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Central Elementary

Public Grades PK, KG-4

4029^th

SchoolDigger Rank ?

of 4,627 Texas Elementary Schools

Better than 13% of Texas elementary schools

Summary

Central Elementary in Pollok, TX, is a PK-4 school serving 633 students within the Central Independent School District (Isd). The school has experienced a dramatic and concerning decline in academic performance over the last three years, dropping from a 3-star rating (55th percentile) in 2022-2023 to a 1-star rating (13th percentile) for the 2025-2026 school year. This sharp downward trend is the most defining characteristic of the school, and it has affected nearly every student group, with proficiency rates in both Reading and Math falling significantly below state averages—for example, only 25.58% of 4th graders are proficient in Math compared to the state average of 49.28%.

When compared to nearby schools with similar levels of economic disadvantage, Central Elementary’s struggles stand out. For instance, Brandon Elementary in Lufkin Independent School District (Isd) has a higher free/reduced lunch rate (78.24%) yet performs significantly better, ranking in the 50th percentile (2-star) and achieving proficiency rates 10-20 percentage points higher than Central in most subjects. Similarly, Sarah Strinden Elementary in Pineywoods Community Academy serves a comparable population (60.74% free/reduced lunch) but ranks in the 57th percentile (3-star) and exceeds state averages in recent test scores. These comparisons suggest that poverty alone is not the primary driver of Central’s performance, pointing instead to issues with instructional quality, curriculum, or school leadership.

Interestingly, Central Elementary previously demonstrated strong capacity for high achievement, particularly with its Gifted & Talented (G&T) students, who ranked in the 91st percentile (5-star) in 2021-2022. This historical success indicates that the current crisis is not an inherent condition but a recent development that could potentially be reversed with targeted intervention. The school’s spending per student ($9,065) and student-teacher ratio (16.7) are in line with higher-performing nearby schools, further suggesting that the root causes lie elsewhere. For parents, this means Central Elementary is a school in urgent need of improvement, but one that has shown it can succeed in the past.

633

Students ?

16.7

Student/teacher ratio ?

$7,783

Per pupil spending ?

65.9%

Free/discounted lunch ?

8578 Us Hwy 69n
Pollok, TX 75969-9710

(936) 853-9390

District: Central Independent School District (Isd)

Students who attend Central Elementary usually attend:

Middle:	Central J H
High:	Central High School

Racial breakdown:

White:

71.4%

Hispanic:

21.5%

African American:

3.5%

See top rated Texas elementary schools

Compare Central Elementary to nearby elementary schools!

At a glance

▼ Ranking trend: Declining — 58th percentile in 2016 → 13th in 2026

Worth a look

!Test scores below the Texas average (32% vs 49% meeting standards)

!In the lower quartile statewide (13th percentile)

!Ranking has slipped — down 45 percentile points since 2016

Students meeting standards (2025-2026) ?

This school32%

District avg32%

Texas avg49%

4,029^th of 4,627

Texas public elementary schools ?

Bottom 13%▼ down 45 pts since 2016

From top 42% (2016) to bottom 13% (2026)

See the entire ranking list of Texas Elementary Schools →

★★★★★

SchoolDigger rating ?

631^st of 951Central 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	20.2	4029 of 4627	12.9%	★☆☆☆☆
2025	18.2	4126 of 4651	11.3%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	31.2	3388 of 4710	28.1%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	51.9	2068 of 4647	55.5%	★★★☆☆
2022	50.9	2109 of 4581	54.0%	★★★☆☆
2021	63.1	1407 of 4578	69.3%	★★★☆☆
2019	51.7	1940 of 4479	56.7%	★★★☆☆
2018	57.7	1596 of 4359	63.4%	★★★☆☆
2017	56.7	1634 of 4329	62.3%	★★★☆☆
2016	59.3	1813 of 4286	57.7%	★★★☆☆
2015	55.4	2047 of 4320	52.6%	★★★☆☆
2014	53.6	2117 of 4260	50.3%	★★★☆☆
2013	62.9	1566 of 4221	62.9%	★★★☆☆
2012	74.1	924 of 4206	78.0%	★★★★☆
2011	79.0	541 of 4095	86.8%	★★★★☆
2010	77.6	615 of 3937	84.4%	★★★★☆
2009	75.0	767 of 3884	80.3%	★★★★☆
2008	61.0	1601 of 3768	57.5%	★★★☆☆
2007	69.3	1116 of 3724	70.0%	★★★★☆
2006	78.3	518 of 3476	85.1%	★★★★☆
2005	76.2	637 of 3475	81.7%	★★★★☆
2004	71.6	892 of 3465	74.3%	★★★★☆

