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Don Carter Elementary

Public Grades PK, KG-5

302^nd

SchoolDigger Rank ?

of 4,627 Texas Elementary Schools

Better than 93% of Texas elementary schools

Summary

Don Carter Elementary in Richmond, TX, is a top-performing school serving 758 students in grades PK through 5 as part of the Lamar Consolidated Independent School District, consistently ranking in the top 7% of all Texas elementary schools (93rd percentile) while serving a diverse student body where nearly 38% qualify for free or reduced lunch.

What truly sets Don Carter Elementary apart is its remarkable ability to achieve high academic results across all student groups. The school excels in mathematics, with 5th-grade math proficiency reaching 85.83%—far exceeding state and district averages and rivaling nearby top schools like Bess Campbell Elementary (87.76%) and Susanna Dickinson Elementary (83.81%). Even more impressive, Don Carter achieves these outcomes while serving a more economically diverse population than those schools. The school also demonstrates exceptional support for English Language Learners (97th percentile statewide) and students from low socioeconomic backgrounds (96th percentile), showing that every child can thrive here. This stands in stark contrast to its closest neighbor, Cora Thomas Elementary, which serves a similar demographic but ranks significantly lower (79th percentile) and trails Don Carter in every tested subject.

Don Carter Elementary also stands out for its efficiency and steady growth. Despite spending less per student ($9,254) than several lower-ranked nearby schools like Smith Elementary ($14,401), the school delivers superior academic outcomes—a testament to effective resource management and strong instructional leadership. The school has shown consistent improvement over time, rising from the 88th percentile in 2019 to the 93rd percentile in 2026, with a peak at the 95th percentile in 2022. This stability signals a reliable, high-quality education environment where families can expect excellent results year after year.

758

Students ?

16.5

Student/teacher ratio ?

$8,381

Per pupil spending ?

38%

Free/discounted lunch ?

8500 A Meyers Rd
Richmond, TX 77469

(832) 223-5500

District: Lamar Consolidated Independent School District

Students who attend Don Carter Elementary usually attend:

Middle:	Reading Jh
High:	George Ranch High School

Racial breakdown:

African American:

26.3%

Asian:

25.7%

Hispanic:

22.3%

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At a glance

▲ Ranking trend: Improving — 88th percentile in 2019 → 93rd in 2026

Strengths

✓Test scores above the Texas average (75% vs 51% meeting standards)

✓Ranks in the top 7% of Texas elementary schools

✓Ranking is trending up — up 5 percentile points since 2019

Worth a look

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

Students meeting standards (2025-2026) ?

This school75%

District avg63%

Texas avg51%

302^nd of 4,627

Texas public elementary schools ?

Top 7%▲ up 6 pts since 2019

From top 12% (2019) to top 7% (2026)

See the entire ranking list of Texas Elementary Schools →

★★★★★

SchoolDigger rating ?

4^th of 33Elementary Schools in the Lamar Consolidated Independent School District

196^th of 951Lamar Consolidated Independent School District 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	91.8	302 of 4627	93.5%	★★★★★
2025	92.1	300 of 4651	93.5%	★★★★★
2024	91.0	333 of 4710	92.9%	★★★★★
2023	88.6	431 of 4647	90.7%	★★★★★
2022	93.0	238 of 4581	94.8%	★★★★★
2021	88.2	467 of 4578	89.8%	★★★★☆
2019	84.1	555 of 4479	87.6%	★★★★☆

African American

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Texas percentile	Rating
2026	89.9	101 of 2406	95.8%	★★★★★
2024	91.4	88 of 2443	96.4%	★★★★★
2023	93.2	78 of 2443	96.8%	★★★★★
2022	92.4	92 of 2421	96.2%	★★★★★
2021	89.0	126 of 2444	94.8%	★★★★★
2019	73.5	404 of 2515	83.9%	★★★★☆

Asian

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Texas percentile	Rating
2026	63.5	423 of 999	57.7%	★★★☆☆
2024	66.3	344 of 1045	67.1%	★★★☆☆
2023	59.2	460 of 1015	54.7%	★★★☆☆
2022	65.3	323 of 957	66.2%	★★★☆☆
2021	58.6	405 of 967	58.1%	★★★☆☆
2019	65.7	321 of 1009	68.2%	★★★☆☆

