Southgate Stem Elementary

Southgate Stem Elementary is a PK-5 school in the Garland Independent School District (Isd) serving 431 students in a high-poverty area, with 94.2% of students qualifying for free or reduced lunch. The school has shown improvement, moving from the 7th to the 16th percentile statewide, but still performs below district and state averages in most subjects. A key strength is its Special Education program, which ranks in the 54th percentile (3 stars), a bright spot compared to overall performance. However, there is a significant gender achievement gap, with female students performing at the 45th percentile and male students at just the 5th percentile, a 40-point difference.

Despite its "STEM" label, math proficiency is critically low, with only 24% to 30% of 3rd through 5th graders meeting standards, roughly half the district average. Reading scores also show a dramatic drop in 5th grade, where only 28.95% are proficient, down from 50% in 4th grade. Nearby schools like Watson Technology Center (95th percentile) and Hillside Academy For Excel (90th percentile) have significantly lower poverty rates (57% and 59% respectively), highlighting the challenge Southgate faces. Even Caldwell Elementary, just 0.51 miles away with a similar poverty rate (94.79%), ranks higher at the 21st percentile, showing improvement is possible but inconsistent.

Southgate is making progress in bilingual reading instruction, with 4th grade Spanish reading scores improving from 11.11% to 26.47% proficiency, though math instruction for English Language Learners remains a challenge. The school's success will depend on replicating gains in 3rd and 4th grades across all levels and finding new strategies to support male students and English Language Learners. While the school is fighting a harder battle than its higher-performing neighbors, its improvement from a 0-star to a 1-star rating shows that positive change is underway.