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Garden Villas Elementary

Q: Is Garden Villas Elementary a good school?

Garden Villas Elementary ranks 2486 th of 4627 Texas elementary schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 2 stars out of 5.

Public, Magnet Grades PK, KG-5

2486^th

SchoolDigger Rank ?

of 4,627 Texas Elementary Schools

Better than 46% of Texas elementary schools

Summary

Garden Villas Elementary in Houston, TX, is a PK-5 campus within the Houston Independent School District (Isd) serving 363 students in a high-poverty area where over 90% qualify for free or reduced-price lunch. The school is showing a promising turnaround, climbing from the 28th percentile statewide in 2023-2024 to the 46th percentile in 2025-2026—its highest rank in a decade. This upward trajectory sets it apart from nearby schools like Lewis Elementary and Mading Elementary, which have dropped to the 7th percentile, while even higher-performing neighbors like Cornelius Elementary (74th percentile) have seen their rankings plateau.

One standout strength is 4th-grade mathematics, where Garden Villas achieved a 63.27% proficiency rate in 2025-2026—the highest among all nearby HISD elementary schools and well above district (50.28%) and state (49.28%) averages. The school also excels in Spanish-language assessments, with 3rd graders scoring 72.22% proficient on the Spanish math test in 2024-2025, far exceeding district and state averages. This suggests a highly effective bilingual or dual-language program. However, reading proficiency remains a challenge, with 3rd and 5th-grade scores (38.89% and 41.18%) lagging behind state averages, indicating literacy is a key area for growth.

Garden Villas invests over $10,000 per student and maintains a low student-teacher ratio of 13.9:1, which is more favorable than Cornelius Elementary ($9,436 per student, 17.7:1 ratio). The school has also shown a capacity for exceptional support for special education students, jumping from the 2nd percentile statewide in 2021-2022 to the 90th percentile in 2023-2024. While recent data shows a regression to the 41st percentile, this history of dramatic improvement suggests the school can replicate its successes. Overall, Garden Villas is a school on the rise, with specific strengths in 4th-grade math and bilingual education that could serve as models for further growth.

363

Students ?

13.9

Student/teacher ratio ?

$10,458

Per pupil spending ?

90.6%

Free/discounted lunch ?

7185 Santa Fe
Houston, TX 77061-2621

(713) 845-7484

District: Houston Independent School District (Isd)

Students who attend Garden Villas Elementary usually attend:

Middle:	Hartman Middle
High:	Sterling High School

Racial breakdown:

Hispanic:

73.0%

African American:

22.3%

White:

3.9%

See top rated Texas elementary schools

Compare Garden Villas Elementary to nearby elementary schools!

At a glance

▲ Ranking trend: Improving — 25th percentile in 2016 → 46th in 2026

Strengths

✓Ranking is trending up — up 21 percentile points since 2016

Worth a look

!Test scores below the Texas average (44% vs 50% meeting standards)

!Some student groups rank well below the school's overall statewide standing

Students meeting standards (2025-2026) ?

This school44%

District avg50%

Texas avg50%

2,486^th of 4,627

Texas public elementary schools ?

Bottom 46%▲ up 21 pts since 2016

From bottom 25% (2016) to bottom 46% (2026)

See the entire ranking list of Texas Elementary Schools →

★★★★★

SchoolDigger rating ?

