Summary
Maria Alicia P Munoz Elementary is a PK-5 school in the Donna Independent School District (Isd) serving 688 students in a high-poverty area, where over 95% of students qualify for free or reduced lunch. This school is in the midst of a remarkable turnaround, climbing from the 5th percentile statewide in 2020-2021 to the 40th percentile in 2025-2026, a jump of 35 percentile points that shows sustained improvement. Its standout strength is an exceptional program for Gifted and Talented students, which ranked in the 99th percentile statewide in the most recent year, a dramatic leap from the 27th percentile the year before. The school also excels with its core demographic of low-income students, ranking in the 56th percentile for this group, and shows particular strength in 4th grade Math, where 58.11% of students were proficient, outpacing both the district (49.61%) and the state (49.28%).
Compared to nearby schools, Munoz is outperforming Patricia S Garza Elementary, a school with a similar poverty rate (98%) that ranks in the 25th percentile, beating Garza in nearly every tested subject. However, it trails Le Noir Elementary, the top-performing school in the district (64th percentile), which serves a less impoverished population (82% free/reduced lunch). The achievement gap is even wider when compared to Cleckler/Heald Elementary in the Weslaco Independent School District (Isd), which ranks in the 65th percentile and significantly outperforms Munoz in all subjects. Notably, Munoz’s bilingual program appears to be a strength, as students taking the STAAR Spanish test often outperformed their English-testing peers, suggesting effective native language instruction.
Despite these successes, the school faces clear challenges. Science remains a persistent weakness, with only 15.38% of 5th graders proficient in 2024-2025, well below the state average of 29.57%. Reading scores also need improvement, as they lag behind top-performing peers like Le Noir. Overall, Maria Alicia P Munoz Elementary is a school on a strong upward trajectory, effectively serving its low-income students and boasting an exceptional Gifted and Talented program, but it must focus on boosting Reading and Science achievement to continue its impressive turnaround.
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