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Southwest Elementary

Public Grades K-5

4240^th

SchoolDigger Rank ?

of 4,627 Texas Elementary Schools

Better than 8% of Texas elementary schools

Summary

Southwest Elementary is a K-5 school in Belton, TX, serving 415 students within the Belton Independent School District (Isd), where over 80% of students qualify for free or reduced lunch. Despite spending more per student ($12,276) than any nearby school, Southwest Elementary has consistently ranked in the bottom 15% of Texas elementary schools for the past decade, landing in the 8th percentile statewide in 2025-2026. This is a stark contrast to high-achieving neighbors like Lakewood Elementary (89th percentile) and Sparta Elementary (67th percentile), which spend significantly less per student yet achieve far better academic outcomes.

The school faces critical challenges, particularly in mathematics, where only 15.52% of 3rd graders and 25.4% of 5th graders were proficient in 2025-2026—roughly half the state average. Performance for male students is especially concerning, ranking in the 1st percentile statewide, while Hispanic students and low socio-economic status students also rank near the bottom (4th and 9th percentiles, respectively). However, there are pockets of relative strength: Gifted and Talented students ranked in the 40th percentile in 2024-2025, and the Spanish program often outperforms the district average, with 3rd grade reading in Spanish at 23.08% proficiency compared to the district's 16.98%.

An interesting anomaly occurred during the 2020-2021 school year, when Southwest Elementary jumped to the 37th percentile—its highest rank in a decade—before sharply declining back to the 3rd percentile in 2022-2023. This pattern may reflect changes in testing participation or instructional disruptions during the pandemic. Overall, the school's high spending has not translated into academic success, and the gap between Southwest and nearby schools like Lakewood Elementary is enormous: in 5th grade reading, Lakewood achieved 83.76% proficiency versus Southwest's 36.07%, highlighting a significant inequity within the same district.

415

Students ?

12.6

Student/teacher ratio ?

$11,593

Per pupil spending ?

81.9%

Free/discounted lunch ?

611 S Saunders
Belton, TX 76513

(254) 215-3500

District: Belton Independent School District (Isd)

Students who attend Southwest Elementary usually attend:

Middle:	South Belton Middle
High:	Belton High School

Racial breakdown:

Hispanic:

68.9%

White:

19.8%

African American:

7.2%

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At a glance

▲ Ranking trend: Rebounding — 3rd percentile in 2019 → 8th in 2026

Strengths

✓Ranking is rebounding — up to 8th (2026) from a 3rd-percentile low (2019)

Worth a look

!Test scores below the Texas average (28% vs 50% meeting standards)

!In the lower quartile statewide (8th percentile)

!Mathematics scores 21 pts below the Texas average

Students meeting standards (2025-2026) ?

This school28%

District avg46%

Texas avg50%

4,240^th of 4,627

Texas public elementary schools ?

Bottom 8%▼ down 4 pts since 2016

From bottom 13% (2016) to bottom 8% (2026)

See the entire ranking list of Texas Elementary Schools →

★★★★★

SchoolDigger rating ?

11^th of 11Elementary Schools in the Belton Independent School District (Isd)

472^nd of 951Belton 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	16.0	4240 of 4627	8.4%	☆☆☆☆☆
2025	21.2	3964 of 4651	14.8%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	18.2	4156 of 4710	11.8%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	9.2	4486 of 4647	3.5%	☆☆☆☆☆
2022	11.2	4365 of 4581	4.7%	☆☆☆☆☆
2021	34.1	2887 of 4578	36.9%	★★☆☆☆
2019	10.3	4344 of 4479	3.0%	☆☆☆☆☆
2018	13.6	4124 of 4359	5.4%	☆☆☆☆☆
2017	14.8	4022 of 4329	7.1%	☆☆☆☆☆
2016	19.8	3738 of 4286	12.8%	★☆☆☆☆
2015	30.8	3302 of 4320	23.6%	★☆☆☆☆
2014	23.7	3681 of 4260	13.6%	★☆☆☆☆
2013	15.6	3954 of 4221	6.3%	☆☆☆☆☆
2012	22.6	3750 of 4206	10.8%	★☆☆☆☆
2011	32.8	3267 of 4095	20.2%	★☆☆☆☆
2010	15.6	3722 of 3937	5.5%	☆☆☆☆☆
2009	31.9	3113 of 3884	19.9%	★☆☆☆☆
2008	42.0	2575 of 3768	31.7%	★★☆☆☆
2007	43.5	2521 of 3724	32.3%	★★☆☆☆
2006	44.8	2296 of 3476	33.9%	★★☆☆☆
2005	40.4	2461 of 3475	29.2%	★☆☆☆☆
2004	53.0	1873 of 3465	45.9%	★★☆☆☆