85^th of 170Elementary Schools in the Houston Independent School District (Isd)

438^th of 951Houston Independent School District (Isd) among Texas districts

Statewide rank percentile over time (100 = the top-ranked school in the state; click a legend item to add a student group)

Show full rank history (all student groups)

All Students

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Texas percentile	Rating
2026	43.4	2486 of 4627	46.3%	★★☆☆☆
2025	39.9	2778 of 4651	40.3%	★★☆☆☆
2024	31.3	3378 of 4710	28.3%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	31.6	3296 of 4647	29.1%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	31.9	3262 of 4581	28.8%	★☆☆☆☆
2021	26.6	3410 of 4578	25.5%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	34.3	3078 of 4479	31.3%	★★☆☆☆
2018	41.6	2442 of 4359	44.0%	★★☆☆☆
2017	38.7	2615 of 4329	39.6%	★★☆☆☆
2016	32.0	3196 of 4286	25.4%	★☆☆☆☆
2015	39.1	2903 of 4320	32.8%	★★☆☆☆
2014	31.6	3327 of 4260	21.9%	★☆☆☆☆
2013	36.5	3061 of 4221	27.5%	★☆☆☆☆
2012	46.5	2487 of 4206	40.9%	★★☆☆☆
2011	51.9	2299 of 4095	43.9%	★★☆☆☆
2010	52.1	2222 of 3937	43.6%	★★☆☆☆
2009	41.5	2669 of 3884	31.3%	★★☆☆☆
2008	46.8	2335 of 3768	38.0%	★★☆☆☆
2007	28.3	3129 of 3724	16.0%	★☆☆☆☆
2006	30.5	2825 of 3476	18.7%	★☆☆☆☆
2005	20.3	3160 of 3475	9.1%	☆☆☆☆☆
2004	9.2	3379 of 3465	2.5%	☆☆☆☆☆

African American

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Texas percentile	Rating
2026	48.0	1158 of 2406	51.9%	★★★☆☆
2024	41.3	1443 of 2443	40.9%	★★☆☆☆
2023	45.1	1239 of 2443	49.3%	★★☆☆☆
2022	50.4	1071 of 2421	55.8%	★★★☆☆
2021	46.9	1148 of 2444	53.0%	★★★☆☆
2019	43.3	1410 of 2515	43.9%	★★☆☆☆
2018	54.7	943 of 2483	62.0%	★★★☆☆

At Risk

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Texas percentile	Rating
2022	44.1	2510 of 4461	43.7%	★★☆☆☆
2021	41.1	2491 of 4331	42.5%	★★☆☆☆
2019	43.4	2442 of 4295	43.1%	★★☆☆☆
2018	57.2	1493 of 4240	64.8%	★★★☆☆

English Language Learner

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Texas percentile	Rating
2024	39.0	2285 of 3668	37.7%	★★☆☆☆
2023	44.3	1999 of 3556	43.8%	★★☆☆☆
2022	40.2	2215 of 3487	36.5%	★★☆☆☆
2021	39.9	2085 of 3446	39.5%	★★☆☆☆
2019	58.1	1180 of 3333	64.6%	★★★☆☆
2018	52.4	1363 of 3226	57.7%	★★★☆☆

Female

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Texas percentile	Rating
2026	47.6	2251 of 4575	50.8%	★★★☆☆
2024	31.1	3426 of 4658	26.4%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	46.5	2387 of 4588	48.0%	★★☆☆☆
2022	29.5	3453 of 4561	24.3%	★☆☆☆☆
2021	22.9	3687 of 4499	18.0%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	36.9	2881 of 4348	33.7%	★★☆☆☆
2018	46.9	2178 of 4306	49.4%	★★☆☆☆

Gifted and Talented

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Texas percentile	Rating
2023	27.6	2594 of 2980	13.0%	★☆☆☆☆
2021	64.3	1222 of 3006	59.3%	★★★☆☆
2019	42.1	2325 of 3184	27.0%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	29.6	2625 of 3106	15.5%	★☆☆☆☆

Hispanic

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Texas percentile	Rating
2026	54.0	1817 of 4413	58.8%	★★★☆☆
2024	36.1	3049 of 4465	31.7%	★★☆☆☆
2023	44.0	2493 of 4401	43.4%	★★☆☆☆
2022	36.5	2999 of 4376	31.5%	★★☆☆☆
2021	33.3	3023 of 4329	30.2%	★★☆☆☆
2019	45.9	2265 of 4188	45.9%	★★☆☆☆
2018	50.6	1911 of 4168	54.2%	★★★☆☆

