L B Johnson Elementary

L B Johnson Elementary is a K-5 school in Odessa, TX, serving 475 students within the Ector County Independent School District (Isd), where the vast majority of students come from economically disadvantaged backgrounds.

This school has faced significant academic challenges, with performance that is notably inconsistent from year to year. For example, after a promising jump to the 44th percentile in 2024-2025, the school’s overall state rank dropped sharply to the 18th percentile the following year. A major area of concern is 5th-grade math, where only 26.25% of students were proficient in 2025-2026—far below the district and state averages, and the lowest among nearby schools like Ireland Elementary and Burnet Elementary. This suggests a specific breakdown in math instruction as students reach the upper grades. In contrast, the school showed a surprising strength in 5th-grade science in 2024-2025, with a proficiency rate nearly double the district average, though this success has not been consistent. The school’s ability to support its largest student group—those from low-income families—has also been highly erratic, dropping from the 57th percentile to the 23rd percentile in just one year.

For parents, it is helpful to compare L B Johnson to other local options. Just 2.79 miles away, El Magnet At Reagan Elementary is a top-performing magnet school (99th percentile) with much higher proficiency rates, though it serves a different student demographic. Meanwhile, Ross Elementary has shown more stable, though still low, performance. L B Johnson also has a higher student-teacher ratio (20.5) and lower per-student spending ($9,152) compared to peers like Dowling Elementary ($12,335), suggesting the school may be resource-constrained. The key takeaway is that L B Johnson is a school with volatile results and a critical need to stabilize its math instruction and support systems for its most vulnerable students.