African American

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Texas percentile	Rating
2018	65.7	599 of 2483	75.9%	★★★★☆

At Risk

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Texas percentile	Rating
2022	32.3	3355 of 4461	24.8%	★☆☆☆☆
2021	42.0	2423 of 4331	44.1%	★★☆☆☆
2019	37.1	2886 of 4295	32.8%	★★☆☆☆
2018	49.3	1980 of 4240	53.3%	★★★☆☆

English Language Learner

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Texas percentile	Rating
2025	16.1	2734 of 2918	6.3%	☆☆☆☆☆
2024	33.8	2583 of 3668	29.6%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	46.9	1852 of 3556	47.9%	★★☆☆☆
2022	34.4	2527 of 3487	27.5%	★☆☆☆☆
2021	31.5	2576 of 3446	25.2%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	23.1	2952 of 3333	11.4%	★☆☆☆☆

Female

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Texas percentile	Rating
2026	28.0	3567 of 4575	22.0%	★☆☆☆☆
2025	25.2	3036 of 3744	18.9%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	42.5	2642 of 4658	43.3%	★★☆☆☆
2023	52.0	2026 of 4588	55.8%	★★★☆☆
2022	47.0	2329 of 4561	48.9%	★★☆☆☆
2021	63.2	1346 of 4499	70.1%	★★★★☆
2019	51.6	1964 of 4348	54.8%	★★★☆☆
2018	53.7	1804 of 4306	58.1%	★★★☆☆

Gifted and Talented

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Texas percentile	Rating
2023	57.1	1615 of 2980	45.8%	★★☆☆☆
2022	76.8	265 of 2958	91.0%	★★★★★
2021	79.3	368 of 3006	87.8%	★★★★☆
2019	58.4	1597 of 3184	49.8%	★★☆☆☆
2018	38.6	2365 of 3106	23.9%	★☆☆☆☆

Hispanic

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Texas percentile	Rating
2026	17.7	4104 of 4413	7.0%	☆☆☆☆☆
2025	14.5	3451 of 3644	5.3%	☆☆☆☆☆
2024	37.6	2938 of 4465	34.2%	★★☆☆☆
2023	62.7	1330 of 4401	69.8%	★★★☆☆
2022	57.3	1624 of 4376	62.9%	★★★☆☆
2021	64.4	1142 of 4329	73.6%	★★★★☆
2019	47.2	2179 of 4188	48.0%	★★☆☆☆
2018	41.7	2477 of 4168	40.6%	★★☆☆☆

Low Socio Economic Status

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Texas percentile	Rating
2026	15.4	4314 of 4520	4.6%	☆☆☆☆☆
2025	12.0	3587 of 3705	3.2%	☆☆☆☆☆
2024	27.4	3747 of 4594	18.4%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	55.9	1765 of 4521	61.0%	★★★☆☆
2022	48.0	2285 of 4477	49.0%	★★☆☆☆
2021	82.0	367 of 4451	91.8%	★★★★★
2019	49.1	2134 of 4309	50.5%	★★★☆☆
2018	58.5	1466 of 4264	65.6%	★★★☆☆

Male

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Texas percentile	Rating
2026	16.5	4229 of 4582	7.7%	☆☆☆☆☆
2025	14.1	3505 of 3739	6.3%	☆☆☆☆☆
2024	21.8	3947 of 4647	15.1%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	53.1	1954 of 4585	57.4%	★★★☆☆
2022	55.7	1835 of 4563	59.8%	★★★☆☆
2021	60.2	1490 of 4498	66.9%	★★★☆☆
2019	49.4	2050 of 4357	52.9%	★★★☆☆
2018	59.5	1509 of 4319	65.1%	★★★☆☆