Low Socio Economic Status

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Texas percentile	Rating
2026	51.5	2019 of 4520	55.3%	★★★☆☆
2024	38.3	3023 of 4594	34.2%	★★☆☆☆
2023	40.2	2857 of 4521	36.8%	★★☆☆☆
2022	36.2	3073 of 4477	31.4%	★★☆☆☆
2021	36.0	2996 of 4451	32.7%	★★☆☆☆
2019	50.1	2061 of 4309	52.2%	★★★☆☆
2018	52.4	1871 of 4264	56.1%	★★★☆☆

Male

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Texas percentile	Rating
2026	42.4	2590 of 4582	43.5%	★★☆☆☆
2024	27.1	3654 of 4647	21.4%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	23.4	3800 of 4585	17.1%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	36.6	2950 of 4563	35.3%	★★☆☆☆
2021	33.5	2938 of 4498	34.7%	★★☆☆☆
2019	33.9	3083 of 4357	29.2%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	35.8	2856 of 4319	33.9%	★★☆☆☆

Special Education

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Texas percentile	Rating
2026	39.1	2547 of 4301	40.8%	★★☆☆☆
2024	79.9	442 of 4292	89.7%	★★★★☆
2022	14.0	3877 of 3952	1.9%	☆☆☆☆☆
2019	16.7	3582 of 3684	2.8%	☆☆☆☆☆
2018	44.8	1722 of 3558	51.6%	★★★☆☆

How student groups rank statewide ? (each group's percentile vs the same group at other schools — higher is better; the +/- beside each compares the group with this school's overall percentile)

Hispanic (2026)59th percentile+13 vs school

Low Socio Economic Status (2026)55th percentile+9 vs school

African American (2026)52nd percentile+6 vs school

Female (2026)51st percentile+5 vs school

At Risk (2022)44th percentile+15 vs school

Male (2026)43rd percentile-3 vs school

Special Education (2026)41st percentile-5 vs school

English Language Learner (2024)38th percentile+9 vs school

Gifted and Talented (2023)13th percentile-16 vs school

By subject vs Texas (2025-2026) ?

Reading47%-8 vs state

Mathematics45%~ state avg

2.0

1 rating · 1 written review

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What people are saying

by a parent
Sunday, October 2, 2016

Aside from the a few staff members the teachers are not very cordial and welcoming despite stating that the school has an open door policy for parents. After a recent ordeal i would not endorse this school! Close Quote

Schools Near Garden Villas Elementary

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Ranking:

E Elementary M Middle H High A Alternative P Private

Choose columns to see: Summary School Students/Teachers Ranking Test Scores Finance All