At Risk

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Texas percentile	Rating
2022	80.4	427 of 4461	90.4%	★★★★★
2021	82.3	317 of 4331	92.7%	★★★★★
2019	84.3	295 of 4295	93.1%	★★★★★

English Language Learner

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Texas percentile	Rating
2026	91.5	42 of 1643	97.4%	★★★★★
2024	91.5	182 of 3668	95.0%	★★★★★
2023	86.5	213 of 3556	94.0%	★★★★★
2022	82.2	313 of 3487	91.0%	★★★★★
2021	58.0	1080 of 3446	68.7%	★★★☆☆
2019	83.5	235 of 3333	92.9%	★★★★★

Female

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Texas percentile	Rating
2026	89.7	311 of 4575	93.2%	★★★★★
2024	89.8	320 of 4658	93.1%	★★★★★
2023	89.3	351 of 4588	92.3%	★★★★★
2022	92.5	214 of 4561	95.3%	★★★★★
2021	85.7	501 of 4499	88.9%	★★★★☆
2019	81.5	576 of 4348	86.8%	★★★★☆

Gifted and Talented

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Texas percentile	Rating
2026	69.5	757 of 3075	75.4%	★★★★☆
2023	71.9	654 of 2980	78.1%	★★★★☆
2022	67.4	961 of 2958	67.5%	★★★☆☆
2021	69.7	965 of 3006	67.9%	★★★☆☆
2019	54.1	1843 of 3184	42.1%	★★☆☆☆

Hispanic

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Texas percentile	Rating
2026	92.3	145 of 4413	96.7%	★★★★★
2024	82.0	460 of 4465	89.7%	★★★★☆
2023	73.9	764 of 4401	82.6%	★★★★☆
2022	94.2	114 of 4376	97.4%	★★★★★
2021	76.8	620 of 4329	85.7%	★★★★☆
2019	76.1	606 of 4188	85.5%	★★★★☆

Low Socio Economic Status

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Texas percentile	Rating
2026	90.4	173 of 4520	96.2%	★★★★★
2024	89.9	168 of 4594	96.3%	★★★★★
2023	92.3	112 of 4521	97.5%	★★★★★
2022	91.4	144 of 4477	96.8%	★★★★★
2021	87.3	213 of 4451	95.2%	★★★★★
2019	74.1	631 of 4309	85.4%	★★★★☆

Male

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Texas percentile	Rating
2026	90.3	306 of 4582	93.3%	★★★★★
2024	87.9	401 of 4647	91.4%	★★★★★
2023	84.2	546 of 4585	88.1%	★★★★☆
2022	90.9	284 of 4563	93.8%	★★★★★
2021	87.4	439 of 4498	90.2%	★★★★★
2019	83.2	534 of 4357	87.7%	★★★★☆

Multi-racial

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Texas percentile	Rating
2026	65.8	357 of 1106	67.7%	★★★☆☆
2024	89.7	39 of 1128	96.5%	★★★★★
2023	78.6	178 of 1099	83.8%	★★★★☆
2022	76.6	170 of 1004	83.1%	★★★★☆
2021	85.2	83 of 961	91.4%	★★★★★
2019	71.3	251 of 1112	77.4%	★★★★☆

Special Education

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Texas percentile	Rating
2026	86.9	262 of 4301	93.9%	★★★★★
2024	68.1	879 of 4292	79.5%	★★★★☆
2023	75.9	502 of 4086	87.7%	★★★★☆
2022	83.4	300 of 3952	92.4%	★★★★★
2021	74.6	454 of 3799	88.0%	★★★★☆
2019	60.5	922 of 3684	75.0%	★★★★☆

White

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Texas percentile	Rating
2026	76.8	528 of 3006	82.4%	★★★★☆
2024	79.5	405 of 3108	87.0%	★★★★☆
2023	85.4	237 of 3106	92.4%	★★★★★
2022	89.3	127 of 3082	95.9%	★★★★★
2021	83.0	285 of 3082	90.8%	★★★★★
2019	75.3	565 of 3142	82.0%	★★★★☆

