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Mary Lou Dodson Elementary

Q: Is Mary Lou Dodson Elementary a good school?

Mary Lou Dodson Elementary ranks 2085 th of 4627 Texas elementary schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 3 stars out of 5.

Public Grades PK, KG-5

2085^th

SchoolDigger Rank ?

of 4,627 Texas Elementary Schools

Better than 55% of Texas elementary schools

Summary

Mary Lou Dodson Elementary in Lavon, TX, serves 626 students in grades PK-5 within the Community Independent School District (Isd), a district that has received a 2-star rating and ranks in the 41st percentile statewide.

This school is a study in contrasts. Its greatest strength is its work with English Language Learner (ELL) students, where it ranks in the 74th percentile statewide—a clear standout. However, the school shows a persistent and critical weakness in 5th-grade mathematics, with only 35% of students proficient compared to the state average of 47%. Another major concern is the dramatic decline in support for Special Education students, whose performance dropped from the 89th percentile to the 39th percentile over just two years. While the school is a relative bright spot within its own district—outperforming the nearby Nesmith Elementary (25th percentile)—it is overshadowed by the high-performing schools of the neighboring Rockwall Independent School District (Isd). For example, Sherry And Paul Hamm Elementary and Nebbie Williams Elementary, just a few miles away, rank in the 95th and 92nd percentiles, respectively.

Nearly 59% of students at Dodson qualify for free or reduced lunch, indicating a high-needs population. The school’s overall ranking has been volatile, bouncing from the 62nd percentile to the 49th and back to the 55th percentile over the last three years. This instability, combined with uneven subgroup performance—strong with ELL and African American students, but weaker with White and Hispanic students—suggests the school is still working to find a consistent instructional model that serves all its students effectively.

626

Students ?

16.6

Student/teacher ratio ?

$8,576

Per pupil spending ?

58.9%

Free/discounted lunch ?

300 E Lavon Trail Pkwy
Lavon, TX 75173

(972) 843-6250

District: Community Independent School District (Isd)

Racial breakdown:

Hispanic:

40.6%

African American:

26.4%

White:

24.1%

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At a glance

▼ Ranking trend: Declining — 62nd percentile in 2024 → 55th in 2026

Strengths

✓Among the top-ranked schools in Community Independent School District (Isd)

✓Above the Texas median (55th percentile)

Worth a look

!Ranking has slipped — down 7 percentile points since 2024

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

Students meeting standards (2025-2026) ?

This school49%

District avg45%

Texas avg51%

2,085^th of 4,627

Texas public elementary schools ?

Top 45%▼ down 7 pts since 2024

From top 38% (2024) to top 45% (2026)

See the entire ranking list of Texas Elementary Schools →

★★★★★

SchoolDigger rating ?

1^st of 4Elementary Schools in the Community Independent School District (Isd)

557^th of 951Community 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	50.6	2085 of 4627	54.9%	★★★☆☆
2025	45.9	2392 of 4651	48.6%	★★☆☆☆
2024	56.6	1774 of 4710	62.3%	★★★☆☆

African American

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Texas percentile	Rating
2026	62.1	690 of 2406	71.3%	★★★★☆
2025	43.3	1061 of 1905	44.3%	★★☆☆☆
2024	50.3	1110 of 2443	54.6%	★★★☆☆

Asian

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Texas percentile	Rating
2026	39.9	731 of 999	26.8%	★☆☆☆☆
2025	51.9	455 of 814	44.1%	★★☆☆☆

English Language Learner

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Texas percentile	Rating
2026	66.6	420 of 1643	74.4%	★★★★☆
2025	50.6	1301 of 2918	55.4%	★★★☆☆
2024	58.0	1264 of 3668	65.5%	★★★☆☆

Female

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Texas percentile	Rating
2026	43.0	2551 of 4575	44.2%	★★☆☆☆
2025	52.1	1643 of 3744	56.1%	★★★☆☆
2024	64.7	1337 of 4658	71.3%	★★★★☆

Gifted and Talented

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Texas percentile	Rating
2026	48.5	2059 of 3075	33.0%	★★☆☆☆
2025	62.8	1120 of 2619	57.2%	★★★☆☆

Hispanic

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Texas percentile	Rating
2026	40.2	2753 of 4413	37.6%	★★☆☆☆
2025	45.7	2009 of 3644	44.9%	★★☆☆☆
2024	57.7	1610 of 4465	63.9%	★★★☆☆

