Summary
Allen Elementary in Frisco, TX, is a public school serving 677 students in grades PK-5 as part of the highly-rated Frisco Independent School District (Isd). While the school has a strong history of earning 4 or 5 stars, its most recent ranking dipped to the 88th percentile, its lowest in a decade, signaling some recent challenges in maintaining peak performance compared to other Texas schools.
A key finding is a dramatic split in test scores: 5th graders consistently outperform district averages in Reading and Math, but 3rd and 4th graders often fall below those same benchmarks. This "V-shaped" pattern is unique compared to nearby top performers like Nichols Elementary, which excels across all grades. On a positive note, Allen has shown exceptional growth in serving its "At Risk" and low socio-economic status students, moving from the 41st percentile to the 83rd percentile in the last two years for the latter group. However, the school's effectiveness with Multi-racial students has sharply declined, dropping to the 20th percentile, which is a significant area of concern.
Interestingly, spending and class size don't tell the full story. Allen spends a moderate $8,432 per student with a 16.4 student-teacher ratio, while the lower-performing Bright Academy spends more ($10,429) with a smaller ratio (11.6), and the higher-performing Nichols spends less ($7,643) with a similar ratio. This suggests instructional quality and school culture are key drivers. The stark grade-level performance gap may be due to a strong 5th-grade teaching team, a recent programmatic change, or a particularly high-achieving cohort. Additionally, 5th-grade Science scores are a consistent weak point, lagging behind both the school's own Reading and Math results and the performance of top peers like Nichols.
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