African American

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Texas percentile	Rating
2024	32.1	1802 of 2443	26.2%	★☆☆☆☆
2021	12.3	2401 of 2444	1.8%	☆☆☆☆☆
2018	5.4	2470 of 2483	0.5%	☆☆☆☆☆

At Risk

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Texas percentile	Rating
2022	20.7	4038 of 4461	9.5%	☆☆☆☆☆
2021	31.3	3269 of 4331	24.5%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	21.7	3887 of 4295	9.5%	☆☆☆☆☆
2018	19.8	3953 of 4240	6.8%	☆☆☆☆☆

English Language Learner

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Texas percentile	Rating
2025	6.8	2901 of 2918	0.6%	☆☆☆☆☆
2024	21.0	3243 of 3668	11.6%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	17.7	3313 of 3556	6.8%	☆☆☆☆☆
2022	13.8	3384 of 3487	3.0%	☆☆☆☆☆
2021	29.3	2700 of 3446	21.6%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	15.4	3209 of 3333	3.7%	☆☆☆☆☆
2018	17.4	3049 of 3226	5.5%	☆☆☆☆☆

Female

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Texas percentile	Rating
2026	33.0	3255 of 4575	28.9%	★☆☆☆☆
2025	14.7	3502 of 3744	6.5%	☆☆☆☆☆
2024	16.3	4268 of 4658	8.4%	☆☆☆☆☆
2023	8.2	4502 of 4588	1.9%	☆☆☆☆☆
2022	13.2	4312 of 4561	5.5%	☆☆☆☆☆
2021	41.9	2474 of 4499	45.0%	★★☆☆☆
2019	8.4	4295 of 4348	1.2%	☆☆☆☆☆
2018	12.1	4161 of 4306	3.4%	☆☆☆☆☆

Gifted and Talented

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Texas percentile	Rating
2026	24.6	2813 of 3075	8.5%	☆☆☆☆☆
2025	53.0	1578 of 2619	39.7%	★★☆☆☆
2023	36.8	2366 of 2980	20.6%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	15.6	2785 of 2958	5.8%	☆☆☆☆☆
2021	21.0	2580 of 3006	14.2%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	3.0	3172 of 3184	0.4%	☆☆☆☆☆
2018	30.6	2598 of 3106	16.4%	★☆☆☆☆

Hispanic

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Texas percentile	Rating
2026	13.0	4254 of 4413	3.6%	☆☆☆☆☆
2025	14.1	3461 of 3644	5.0%	☆☆☆☆☆
2024	17.6	4107 of 4465	8.0%	☆☆☆☆☆
2023	12.7	4229 of 4401	3.9%	☆☆☆☆☆
2022	14.3	4169 of 4376	4.7%	☆☆☆☆☆
2021	39.3	2622 of 4329	39.4%	★★☆☆☆
2019	13.4	4057 of 4188	3.1%	☆☆☆☆☆
2018	18.6	3858 of 4168	7.4%	☆☆☆☆☆

Low Socio Economic Status

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Texas percentile	Rating
2026	20.9	4108 of 4520	9.1%	☆☆☆☆☆
2025	19.3	3387 of 3705	8.6%	☆☆☆☆☆
2024	20.1	4142 of 4594	9.8%	☆☆☆☆☆
2023	13.4	4320 of 4521	4.4%	☆☆☆☆☆
2022	19.4	4069 of 4477	9.1%	☆☆☆☆☆
2021	45.3	2359 of 4451	47.0%	★★☆☆☆
2019	15.9	4111 of 4309	4.6%	☆☆☆☆☆
2018	23.9	3733 of 4264	12.5%	★☆☆☆☆

