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Waters Elementary

Q: Is Waters Elementary a good school?

Waters Elementary ranks 2422 nd of 4627 Texas elementary schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 2 stars out of 5.

Public Grades PK, KG-5

2422^nd

SchoolDigger Rank ?

of 4,627 Texas Elementary Schools

Better than 48% of Texas elementary schools

Summary

Waters Elementary is a mid-sized elementary school (PK-5) in the Lubbock Independent School District, serving 464 students in a residential area of south Lubbock, where about 73% of students qualify for free or reduced lunch. The school currently holds a 2-star rating, ranking in the 48th percentile statewide, which places it in the middle of the pack compared to other Texas elementary schools.

One of the most notable features of Waters is how it compares to its immediate neighbors. Within a 2.5-mile radius, schools like Miller Elementary (94th percentile), Roberts Elementary (88th percentile), and Honey Elementary (88th percentile) consistently rank in the top 20% of Texas elementary schools. Waters is a clear outlier in this high-performing neighborhood, performing significantly lower despite being in the same district. The school's biggest academic challenge is in mathematics, where proficiency rates for 3rd and 4th graders have consistently fallen below both district and state averages. For example, in the 2025-2026 school year, only 29.51% of 4th graders were proficient in math, compared to 47.32% in the district and 49.28% statewide—a stark contrast to Miller Elementary, where 69.81% of 4th graders were proficient.

Despite these challenges, Waters has some bright spots. The school shows a notable strength in serving its Special Education students, who ranked in the 74th percentile statewide in 2025-2026, earning a 4-star rating. Additionally, 5th graders consistently outperform younger students, often exceeding state and district averages in both reading and math, which suggests a particularly strong upper-grade teaching team. The school's performance has been volatile over the past decade, fluctuating between the 40th and 71st percentiles, making it difficult to identify a clear trend. Interestingly, spending per student at Waters ($9,367) is similar to that of higher-performing Miller Elementary ($9,184), highlighting that how money is used matters more than how much is spent.

464

Students ?

15.3

Student/teacher ratio ?

$8,387

Per pupil spending ?

73.3%

Free/discounted lunch ?

3006 78th St
Lubbock, TX 79423

(806) 219-7000

District: Lubbock Independent School District (Isd)

Students who attend Waters Elementary usually attend:

Middle:	Evans Middle
High:	Monterey High School

Racial breakdown:

Hispanic:

60.6%

White:

25.2%

African American:

9.1%

See top rated Texas elementary schools

Compare Waters Elementary to nearby elementary schools!

At a glance

▬ Ranking trend: Holding steady — 45th percentile in 2016 → 48th in 2026

Worth a look

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

Students meeting standards (2025-2026) ?

This school46%

District avg49%

Texas avg51%

2,422^nd of 4,627

Texas public elementary schools ?

Bottom 48%▲ up 3 pts since 2016

See the entire ranking list of Texas Elementary Schools →

★★★★★

SchoolDigger rating ?

10^th of 26Elementary Schools in the Lubbock Independent School District (Isd)

562^nd of 951Lubbock 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	44.4	2422 of 4627	47.7%	★★☆☆☆
2025	50.9	2090 of 4651	55.1%	★★★☆☆
2024	40.5	2809 of 4710	40.4%	★★☆☆☆
2023	65.5	1363 of 4647	70.7%	★★★★☆
2022	60.5	1566 of 4581	65.8%	★★★☆☆
2021	60.0	1522 of 4578	66.8%	★★★☆☆
2019	52.2	1914 of 4479	57.3%	★★★☆☆
2018	40.5	2520 of 4359	42.2%	★★☆☆☆
2017	47.2	2106 of 4329	51.4%	★★★☆☆
2016	49.0	2352 of 4286	45.1%	★★☆☆☆
2015	62.5	1645 of 4320	61.9%	★★★☆☆
2014	60.4	1741 of 4260	59.1%	★★★☆☆
2013	58.2	1844 of 4221	56.3%	★★★☆☆
2012	54.2	2035 of 4206	51.6%	★★★☆☆
2011	54.8	2146 of 4095	47.6%	★★☆☆☆
2010	63.7	1538 of 3937	60.9%	★★★☆☆
2009	71.6	988 of 3884	74.6%	★★★★☆
2008	69.4	1085 of 3768	71.2%	★★★★☆
2007	71.8	949 of 3724	74.5%	★★★★☆

