Falfurrias Elementary

Falfurrias Elementary serves 251 students in grades 3 through 5 in the Brooks County Independent School District (Isd) in Falfurrias, TX, a community where over 93% of students qualify for free or reduced lunch, indicating very high economic need.

Academically, the school performs significantly below state averages, with reading proficiency rates between 31% and 36% and math proficiency rates between 19% and 28% in recent testing. This places Falfurrias Elementary in the bottom 6th percentile of all Texas elementary schools. A particularly concerning trend is the persistent weakness in mathematics, where no grade has scored above 36% in the last four years. The school also shows a notable gender achievement gap, with female students ranking in the 13th percentile statewide compared to male students in the 3rd percentile. Additionally, the school's support for special education students has declined sharply, dropping from the 78th percentile in 2023-2024 to the 38th percentile in 2025-2026.

An interesting comparison is with nearby La Gloria Elementary, just 4.57 miles away, which serves a population with a lower rate of economic disadvantage (60.5% free/reduced lunch) but consistently outperforms Falfurrias. For example, La Gloria's 3rd-grade reading proficiency was 66.7% compared to Falfurrias's 31.5%, and its overall state ranking (37th percentile) is dramatically higher. This suggests that factors beyond poverty—such as district leadership or curriculum—play a major role. Despite spending $11,659 per student, Falfurrias Elementary is not translating its financial resources into academic gains as effectively as peers like La Gloria. The school's "At Risk" subgroup ranked in the 1st percentile statewide in 2021-2022, indicating a critical need for intervention for its most vulnerable students.