School													Students/Teachers											Ranking (2026)				Ranking (2025)				STAAR Spanish Reading (2026)			STAAR Spanish Mathematics (2026)			STAAR EOC Algebra I (2026)	STAAR Reading (2026)						STAAR Mathematics (2026)						STAAR Social Studies (2026)	Per Pupil Expenditures (2024)
Name	Type	Grades	Address	City	Zip	County	District	Is Charter	Is Magnet	Is Virtual	Is Title I	Phone	Enrollment	Full-time Teachers	Student/ Teacher Ratio	Free/Discounted Lunch Recipients	White	Black	Hispanic	Asian	American Indian	Pacific Islander	Two or More Races	Average Standard Score (2026)	Statewide Rank (2026)	State Percentile (2026)	SchoolDigger Rating (2026)	Average Standard Score (2025)	Statewide Rank (2025)	State Percentile (2025)	Rank Change from Previous Year	STAAR Spanish Reading 3rd Grade	STAAR Spanish Reading 4th Grade	STAAR Spanish Reading 5th Grade	STAAR Spanish Mathematics 3rd Grade	STAAR Spanish Mathematics 4th Grade	STAAR Spanish Mathematics 5th Grade	STAAR EOC Algebra I End of Course	STAAR Reading 3rd Grade	STAAR Reading 4th Grade	STAAR Reading 5th Grade	STAAR Reading 6th Grade	STAAR Reading 7th Grade	STAAR Reading 8th Grade	STAAR Mathematics 3rd Grade	STAAR Mathematics 4th Grade	STAAR Mathematics 5th Grade	STAAR Mathematics 6th Grade	STAAR Mathematics 7th Grade	STAAR Mathematics 8th Grade	STAAR Social Studies 8th Grade	Total
Garden Villas Elementary	Public, Magnet	PK, KG-5	7185 Santa Fe	Houston	77061	Harris County	Houston Independent School District (Isd)	No	Yes	(n/a)	Yes	(713) 845-7484	363	26	13.9	90.6%	14 (3.9%)	81 (22.3%)	265 (73.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	3 (0.8%)	43.4	2486^th of 4627 public elementary schools	46.3%		39.9	2778^th of 4651 public elementary schools	40.3%	292	36.4			0.0				38.9	59.1	41.2				21.4	63.3	46.2					$10,458
Academy Of Accelerated Learning	Public, Charter	PK, KG-8	6711 Bellfort St	Houston	77087	Harris County	Academy Of Accelerated Learning Inc	Yes	No	(n/a)	Yes	(713) 645-0336	738	43	17.0	88.3%	26 (3.5%)	187 (25.3%)	484 (65.6%)	10 (1.4%)	24 (3.3%)	1 (0.1%)	6 (0.8%)	36.7	2971^st of 4627 public elementary schools	35.8%		22.5	3886^th of 4651 public elementary schools	16.4%	915							79.4	34.9	36.3	55.9	34.4	33.9	60.7	43.9	38.0	54.4	34.4	41.1	14.8	16.7	$15,336
Gregg Elementary	Public	PK, KG-5	6701 Roxbury	Houston	77087	Harris County	Houston Independent School District (Isd)	No	No	(n/a)	Yes	(713) 845-7432	289	23	12.3	96.9%	0 (0.0%)	40 (13.8%)	246 (85.1%)	2 (0.7%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (0.3%)	62.8	1472^nd of 4627 public elementary schools	68.2%		60.4	1556^th of 4651 public elementary schools	66.5%	84	28.6	58.3						34.5	50.0	71.9				45.5	55.6	76.5					$14,334
Seguin Elementary	Public	PK, KG-5	5905 Waltrip	Houston	77087	Harris County	Houston Independent School District (Isd)	No	No	(n/a)	Yes	(713) 845-5600	395	27	14.6	97.2%	4 (1.0%)	34 (8.6%)	353 (89.4%)	1 (0.3%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	3 (0.8%)	61.9	1519^th of 4627 public elementary schools	67.2%		57.7	1684^th of 4651 public elementary schools	63.8%	165	9.1	35.7		31.3	35.3			53.7	47.5	52.4				63.9	64.9	56.1					$15,417
Cornelius Elementary	Public, Magnet	PK, KG-5	7475 Westover St	Houston	77087	Harris County	Houston Independent School District (Isd)	No	Yes	(n/a)	Yes	(713) 845-7405	763	43	17.7	95.0%	9 (1.2%)	84 (11.0%)	660 (86.5%)	5 (0.7%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	5 (0.7%)	68.9	1191^st of 4627 public elementary schools	74.3%		63.8	1392^nd of 4651 public elementary schools	70.1%	201	16.7	11.1	40.0			14.3		53.6	54.1	62.0				55.1	63.9	57.9					$8,944
Lewis Elementary	Public	PK, KG-5	6745 Tipperary	Houston	77061	Harris County	Houston Independent School District (Isd)	No	No	(n/a)	Yes	(713) 845-7453	675	49	13.8	99.6%	3 (0.4%)	73 (10.8%)	592 (87.7%)	2 (0.3%)	1 (0.1%)	0 (0.0%)	4 (0.6%)	14.5	4319^th of 4627 public elementary schools	6.7%		29	3496^th of 4651 public elementary schools	24.8%	823	23.5	40.7	11.8	25.7	31.2	0.0		38.3	32.4	34.8				12.2	32.4	27.3					$11,409
Mading Elementary	Public	PK, KG-5	8511 Crestmont St	Houston	77033	Harris County	Houston Independent School District (Isd)	No	No	(n/a)	Yes	(713) 732-3560	298	22	13.6	96.3%	1 (0.3%)	182 (61.1%)	113 (37.9%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (0.3%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (0.3%)	15	4292^nd of 4627 public elementary schools	7.2%		24	3792^nd of 4651 public elementary schools	18.5%	500								29.0	41.7	37.2				22.6	25.0	25.0					$11,604
Bellfort Early Childhood Center	Public	PK-K	7647 Bellfort	Houston	77061	Harris County	Houston Independent School District (Isd)	No	No	(n/a)	Yes	(713) 640-0950	313	18	17.3	98.7%	7 (2.2%)	66 (21.1%)	239 (76.4%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (0.3%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)								(n/a)																					$10,727
Alcott Elementary	Public	PK, KG-5	5859 Bellfort	Houston	77033	Harris County	Houston Independent School District (Isd)	No	No	(n/a)	Yes	(713) 732-3540	202	17	11.8	98.0%	4 (2.0%)	140 (69.3%)	57 (28.2%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (0.5%)	30.6	3394^th of 4627 public elementary schools	26.6%		22.6	3876^th of 4651 public elementary schools	16.7%	482								37.5	38.1	52.2				30.3	33.3	47.8					$19,492
Golfcrest Elementary	Public	PK, KG-5	7414 Fairway Dr	Houston	77087	Harris County	Houston Independent School District (Isd)	No	No	(n/a)	Yes	(713) 845-7425	372	28	13.2	96.8%	4 (1.1%)	27 (7.3%)	339 (91.1%)	1 (0.3%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (0.3%)	26.6	3654^th of 4627 public elementary schools	21.0%		37.6	2950^th of 4651 public elementary schools	36.6%	704	0.0	8.3		63.3	8.3			55.6	37.1	35.1				21.7	22.9	35.1					$11,694

