Opal Smith Elementary

Opal Smith Elementary is a PK-6 school in Crandall, TX, serving 682 students within the Crandall Independent School District (Isd), where about 63% of students are economically disadvantaged and the school currently holds a 1-star state rating.

The school shows a notable bright spot in 4th Grade Reading, where 46.67% of students were proficient—11 percentage points higher than the district average. However, this success is not consistent across grades or subjects. The most urgent concern is a severe and worsening weakness in Mathematics, especially in upper grades. Only 16.05% of 5th graders were proficient in Math, which is less than half the state average and the lowest score among all Crandall ISD elementary schools. Additionally, support for Special Education students has dramatically declined, dropping from the 54th percentile statewide to the 4th percentile over two years—a major red flag that needs immediate attention.

What makes these challenges stand out is the contrast with nearby schools. Just 2.2 miles away, Noble Reed Elementary, also in Crandall ISD, achieves far better results despite a higher rate of economic disadvantage (70.75%). Even more striking, Central Elementary in Dallas Independent School District (Isd), with 90.48% economically disadvantaged students, achieves 62-71% proficiency in Reading and Math. This shows that high poverty does not have to limit achievement. Opal Smith’s inconsistent performance—sometimes excelling in one grade but not the next—suggests success depends on specific teachers or student groups rather than a school-wide system of excellence. The school can look to these high-performing neighbors as models for improvement.