆☆☆
2025	55.2	1163 of 2612	55.5%	★★★☆☆
2024	46.1	1789 of 3108	42.4%	★★☆☆☆
2023	50.6	1594 of 3106	48.7%	★★☆☆☆
2022	44.4	1837 of 3082	40.4%	★★☆☆☆
2021	33.7	2208 of 3082	28.4%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	30.2	2434 of 3142	22.5%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	33.5	2246 of 3127	28.2%	★☆☆☆☆

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 (2026)94th percentile+55 vs school

Male (2026)57th percentile+18 vs school

Hispanic (2026)49th percentile+10 vs school

Low Socio Economic Status (2026)43rd percentile+5 vs school

Special Education (2026)34th percentile-5 vs school

At Risk (2022)34th percentile-15 vs school

White (2026)32nd percentile-7 vs school

English Language Learner (2025)30th percentile-14 vs school

Female (2026)24th percentile-15 vs school

African American (2026)8th percentile-30 vs school

Multi-racial (2025)6th percentile-38 vs school

By subject vs Texas (2025-2026) ?

Reading53%~ state avg

Mathematics33%-14 vs state

★

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Schools Near Central Athens

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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
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
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
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
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
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
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 Central Athens

What is the racial makeup of Central Athens?

Students at Central Athens are 42% Hispanic, 33% White, 18% African American, 5% Two or more races, 3% Asian.

What district is Central Athens in?

Athens Independent School District (Isd)

Is Central Athens a good school?

Central Athens ranks 2846^th of 4643 Texas elementary schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 2 stars out of 5.

How many students attend Central Athens?

In the 2024-25 school year, 568 students attended Central Athens.

What schools do graduates of Central Athens attend?

Students who attend Central Athens 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.