African American

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Texas percentile	Rating
2026	48.9	1118 of 2406	53.5%	★★★☆☆
2025	62.1	560 of 1905	70.6%	★★★★☆
2024	31.4	1830 of 2443	25.1%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	52.7	980 of 2443	59.9%	★★★☆☆
2022	54.3	937 of 2421	61.3%	★★★☆☆
2021	50.5	1026 of 2444	58.0%	★★★☆☆
2019	48.5	1188 of 2515	52.8%	★★★☆☆
2018	27.2	2021 of 2483	18.6%	★☆☆☆☆

At Risk

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Texas percentile	Rating
2022	40.1	2811 of 4461	37.0%	★★☆☆☆
2021	32.3	3177 of 4331	26.6%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	43.2	2457 of 4295	42.8%	★★☆☆☆
2018	23.0	3781 of 4240	10.8%	★☆☆☆☆

English Language Learner

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Texas percentile	Rating
2018	8.5	3192 of 3226	1.1%	☆☆☆☆☆

Female

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Texas percentile	Rating
2026	31.7	3350 of 4575	26.8%	★☆☆☆☆
2025	45.4	1994 of 3744	46.7%	★★☆☆☆
2024	47.9	2316 of 4658	50.3%	★★★☆☆
2023	58.7	1652 of 4588	64.0%	★★★☆☆
2022	60.6	1539 of 4561	66.3%	★★★☆☆
2021	58.0	1600 of 4499	64.4%	★★★☆☆
2019	43.1	2468 of 4348	43.2%	★★☆☆☆
2018	38.3	2720 of 4306	36.8%	★★☆☆☆

Gifted and Talented

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Texas percentile	Rating
2026	54.7	1773 of 3075	42.3%	★★☆☆☆
2025	56.9	1427 of 2619	45.5%	★★☆☆☆
2023	51.6	1854 of 2980	37.8%	★★☆☆☆
2022	63.1	1238 of 2958	58.1%	★★★☆☆
2021	71.4	874 of 3006	70.9%	★★★★☆
2019	35.1	2537 of 3184	20.3%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	37.9	2390 of 3106	23.1%	★☆☆☆☆

Hispanic

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Texas percentile	Rating
2026	43.3	2540 of 4413	42.4%	★★☆☆☆
2025	43.1	2142 of 3644	41.2%	★★☆☆☆
2024	47.5	2293 of 4465	48.6%	★★☆☆☆
2023	65.4	1177 of 4401	73.3%	★★★★☆
2022	65.5	1138 of 4376	74.0%	★★★★☆
2021	59.3	1388 of 4329	67.9%	★★★☆☆
2019	42.2	2493 of 4188	40.5%	★★☆☆☆
2018	25.5	3492 of 4168	16.2%	★☆☆☆☆

Low Socio Economic Status

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Texas percentile	Rating
2026	49.8	2144 of 4520	52.6%	★★★☆☆
2025	47.8	1900 of 3705	48.7%	★★☆☆☆
2024	55.1	1858 of 4594	59.6%	★★★☆☆
2023	70.3	890 of 4521	80.3%	★★★★☆
2022	61.1	1422 of 4477	68.2%	★★★☆☆
2021	59.6	1423 of 4451	68.0%	★★★☆☆
2019	48.3	2177 of 4309	49.5%	★★☆☆☆
2018	34.7	3062 of 4264	28.2%	★☆☆☆☆

Male

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Texas percentile	Rating
2026	55.8	1772 of 4582	61.3%	★★★☆☆
2025	57.7	1381 of 3739	63.1%	★★★☆☆
2024	38.5	2914 of 4647	37.3%	★★☆☆☆
2023	68.8	1178 of 4585	74.3%	★★★★☆
2022	58.3	1694 of 4563	62.9%	★★★☆☆
2021	60.7	1456 of 4498	67.6%	★★★☆☆
2019	60.4	1441 of 4357	66.9%	★★★☆☆
2018	42.3	2430 of 4319	43.7%	★★☆☆☆