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)

English Language Learner (2026)97th percentile+4 vs school

Hispanic (2026)97th percentile+3 vs school

Low Socio Economic Status (2026)96th percentile+3 vs school

African American (2026)96th percentile~ school

Special Education (2026)94th percentile~ school

Male (2026)93rd percentile~ school

Female (2026)93rd percentile~ school

At Risk (2022)90th percentile-4 vs school

White (2026)82nd percentile-11 vs school

Gifted and Talented (2026)75th percentile-18 vs school

Multi-racial (2026)68th percentile-26 vs school

Asian (2026)58th percentile-36 vs school

By subject vs Texas (2025-2026) ?

Mathematics75%+28 vs state

Reading75%+21 vs state

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Schools Near Don Carter 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 Reading (2026)			STAAR Mathematics (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 Reading 3rd Grade	STAAR Reading 4th Grade	STAAR Reading 5th Grade	STAAR Mathematics 3rd Grade	STAAR Mathematics 4th Grade	STAAR Mathematics 5th Grade	Total
Don Carter Elementary	Public	PK, KG-5	8500 A Meyers Rd	Richmond	77469	Fort Bend County	Lamar Consolidated Independent School District	No	No	(n/a)	No	(832) 223-5500	758	46	16.5	38.0%	149 (19.7%)	199 (26.3%)	169 (22.3%)	195 (25.7%)	3 (0.4%)	0 (0.0%)	43 (5.7%)	91.8	302^nd of 4627 public elementary schools	93.5%		92.1	300^th of 4651 public elementary schools	93.5%	2	70.9	71.5	82.7	60.0	77.4	85.8	$8,381
Cora Thomas Elementary	Public	PK, KG-5	6822 Irby Cobb Blvd	Richmond	77469	Fort Bend County	Lamar Consolidated Independent School District	No	No	(n/a)	Yes	(832) 223-4600	678	41	16.4	46.2%	89 (13.1%)	215 (31.7%)	236 (34.8%)	107 (15.8%)	1 (0.1%)	0 (0.0%)	30 (4.4%)	74.5	954^th of 4627 public elementary schools	79.4%		77.9	839^th of 4651 public elementary schools	82.0%	115	53.6	62.7	68.8	45.4	67.0	71.9	$8,934
Manford Williams Elementary	Public	PK, KG-5	5111 Fm 762	Richmond	77469	Fort Bend County	Lamar Consolidated Independent School District	No	No	(n/a)	Yes	(832) 223-2700	683	39	17.5	47.4%	91 (13.3%)	205 (30.0%)	220 (32.2%)	131 (19.2%)	1 (0.1%)	1 (0.1%)	34 (5.0%)	81.7	709^th of 4627 public elementary schools	84.7%		86.8	501^st of 4651 public elementary schools	89.2%	208	79.0	68.2	74.4	48.0	56.1	72.7	$9,371
John Arredondo Elementary	Public	PK, KG-5	6110 August Green Dr	Richmond	77469	Fort Bend County	Lamar Consolidated Independent School District	No	No	(n/a)	Yes	(832) 223-4800	678	40	17.0	45.9%	78 (11.5%)	223 (32.9%)	246 (36.3%)	103 (15.2%)	1 (0.1%)	0 (0.0%)	27 (4.0%)	69.7	1151^st of 4627 public elementary schools	75.1%		76.3	894^th of 4651 public elementary schools	80.8%	257	58.2	52.6	71.4	39.6	64.2	66.3	$9,669
William Velasquez Elementary	Public	PK, KG-5	402 Macek Rd	Richmond	77469	Fort Bend County	Lamar Consolidated Independent School District	No	No	(n/a)	Yes	(832) 223-2600	493	28	17.5	51.3%	103 (20.9%)	133 (27.0%)	204 (41.4%)	29 (5.9%)	2 (0.4%)	3 (0.6%)	19 (3.9%)	60.7	1586^th of 4627 public elementary schools	65.7%		65	1352^nd of 4651 public elementary schools	70.9%	234	66.0	61.3	55.0	55.8	48.4	45.0	$10,718