Male

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Texas percentile	Rating
2026	6.8	4524 of 4582	1.3%	☆☆☆☆☆
2025	16.0	3438 of 3739	8.1%	☆☆☆☆☆
2024	15.6	4291 of 4647	7.7%	☆☆☆☆☆
2023	13.8	4293 of 4585	6.4%	☆☆☆☆☆
2022	12.7	4319 of 4563	5.3%	☆☆☆☆☆
2021	27.3	3370 of 4498	25.1%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	15.8	4043 of 4357	7.2%	☆☆☆☆☆
2018	17.8	3932 of 4319	9.0%	☆☆☆☆☆

Special Education

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Texas percentile	Rating
2026	28.4	3473 of 4301	19.3%	★☆☆☆☆
2025	14.5	3414 of 3549	3.8%	☆☆☆☆☆
2024	18.1	3967 of 4292	7.6%	☆☆☆☆☆
2023	17.2	3903 of 4086	4.5%	☆☆☆☆☆
2022	21.3	3614 of 3952	8.6%	☆☆☆☆☆
2021	39.1	2106 of 3799	44.6%	★★☆☆☆
2019	20.8	3394 of 3684	7.9%	☆☆☆☆☆
2018	38.2	2150 of 3558	39.6%	★★☆☆☆

White

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Texas percentile	Rating
2026	32.0	2288 of 3006	23.9%	★☆☆☆☆
2025	17.3	2390 of 2612	8.5%	☆☆☆☆☆
2024	13.4	2941 of 3108	5.4%	☆☆☆☆☆
2023	4.7	3066 of 3106	1.3%	☆☆☆☆☆
2022	17.4	2803 of 3082	9.1%	☆☆☆☆☆
2021	39.8	1948 of 3082	36.8%	★★☆☆☆
2019	6.8	3090 of 3142	1.7%	☆☆☆☆☆
2018	16.2	2910 of 3127	6.9%	☆☆☆☆☆

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)

Female (2026)29th percentile+20 vs school

African American (2024)26th percentile+14 vs school

White (2026)24th percentile+16 vs school

Special Education (2026)19th percentile+11 vs school

At Risk (2022)9th percentile+5 vs school

Low Socio Economic Status (2026)9th percentile~ school

Gifted and Talented (2026)9th percentile~ school

Hispanic (2026)4th percentile-5 vs school

Male (2026)1st percentile-7 vs school

English Language Learner (2025)1st percentile-14 vs school

By subject vs Texas (2025-2026) ?

