Phelan Elementary

Phelan Elementary in Richmond, TX, is a mid-sized school serving 743 students from Pre-K through 5th grade within the highly rated Lamar Consolidated Independent School District, and it has shown steady improvement over the past three years, moving from a 3-star rating in the 55th percentile to a 3-star rating in the 67th percentile.

Phelan Elementary stands out for its exceptional growth in supporting specific student groups. The school ranks in the 81st percentile for its African American students, a remarkable jump from the 68th percentile two years ago, and has dramatically improved support for Special Education students, soaring from the bottom 20th percentile to the 66th percentile. However, the school faces challenges in upper elementary grades: only 33% of 5th graders were proficient in Math in the latest year, far below the district average of 62%, and 5th-grade Science scores have persistently hovered around 23-25% for three years. This is a sharp contrast to 4th-grade Math, where 57% of students are proficient—above the state average—and 3rd-grade Reading has improved from 44% to nearly 64% proficiency, indicating strong early literacy programs.

Compared to nearby schools, Phelan’s performance is notable but has room to grow. While T L Pink Elementary has a similar overall rank (69th percentile), it serves a much higher percentage of economically disadvantaged students (83%) yet achieves higher 5th-grade Reading scores (68%) than Phelan (60%). Meanwhile, Susanna Dickinson Elementary, just 3.45 miles away, is a 5-star school in the 98th percentile with only 13% economically disadvantaged students, highlighting how socioeconomic factors influence rankings. Phelan’s improvement is especially impressive given its diverse student body, and its consistent upward trend suggests a school on the rise, though it must address specific weak points in 5th-grade Math and Science to reach the next level.