Multi-racial

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Texas percentile	Rating
2021	39.1	618 of 961	35.7%	★★☆☆☆
2019	52.2	540 of 1112	51.4%	★★★☆☆

Special Education

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Texas percentile	Rating
2026	31.4	3232 of 4301	24.9%	★☆☆☆☆
2025	17.7	3309 of 3549	6.8%	☆☆☆☆☆
2024	20.8	3812 of 4292	11.2%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	31.3	3015 of 4086	26.2%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	26.3	3282 of 3952	17.0%	★☆☆☆☆
2021	61.6	870 of 3799	77.1%	★★★★☆
2019	33.1	2582 of 3684	29.9%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	58.0	999 of 3558	71.9%	★★★★☆

White

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Texas percentile	Rating
2026	14.3	2825 of 3006	6.0%	☆☆☆☆☆
2025	11.0	2499 of 2612	4.3%	☆☆☆☆☆
2024	16.2	2857 of 3108	8.1%	☆☆☆☆☆
2023	32.1	2312 of 3106	25.6%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	30.2	2410 of 3082	21.8%	★☆☆☆☆
2021	38.8	1990 of 3082	35.4%	★★☆☆☆
2019	40.1	2042 of 3142	35.0%	★★☆☆☆
2018	45.8	1746 of 3127	44.2%	★★☆☆☆

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)

African American (2018)76th percentile+12 vs school

Gifted and Talented (2023)46th percentile-10 vs school

Multi-racial (2021)36th percentile-34 vs school

Special Education (2026)25th percentile+12 vs school

At Risk (2022)25th percentile-29 vs school

Female (2026)22nd percentile+9 vs school

Male (2026)8th percentile-5 vs school

Hispanic (2026)7th percentile-6 vs school

English Language Learner (2025)6th percentile-5 vs school

White (2026)6th percentile-7 vs school

Low Socio Economic Status (2026)5th percentile-8 vs school

By subject vs Texas (2025-2026) ?

Reading37%-15 vs state

Mathematics28%-19 vs state

5.0

1 rating · 1 written review

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What people are saying

by a parent
Monday, October 17, 2011

Central Elementary is wonderful. The teachers are caring & the administration staff is superb. It is obvious every staff member has the students best interest first and not to mention the curriculum is fantastic.

-Signed: Honest Mom of an Excited Student! Close Quote

Schools Near Central Elementary

Choose columns to see: Summary School Students/Teachers Ranking Test Scores Finance All

