Carroll Elementary

Carroll Elementary is a PK-4 public school in the Corsicana Independent School District (Isd) serving 559 students in a high-poverty area, where over 91% of students qualify for free or reduced lunch. The school has faced significant academic challenges, ranking in the bottom 10% of Texas elementary schools in recent years, though it showed a brief improvement during the 2020-2021 school year when it reached the 47th percentile before declining sharply.

One of the most notable aspects of Carroll Elementary is that it spends more per student than any other elementary school in its district—$12,622 per student compared to the district average of $10,182. This is 31% higher than Bowie Elementary, which is just 2.4 miles away and performs significantly better (59th percentile vs. Carroll's 8th percentile). The key difference appears to be that Bowie has a much lower poverty rate (59% vs. 91%), highlighting the immense challenge Carroll faces in closing achievement gaps. Interestingly, a charter school called Two Dimensions At Corsicana sits directly across the street with a similarly high poverty rate (95%) but spends far less per student ($7,637), offering families in the area a distinct educational choice.

Despite overall struggles, Carroll Elementary shows some promising bright spots. Fourth-grade math is a relative strength, with proficiency rates (39%) actually exceeding the district average (39%) in the most recent data. The school also demonstrated an impressive ability to serve its Special Education students in the 2023-2024 school year, ranking in the 71st percentile statewide—a stark contrast to the school's overall 3rd percentile ranking that year. However, this success was not sustained, dropping to the 5th percentile the following year. This volatility suggests that while effective strategies exist at Carroll, the school has struggled to maintain consistent programs that build on year-to-year successes.