Low Socio Economic Status

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Texas percentile	Rating
2026	48.1	2260 of 4520	50.0%	★★★☆☆
2025	46.3	1998 of 3705	46.1%	★★☆☆☆
2024	59.9	1506 of 4594	67.2%	★★★☆☆

Male

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Texas percentile	Rating
2026	56.1	1762 of 4582	61.5%	★★★☆☆
2025	48.1	1825 of 3739	51.2%	★★★☆☆
2024	59.3	1619 of 4647	65.2%	★★★☆☆

Multi-racial

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Texas percentile	Rating
2024	45.4	651 of 1128	42.3%	★★☆☆☆

Special Education

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Texas percentile	Rating
2026	38.2	2633 of 4301	38.8%	★★☆☆☆
2025	45.2	1847 of 3549	48.0%	★★☆☆☆
2024	79.6	453 of 4292	89.4%	★★★★☆

White

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Texas percentile	Rating
2026	44.5	1788 of 3006	40.5%	★★☆☆☆
2025	51.1	1318 of 2612	49.5%	★★☆☆☆
2024	57.7	1282 of 3108	58.8%	★★★☆☆

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)

English Language Learner (2026)74th percentile+19 vs school

African American (2026)71st percentile+16 vs school

Male (2026)62nd percentile+7 vs school

Low Socio Economic Status (2026)50th percentile-5 vs school

Female (2026)44th percentile-11 vs school

Multi-racial (2024)42nd percentile-20 vs school

White (2026)41st percentile-14 vs school

Special Education (2026)39th percentile-16 vs school

Hispanic (2026)38th percentile-17 vs school

Gifted and Talented (2026)33rd percentile-22 vs school

Asian (2026)27th percentile-28 vs school

By subject vs Texas (2025-2026) ?