Susanna Dickinson Elementary	Public	PK, KG-5	7110 Greatwood Pkwy	Sugar Land	77479	Fort Bend County	Lamar Consolidated Independent School District	No	No	(n/a)	No	(832) 223-1400	616	38	16.0	12.8%	331 (53.7%)	38 (6.2%)	135 (21.9%)	69 (11.2%)	2 (0.3%)	0 (0.0%)	41 (6.7%)	96.4	114^th of 4627 public elementary schools	97.5%		96.6	118^th of 4651 public elementary schools	97.5%	4	87.7	80.0	82.9	71.4	82.9	83.8	$9,115
Adriane Mathews Gray Elementary	Public	PK, KG-5	5055 Sunrise Meadow Ln	Richmond	77469	Fort Bend County	Lamar Consolidated Independent School District	No	(n/a)	(n/a)	(n/a)	(832) 223-6400	618	36	17.1	52.1%	51 (8.3%)	195 (31.6%)	277 (44.8%)	63 (10.2%)	1 (0.2%)	0 (0.0%)	31 (5.0%)	65.6	1319^th of 4627 public elementary schools	71.5%		44.8	2449^th of 4651 public elementary schools	47.3%	1130	54.9	54.2	65.7	41.6	57.3	65.7	$10,498
Irma Dru Hutchison Elementary	Public	PK, KG-5	3602 Williams Way	Richmond	77469	Fort Bend County	Lamar Consolidated Independent School District	No	No	(n/a)	Yes	(832) 223-1700	543	33	16.5	48.1%	61 (11.2%)	166 (30.6%)	166 (30.6%)	123 (22.7%)	2 (0.4%)	2 (0.4%)	23 (4.2%)	67.9	1230^th of 4627 public elementary schools	73.4%		71.1	1083^rd of 4651 public elementary schools	76.7%	147	58.5	57.9	63.3	46.3	59.2	58.3	$9,641
Phelan Elementary	Public	PK, KG-5	1600 Great Blue Heron Ln	Richmond	77469	Fort Bend County	Lamar Consolidated Independent School District	No	(n/a)	(n/a)	(n/a)	(832) 223-4500	743	38	19.7	46.8%	97 (13.1%)	254 (34.2%)	223 (30.0%)	140 (18.8%)	2 (0.3%)	0 (0.0%)	27 (3.6%)	62.2	1505^th of 4627 public elementary schools	67.5%		59.4	1611^th of 4651 public elementary schools	65.4%	106	63.9	67.6	60.0	48.6	57.1	33.3	$9,054
Bess Campbell Elementary	Public	PK, KG-5	1000 Shadow Bend Dr	Sugar Land	77479	Fort Bend County	Lamar Consolidated Independent School District	No	No	(n/a)	No	(832) 223-1300	580	39	14.7	19.5%	271 (46.7%)	89 (15.3%)	105 (18.1%)	79 (13.6%)	1 (0.2%)	1 (0.2%)	34 (5.9%)	98	52^nd of 4627 public elementary schools	98.9%		97.5	77^th of 4651 public elementary schools	98.3%	25	87.4	83.0	89.8	76.8	88.4	87.8	$12,513

Frequently Asked Questions about Don Carter Elementary

What is the racial makeup of Don Carter Elementary?

Students at Don Carter Elementary are 26% African American, 26% Asian, 22% Hispanic, 20% White, 6% Two or more races.

What district is Don Carter Elementary in?

Lamar Consolidated Independent School District

Is Don Carter Elementary a good school?

Yes. Don Carter Elementary ranks in the top 6.5% of Texas elementary schools.

What schools do graduates of Don Carter Elementary attend?

Students who attend Don Carter Elementary usually go on to attend:

Middle : Reading Jh
High : George Ranch High School

How many students attend Don Carter Elementary?

In the 2024-25 school year, 758 students attended Don Carter 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.