School													Students/Teachers											Ranking (2026)				Ranking (2025)				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 Reading 3rd Grade	STAAR Reading 4th Grade	STAAR Reading 5th Grade	STAAR Mathematics 3rd Grade	STAAR Mathematics 4th Grade	STAAR Mathematics 5th Grade	Total
Central Elementary	Public	PK, KG-4	8578 Us Hwy 69n	Pollok	75969	Angelina County	Central Independent School District (Isd)	No	No	(n/a)	Yes	(936) 853-9390	633	38	16.7	65.9%	452 (71.4%)	22 (3.5%)	136 (21.5%)	0 (0.0%)	2 (0.3%)	0 (0.0%)	21 (3.3%)	20.2	4029^th of 4627 public elementary schools	12.9%		18.2	4126^th of 4651 public elementary schools	11.3%	97	33.9	39.5		30.4	25.6		$7,783
Brandon Elementary	Public, Magnet	3-5	1612 Sayers St	Lufkin	75904	Angelina County	Lufkin Independent School District (Isd)	No	Yes	(n/a)	Yes	(936) 632-5513	386	28	13.8	78.2%	138 (35.8%)	133 (34.5%)	86 (22.3%)	9 (2.3%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	20 (5.2%)	46	2332^nd of 4627 public elementary schools	49.6%		60.3	1568^th of 4651 public elementary schools	66.3%	764	43.8	44.5	55.8	39.3	46.1	52.0	$8,249
Dunbar Pri	Public, Magnet	K-2	1806 Martin Luther King Jr Dr	Lufkin	75904	Angelina County	Lufkin Independent School District (Isd)	No	Yes	(n/a)	Yes	(936) 630-4500	268	20	13.1	86.9%	92 (34.3%)	90 (33.6%)	67 (25.0%)	3 (1.1%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	16 (6.0%)								(n/a)							$7,602
W F Peavy Pri	Public	PK, KG-2	6920 State Hwy 94	Lufkin	75904	Angelina County	Hudson Independent School District (Isd)	No	No	(n/a)	Yes	(936) 875-9344	683	50	13.6	53.6%	414 (60.6%)	50 (7.3%)	176 (25.8%)	8 (1.2%)	2 (0.3%)	3 (0.4%)	30 (4.4%)								(n/a)							$7,561
W H Bonner Elementary	Public	3-5	536 Fm 3258	Lufkin	75904	Angelina County	Hudson Independent School District (Isd)	No	No	(n/a)	Yes	(936) 875-9212	621	47	13.2	52.5%	365 (58.8%)	46 (7.4%)	169 (27.2%)	12 (1.9%)	1 (0.2%)	0 (0.0%)	28 (4.5%)	46.9	2276^th of 4627 public elementary schools	50.8%		67.7	1222^nd of 4651 public elementary schools	73.7%	1054	39.7	55.5	57.5	32.2	51.7	45.4	$7,483
Special Services	Public	PK, KG-3	701 N First St	Lufkin	75904	Angelina County	Lufkin Independent School District (Isd)	No	No	(n/a)	No	(936) 630-4273	11	1	11.0	90.9%	3 (27.3%)	2 (18.2%)	5 (45.5%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (9.1%)								(n/a)
Brookhollow Elementary	Public	3-5	1009 Live Oak Ln	Lufkin	75904	Angelina County	Lufkin Independent School District (Isd)	No	No	(n/a)	Yes	(936) 634-8415	273	18	15.4	93.4%	37 (13.6%)	105 (38.5%)	111 (40.7%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	20 (7.3%)	10.2	4477^th of 4627 public elementary schools	3.2%		21.8	3931^st of 4651 public elementary schools	15.5%	546	23.9	27.5	40.5	21.1	19.6	25.0	$8,772
Coston Elementary	Public	3-5	707 Trenton	Lufkin	75901	Angelina County	Lufkin Independent School District (Isd)	No	No	(n/a)	Yes	(936) 639-3118	211	15	13.7	95.7%	38 (18.0%)	58 (27.5%)	100 (47.4%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	15 (7.1%)								(n/a)							$12,329
Sarah Strinden Elementary	Public, Charter	PK, KG-5	602 S Raguet St	Lufkin	75904	Angelina County	Pineywoods Community Academy	Yes	No	(n/a)	Yes	(936) 634-5515	512	29	17.8	60.7%	225 (43.9%)	66 (12.9%)	186 (36.3%)	10 (2.0%)	1 (0.2%)	4 (0.8%)	20 (3.9%)	52.4	1992^nd of 4627 public elementary schools	56.9%		61.4	1508^th of 4651 public elementary schools	67.6%	484	46.8	50.0	70.1	41.8	47.6	43.4	$6,481
Trout Pri	Public	PK, KG-2	1014 Allendale Dr	Lufkin	75904	Angelina County	Lufkin Independent School District (Isd)	No	No	(n/a)	Yes	(936) 639-3274	219	14	15.5	92.7%	47 (21.5%)	78 (35.6%)	81 (37.0%)	1 (0.5%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	12 (5.5%)								(n/a)							$7,726

Frequently Asked Questions about Central Elementary

How many students attend Central Elementary?

In the 2024-25 school year, 633 students attended Central Elementary.

What is the racial makeup of Central Elementary?

Students at Central Elementary are 71% White, 21% Hispanic, 3% African American, 3% Two or more races.

What schools do graduates of Central Elementary attend?

Students who attend Central Elementary usually go on to attend:

Middle : Central J H
High : Central High School

Is Central Elementary a good school?

Central Elementary ranks in the bottom 12.9% of Texas elementary schools.

What district is Central Elementary in?

Central Independent School District (Isd)

Rate Central Elementary!

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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.