Encinal Elementary

Encinal Elementary is a very small, rural PK-5 school in Encinal, TX, serving just 74 students within the Cotulla Independent School District (Isd). The school stands out for its exceptionally low student-to-teacher ratio of 7.6:1 and high per-pupil spending of $20,699—roughly double the Texas state average—which allows for significant individualized attention. However, its academic performance has been highly inconsistent, with state rankings swinging dramatically from the 46th percentile in 2015-2016 to the 4th percentile the following year, and most recently dropping to the 17th percentile with a 1-star rating in 2025-2026.

This volatility is the school’s most defining characteristic, driven by what is known as the "cohort effect" in very small schools. For example, in the most recent year, 5th graders outperformed both the district and state in reading (62.5% proficient vs. 39.74% and 58.47%, respectively), while 3rd graders scored drastically below in both reading and math (16.67% proficient each). This split performance suggests that the quality of instruction or the specific group of students in each grade varies widely, making it difficult to assess the school’s overall effectiveness. Unlike larger schools with more stable trends, Encinal Elementary’s results can shift by 10-20 percentage points based on a single student’s performance.

Despite these challenges, the school has shown bright spots, such as a strong 5th-grade science performance in 2022-2023 (45% proficient, above the state average of 34%) and a historical strength in serving Special Education students (82nd percentile in 2018-2019). The school also demonstrates the ability to achieve strong results for specific cohorts, like the 4th-grade class in 2024-2025 (71.43% proficient in both reading and math). For parents, the key takeaway is that Encinal Elementary offers a highly personalized, resource-rich environment, but its academic outcomes are unpredictable and heavily dependent on the specific students in each grade. A deeper look at individual grade-level instruction and student mobility is essential to fully understand the school’s value.