Reading54%~ state avg

Mathematics43%-4 vs state

★

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Schools Near Mary Lou Dodson 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 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 (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 Reading 3rd Grade	STAAR Reading 4th Grade	STAAR Reading 5th Grade	STAAR Mathematics 3rd Grade	STAAR Mathematics 4th Grade	STAAR Mathematics 5th Grade	Total
Mary Lou Dodson Elementary	Public	PK, KG-5	300 E Lavon Trail Pkwy	Lavon	75173	Collin County	Community Independent School District (Isd)	No	(n/a)	(n/a)	(n/a)	(972) 843-6250	626	38	16.6	58.9%	151 (24.1%)	165 (26.4%)	254 (40.6%)	37 (5.9%)	5 (0.8%)	1 (0.2%)	13 (2.1%)	50.6	2085^th of 4627 public elementary schools	54.9%		45.9	2392^nd of 4651 public elementary schools	48.6%	307				55.6	48.1	59.5	46.9	48.1	35.0	$8,576
Nesmith Elementary	Public	PK, KG-5	801 Presidents Blvd	Lavon	75173	Collin County	Community Independent School District (Isd)	No	No	(n/a)	No	(972) 843-6100	511	33	15.4	49.9%	195 (38.2%)	191 (37.4%)	70 (13.7%)	25 (4.9%)	4 (0.8%)	1 (0.2%)	25 (4.9%)	29.6	3452^nd of 4627 public elementary schools	25.4%		36.1	3047^th of 4651 public elementary schools	34.5%	405				38.6	43.2	53.7	28.6	36.9	32.6	$8,018
Celia Hays Elementary	Public	PK, KG-5	1880 Tannerson Dr	Rockwall	75087	Rockwall County	Rockwall Independent School District (Isd)	No	No	(n/a)	No	(469) 698-2800	613	40	15.3	10.4%	361 (58.9%)	62 (10.1%)	91 (14.8%)	59 (9.6%)	3 (0.5%)	1 (0.2%)	36 (5.9%)	89.7	386^th of 4627 public elementary schools	91.7%		90.5	359^th of 4651 public elementary schools	92.3%	27				65.0	82.0	82.0	56.3	86.7	67.4	$7,949
Sherry And Paul Hamm Elementary	Public	PK, KG-5	2911 Greenway Dr	Rockwall	75087	Rockwall County	Rockwall Independent School District (Isd)	No	No	(n/a)	No	(469) 698-2854	721	43	16.8	8.5%	438 (60.7%)	81 (11.2%)	110 (15.3%)	52 (7.2%)	3 (0.4%)	1 (0.1%)	36 (5.0%)	93.5	227^th of 4627 public elementary schools	95.1%		91.7	310^th of 4651 public elementary schools	93.3%	83				79.4	84.7	78.2	71.3	81.8	65.4	$7,213
Nebbie Williams Elementary	Public	PK, KG-5	350 Dalton Rd	Rockwall	75087	Rockwall County	Rockwall Independent School District (Isd)	No	No	(n/a)	No	(972) 772-0502	442	32	13.8	12.2%	293 (66.3%)	22 (5.0%)	82 (18.6%)	19 (4.3%)	1 (0.2%)	1 (0.2%)	24 (5.4%)	89.8	377^th of 4627 public elementary schools	91.9%		95.4	171^st of 4651 public elementary schools	96.3%	206				67.3	73.5	97.9	69.8	60.3	93.6	$9,225
Miss May Vernon Elementary	Public	K-5	100 Miss May Dr	Fate	75189	Rockwall County	Royse City Independent School District (Isd)	No	No	(n/a)	Yes	(972) 635-5006	790	48	16.4	34.8%	369 (46.7%)	138 (17.5%)	209 (26.5%)	26 (3.3%)	4 (0.5%)	3 (0.4%)	41 (5.2%)	56.6	1783^rd of 4627 public elementary schools	61.5%		73.8	971^st of 4651 public elementary schools	79.1%	812				53.3	55.1	62.6	52.1	45.9	41.5	$8,867
Billie Stevenson Elementary	Public	PK, KG-5	636 Stevenson Dr	Fate	75087	Rockwall County	Rockwall Independent School District (Isd)	No	No	(n/a)	No	(469) 698-7474	805	46	17.5	18.1%	390 (48.4%)	152 (18.9%)	157 (19.5%)	58 (7.2%)	4 (0.5%)	1 (0.1%)	43 (5.3%)	82.8	662^nd of 4627 public elementary schools	85.7%		77.8	843^rd of 4651 public elementary schools	81.9%	181				69.5	76.2	76.0	52.7	67.2	56.0	$7,243
McClendon Elementary	Public	PK, KG-5	601 Fm 1138 N	Nevada	75173	Collin County	Community Independent School District (Isd)	No	No	(n/a)	Yes	(972) 843-6800	548	30	18.3	60.8%	184 (33.6%)	6 (1.1%)	334 (60.9%)	1 (0.2%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	23 (4.2%)	48.6	2186^th of 4627 public elementary schools	52.8%		52.4	1999^th of 4651 public elementary schools	57.0%	187	28.6	21.4	15.4	44.6	56.8	62.0	48.3	40.6	35.1	$10,099
Grace Hartman Elementary	Public	PK, KG-5	1325 Petaluma Dr	Rockwall	75087	Rockwall County	Rockwall Independent School District (Isd)	No	No	(n/a)	No	(972) 772-2080	477	34	14.1	16.1%	303 (63.5%)	32 (6.7%)	101 (21.2%)	12 (2.5%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	29 (6.1%)	83.3	644^th of 4627 public elementary schools	86.1%		85.1	569^th of 4651 public elementary schools	87.8%	75				65.6	75.0	80.0	54.7	62.9	60.0	$8,370
P M Akin Elementary	Public	PK, KG-4	1100 Springwood	Wylie	75098	Collin County	Wylie Independent School District (Isd)	No	No	(n/a)	No	(972) 429-3400	583	42	13.9	29.3%	246 (42.2%)	103 (17.7%)	121 (20.8%)	74 (12.7%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (0.2%)	38 (6.5%)	89.6	389^th of 4627 public elementary schools	91.6%		93.8	235^th of 4651 public elementary schools	94.9%	154				67.5	71.5		67.5	73.1		$9,367

Frequently Asked Questions about Mary Lou Dodson Elementary

Is Mary Lou Dodson Elementary a good school?

Mary Lou Dodson Elementary ranks 2085^th of 4627 Texas elementary schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 3 stars out of 5.

How many students attend Mary Lou Dodson Elementary?

In the 2024-25 school year, 626 students attended Mary Lou Dodson Elementary.

What is the racial makeup of Mary Lou Dodson Elementary?

Students at Mary Lou Dodson Elementary are 41% Hispanic, 26% African American, 24% White, 6% Asian, 2% Two or more races.

What district is Mary Lou Dodson Elementary in?

Community 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.