Summary
Carter Park Elementary is a PK-5 public school in Fort Worth, TX, serving 445 students as part of the Fort Worth Independent School District (Isd), and it has historically ranked among the lowest-performing elementary schools in Texas, currently sitting in the 3rd percentile statewide.
This school faces significant challenges, with over 95% of students qualifying for free or reduced lunch. The most striking comparison is with Worth Heights Elementary, located just over a mile away, which serves a similarly high-need population but ranks in the 70th percentile—a massive 67-point gap. For example, in 5th Grade Math, only 13.16% of Carter Park students were proficient compared to 67.19% at Worth Heights. This proves that high-poverty schools in the area can achieve strong results, suggesting Carter Park has untapped potential. The school has also shown extreme volatility in serving specific student groups, with Special Education students dropping from the 44th percentile to the 0th percentile in just one year, indicating a lack of consistent support strategies.
Mathematics is a persistent weakness, with proficiency rates as low as 11.43% in 3rd Grade and 13.16% in 5th Grade, far below district and state averages. On a positive note, the Spanish STAAR program shows relative strength, with scores sometimes matching or exceeding district averages, suggesting the bilingual program may be more effective than general education. However, per-student spending at Carter Park ($9,513) is the lowest among nearby schools, compared to $14,160 at Seminary Hills Park Elementary and $12,534 at Edward Briscoe Elementary. While the school saw a brief improvement in 2024-2025, reaching the 15th percentile, it fell back to the 3rd percentile the following year, highlighting the need for sustained, data-driven instructional changes.
Thank you for your feedback!