Summary
Hardwick Elementary in Lubbock, TX, is a PK-5 public school in the Lubbock Independent School District (Isd) serving 534 students, with about 80% qualifying for free or reduced lunch, and it has historically been a solid mid-tier school but recently experienced a significant drop in performance.
Hardwick’s most critical story is its sharp recent decline. After years of stability in the 55th-68th percentile statewide, it fell to the 37th percentile in the 2025-2026 school year, earning a 2-star rating. This contrasts with nearby Wester Elementary, which jumped from the 56th to the 81st percentile over the same period. The drop is broad-based, affecting nearly every student subgroup, with the most dramatic declines seen in African American and Hispanic students. For example, African American students plummeted from the 61st percentile to the 21st percentile, and Hispanic students dropped from the 63rd to the 24th percentile. This suggests a systemic challenge rather than a problem with a single program.
Despite the overall trend, Hardwick shows inconsistent grade-level performance. In the 2024-2025 school year, 5th graders excelled in reading (61.64% proficient), outperforming the district and state, while 4th graders struggled (36.84% proficient). However, this "fifth grade bump" is fading, with 2025-2026 scores falling below district averages. Science remains a persistent weakness, with 5th-grade scores around 27% proficient, unlike Legacy Elementary in Frenship Independent School District (Isd), which achieved 56.25% proficiency. Spending is not the primary driver, as Hardwick’s per-student spending ($9,030) is mid-range compared to neighbors like Overton Elementary ($11,385, lower performance) and North Ridge Elementary ($7,935, better results). The school needs to urgently diagnose the root causes of this broad-based decline and address the persistent weakness in science.
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