Summary
Navarro Elementary in Bryan, TX, is a PK-4 school serving 451 students within the Bryan Independent School District (Isd), where about 87% of students qualify for free or reduced lunch, reflecting a high level of economic disadvantage. The school has faced a steady decline in overall performance over the past decade, currently ranking in the 21st percentile (1 star) for the 2025-2026 school year, which places it among the lower-performing elementary schools in Texas. However, a closer look reveals a more nuanced story: while 3rd-grade STAAR scores are critically low—only 23.94% proficient in reading and 18.31% in math—4th-grade scores show a dramatic improvement, with math proficiency jumping to 47.31%, nearly matching the district average. This suggests that the instruction and interventions provided during the 3rd and 4th-grade years are highly effective at accelerating student growth, a hidden strength not captured by the overall ranking.
When compared to nearby schools, Navarro’s challenges stand out. For instance, Mitchell Elementary and Henderson Elementary serve similar or even higher-poverty populations but achieve significantly better results, with 3rd-grade reading proficiency rates more than double Navarro’s. This highlights that high poverty is a major factor, but not destiny, as these schools demonstrate what is possible within the same district. Additionally, Navarro’s per-student spending ($11,039) and student-teacher ratio (14.3) are average for the area, indicating that performance challenges are more about the specific needs of its student population and resource allocation than a lack of funding.
Despite the overall downward trend, there are glimmers of hope. The most recent data shows a notable improvement in serving African American students, who jumped to the 49th percentile (2 stars) from the 5th percentile the year prior, suggesting targeted interventions are working. The school’s 2025-2026 ranking of 21st percentile is also an improvement from the 13th percentile in the two previous years, hinting at a potential reversal of its decline. While the school’s ability to support its most vulnerable students has been inconsistent—evidenced by a dramatic swing from the 83rd percentile for "At Risk" students in 2018-2019 to the 21st percentile in 2021-2022—the strong 4th-grade performance and recent gains provide a foundation for building future success.
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