Summary
Bellaire Elementary in San Antonio, TX, is a PK-5 campus within the Harlandale Independent School District (Isd) serving 674 students, with over 83% qualifying for free or reduced lunch, and it has consistently ranked in the bottom 10% of Texas elementary schools over the past decade.
The most critical challenge at Bellaire is its severe underperformance in mathematics. For example, only 9.09% of 3rd graders were proficient in math in 2025-2026, far below the state average of 44.33%. This is an outlier even among nearby struggling schools, as H W Schulze Elementary, just one mile away, achieved 41.56% proficiency in the same grade and subject. However, there is a surprising "bilingual advantage": Bellaire’s Spanish-language (STAAR Spanish) math scores are significantly higher, with 4th graders achieving 52% proficiency compared to the state average of 29.41%. This suggests the bilingual program may be more effective in teaching math concepts than the general education program. Additionally, the school’s Gifted and Talented program, which once ranked in the 100th percentile statewide, has seen a dramatic decline to the 44th percentile, indicating potential changes in program structure or staffing.
Despite these struggles, there are bright spots. In 5th Grade Reading (English), Bellaire’s proficiency rate of 38.54% is much closer to the district average of 42.9%, showing some success in developing English reading comprehension by upper grades. Notably, spending is not correlated with success—Bellaire’s per-student spending ($11,667) is similar to H.W. Schulze ($11,677), which ranks in the 52nd percentile, proving that improvement is possible within the same district and community context. Nearby Vestal Elementary performs even worse, ranking in the 3rd percentile, highlighting the concentration of challenges in this area. Bellaire needs a targeted intervention in its English-language math curriculum while scaling the successful strategies from its bilingual program.
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