Summary
Bluebonnet Elementary in Hereford, TX, is a K-5 school serving 366 students within the Hereford Independent School District (Isd), a high-poverty school where about 87% of students qualify for free or reduced lunch. The school has a student-teacher ratio of 15.9, slightly better than the district average, but its overall state ranking has been highly volatile, swinging from the 13th percentile in 2019 to the 61st percentile in 2016, and settling at the 29th percentile in the most recent data. This instability suggests the school is sensitive to changes in student cohorts or instructional strategies, rather than having a consistently high-performing culture.
Compared to nearby schools, Bluebonnet sits in a middle ground but with a unique profile. Aikman Elementary, less than a mile away, serves a similar demographic (84% free/reduced lunch) but consistently ranks in the top 20% of Texas schools, outperforming Bluebonnet in nearly every subject, such as 62% vs. 42% in 3rd-grade Reading. In contrast, Northwest Elementary struggles at the 3rd percentile. Bluebonnet’s most striking feature is its exceptional performance with Special Education students in the 2024-2025 school year, ranking in the 93rd percentile statewide—a phenomenal achievement that placed it in the top 7% of Texas schools for this subgroup. However, this performance plummeted to the 17th percentile the following year, indicating a lack of consistent practices.
The school shows a clear strength in Mathematics, with 3rd graders outperforming the state average (49% vs. 44% proficient), but a persistent weakness in Reading across all grade levels. Science performance is also alarmingly low, with only 47% of 5th graders proficient in 2024-2025, down from 19.7% the prior year. Additionally, Gifted and Talented students consistently rank in the bottom 10% of the state, suggesting the school may not effectively identify or challenge its highest-ability students. The 2024-2025 "peak year" saw Bluebonnet jump to the 59th percentile overall, with strong subgroup rankings for Low SES (83rd) and English Language Learners (68th), raising the critical question of what was done differently and why it was not sustained.
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