Reading35%-19 vs state

Mathematics26%-21 vs state

★

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Schools Near Southwest 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
Southwest Elementary	Public	K-5	611 S Saunders	Belton	76513	Bell County	Belton Independent School District (Isd)	No	No	(n/a)	Yes	(254) 215-3500	415	33	12.6	81.9%	82 (19.8%)	30 (7.2%)	286 (68.9%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (0.2%)	0 (0.0%)	16 (3.9%)	16	4240^th of 4627 public elementary schools	8.4%		21.2	3964^th of 4651 public elementary schools	14.8%	276	23.1	30.0	0.0	20.0	0.0	0.0	30.0	41.7	36.1	15.5	38.3	25.4	$11,593
Nolan Creek School	Public, Charter	K-7	505 E Ave C	Belton	76513	Bell County	Orenda Charter School	Yes	No	(n/a)	No	(254) 939-4491	109	9	12.2		51 (46.8%)	13 (11.9%)	35 (32.1%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	10 (9.2%)	41.4	2626^th of 4627 public elementary schools	43.2%		59.8	1593^rd of 4651 public elementary schools	65.7%	1033							9.1	53.9	66.7	20.0	30.8	50.0	$10,363
Leon Heights Elementary	Public	K-5	1501 N Main	Belton	76513	Bell County	Belton Independent School District (Isd)	No	No	(n/a)	Yes	(254) 215-3200	184	18	10.2	58.2%	88 (47.8%)	10 (5.4%)	72 (39.1%)	1 (0.5%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	13 (7.1%)	46.8	2286^th of 4627 public elementary schools	50.6%		56.7	1743^rd of 4651 public elementary schools	62.5%	543							57.1	43.8	65.8	51.4	21.9	34.2	$9,986
Chisholm Trail Elementary	Public	K-5	1082 S Wheat Rd	Belton	76513	Bell County	Belton Independent School District (Isd)	No	No	(n/a)	Yes	(254) 316-5100	766	56	13.7	57.7%	255 (33.3%)	64 (8.4%)	391 (51.0%)	7 (0.9%)	1 (0.1%)	3 (0.4%)	45 (5.9%)	49.9	2120^th of 4627 public elementary schools	54.2%		33.3	3236^th of 4651 public elementary schools	30.4%	1116	19.2	24.0		0.0	0.0		45.4	46.9	56.9	46.6	36.7	57.8	$7,435
Hubbard Branch Elementary	Public	K-5	1651 Ot Tyler	Belton	76513	Bell County	Belton Independent School District (Isd)	No	(n/a)	(n/a)	(n/a)	(254) 215-2000	514	40	12.8	66.3%	195 (37.9%)	59 (11.5%)	215 (41.8%)	4 (0.8%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	41 (8.0%)	16.9	4194^th of 4627 public elementary schools	9.4%					(n/a)							32.6	41.9	36.5	29.1	24.7	21.7	$00
Sparta Elementary	Public	K-5	1800 Sparta Rd	Belton	76513	Bell County	Belton Independent School District (Isd)	No	No	(n/a)	No	(254) 215-3600	549	41	13.2	29.5%	361 (65.8%)	23 (4.2%)	123 (22.4%)	7 (1.3%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	35 (6.4%)	61.5	1548^th of 4627 public elementary schools	66.5%		58.5	1648^th of 4651 public elementary schools	64.6%	100							58.4	52.9	55.0	48.3	54.7	56.0	$8,265
Charter Oak Elementary	Public	K-5	8402 Poison Oak Rd	Temple	76502	Bell County	Belton Independent School District (Isd)	No	No	(n/a)	Yes	(254) 215-4000	602	47	12.7	40.9%	270 (44.9%)	31 (5.1%)	260 (43.2%)	10 (1.7%)	1 (0.2%)	0 (0.0%)	30 (5.0%)	58.2	1700^th of 4627 public elementary schools	63.3%		67.3	1246^th of 4651 public elementary schools	73.2%	454	7.1	16.7		16.7			54.3	62.3	63.0	50.0	38.0	48.9	$8,902
Joe M Pirtle Elementary	Public	K-5	714 S Pea Rdg	Temple	76502	Bell County	Belton Independent School District (Isd)	No	No	(n/a)	No	(254) 215-3400	575	41	14.0	40.3%	276 (48.0%)	63 (11.0%)	169 (29.4%)	10 (1.7%)	2 (0.3%)	2 (0.3%)	53 (9.2%)	39.5	2789^th of 4627 public elementary schools	39.7%		49.8	2152^nd of 4651 public elementary schools	53.7%	637							49.5	44.7	55.8	34.3	37.9	42.1	$7,862
Lakewood Elementary	Public	K-5	11200 Fm 2305	Belton	76513	Bell County	Belton Independent School District (Isd)	No	No	(n/a)	No	(254) 215-3100	572	41	13.9	18.7%	400 (69.9%)	13 (2.3%)	93 (16.3%)	23 (4.0%)	1 (0.2%)	0 (0.0%)	42 (7.3%)	87.3	493^rd of 4627 public elementary schools	89.3%		89.3	398^th of 4651 public elementary schools	91.4%	95							75.0	68.3	83.8	63.3	56.7	71.6	$7,463
Thornton Elementary	Public	PK, KG-5	2825 Cottonwood Ln	Temple	76502	Bell County	Temple Independent School District (Isd)	No	No	(n/a)	Yes	(254) 215-5700	763	44	17.4	67.1%	152 (19.9%)	98 (12.8%)	449 (58.8%)	21 (2.8%)	2 (0.3%)	1 (0.1%)	40 (5.2%)	32.8	3241^st of 4627 public elementary schools	30.0%		31.3	3346^th of 4651 public elementary schools	28.1%	105							27.6	47.1	46.7	34.7	45.8	41.7	$7,762

Frequently Asked Questions about Southwest Elementary

Is Southwest Elementary a good school?

Southwest Elementary ranks in the bottom 8.4% of Texas elementary schools.

What schools do graduates of Southwest Elementary attend?

Students who attend Southwest Elementary usually go on to attend:

Middle : South Belton Middle
High : Belton High School

What is the racial makeup of Southwest Elementary?

Students at Southwest Elementary are 69% Hispanic, 20% White, 7% African American, 4% Two or more races.

How many students attend Southwest Elementary?

In the 2024-25 school year, 415 students attended Southwest Elementary.

What district is Southwest Elementary in?

Belton Independent School District (Isd)

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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.