Frequently Asked Questions about Garden Villas Elementary

What schools do graduates of Garden Villas Elementary attend?

Students who attend Garden Villas Elementary usually go on to attend:

Middle : Hartman Middle
High : Sterling High School

What district is Garden Villas Elementary in?

Houston Independent School District (Isd)

Is Garden Villas Elementary a good school?

Garden Villas Elementary ranks 2486^th of 4627 Texas elementary schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 2 stars out of 5.

What is the racial makeup of Garden Villas Elementary?

Students at Garden Villas Elementary are 73% Hispanic, 22% African American, 4% White.

How many students attend Garden Villas Elementary?

In the 2024-25 school year, 363 students attended Garden Villas Elementary.

Rate Garden Villas Elementary!

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Latest Texas data All new data »

2025–26 STAAR, STAAR EOC & STAAR Spanish test scoresJun 12, 2026

2021–22 through 2023–24 school spending dataJan 10, 2026

2023–24 dropout rates & graduation ratesSep 17, 2025

2024–25 STAAR EOC & STAAR Spanish test scoresJun 23, 2025

SchoolDigger data sources: National Center for Education Statistics, U.S. Department of Education, the U.S. Census Bureau and the Texas Education Agency.

IMPORTANT DISCLAIMERS: Not all boundaries are included. We make every effort to ensure that boundaries are up-to-date. But it's important to note that these are approximations and are for general informational purposes only. To verify legal descriptions of boundaries or school locations, contact your local tax assessor's office and/or school district.