Multi-racial

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Texas percentile	Rating
2018	60.5	394 of 1046	62.3%	★★★☆☆

Special Education

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Texas percentile	Rating
2026	67.9	803 of 4301	81.3%	★★★★☆
2025	63.9	908 of 3549	74.4%	★★★★☆
2024	42.2	2423 of 4292	43.5%	★★☆☆☆
2023	59.8	1100 of 4086	73.1%	★★★★☆
2022	41.3	2181 of 3952	44.8%	★★☆☆☆
2021	24.7	3212 of 3799	15.5%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	28.9	2920 of 3684	20.7%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	32.8	2528 of 3558	28.9%	★☆☆☆☆

White

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Texas percentile	Rating
2026	50.3	1547 of 3006	48.5%	★★☆☆☆
2025	66.1	811 of 2612	69.0%	★★★☆☆
2024	45.9	1800 of 3108	42.1%	★★☆☆☆
2023	75.8	564 of 3106	81.8%	★★★★☆
2022	59.3	1191 of 3082	61.4%	★★★☆☆
2021	67.3	834 of 3082	72.9%	★★★★☆
2019	64.8	982 of 3142	68.7%	★★★☆☆
2018	58.3	1198 of 3127	61.7%	★★★☆☆

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)

Special Education (2026)81st percentile+34 vs school

Multi-racial (2018)62nd percentile+20 vs school

Male (2026)61st percentile+14 vs school

African American (2026)54th percentile+6 vs school

Low Socio Economic Status (2026)53rd percentile+5 vs school

White (2026)49th percentile~ school

Hispanic (2026)42nd percentile-5 vs school

Gifted and Talented (2026)42nd percentile-5 vs school

At Risk (2022)37th percentile-29 vs school

Female (2026)27th percentile-21 vs school

English Language Learner (2018)1st percentile-41 vs school

By subject vs Texas (2025-2026) ?

Reading52%-3 vs state

Mathematics41%-7 vs state

★

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Schools Near Waters 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 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 Spanish Reading 3rd Grade	STAAR Spanish Reading 4th Grade	STAAR Spanish Reading 5th Grade	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
Waters Elementary	Public	PK, KG-5	3006 78th St	Lubbock	79423	Lubbock County	Lubbock Independent School District (Isd)	No	No	(n/a)	Yes	(806) 219-7000	464	30	15.3	73.3%	117 (25.2%)	42 (9.1%)	281 (60.6%)	2 (0.4%)	1 (0.2%)	6 (1.3%)	15 (3.2%)	44.4	2422^nd of 4627 public elementary schools	47.7%		50.9	2090^th of 4651 public elementary schools	55.1%	332				45.2	48.3	59.7	38.7	29.5	51.4	$8,387
Miller Elementary	Public	PK, KG-5	6705 Joliet Dr	Lubbock	79413	Lubbock County	Lubbock Independent School District (Isd)	No	No	(n/a)	Yes	(806) 219-8100	675	40	16.8	41.2%	358 (53.0%)	23 (3.4%)	262 (38.8%)	7 (1.0%)	2 (0.3%)	0 (0.0%)	23 (3.4%)	91.9	296^th of 4627 public elementary schools	93.6%		87.4	478^th of 4651 public elementary schools	89.7%	182				71.4	78.3	86.9	64.3	69.8	72.9	$7,105
Honey Elementary	Public	PK, KG-5	3615 86th St	Lubbock	79423	Lubbock County	Lubbock Independent School District (Isd)	No	No	(n/a)	Yes	(806) 219-5900	442	30	14.6	49.1%	209 (47.3%)	25 (5.7%)	188 (42.5%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (0.2%)	1 (0.2%)	18 (4.1%)	86.1	538^th of 4627 public elementary schools	88.4%		81.7	691^st of 4651 public elementary schools	85.1%	153				63.9	80.8	85.5	50.8	86.5	62.9	$8,114
Parsons Elementary	Public	PK, KG-5	2811 58th St	Lubbock	79413	Lubbock County	Lubbock Independent School District (Isd)	No	No	(n/a)	Yes	(806) 219-6400	387	27	14.3	84.2%	69 (17.8%)	44 (11.4%)	258 (66.7%)	1 (0.3%)	1 (0.3%)	1 (0.3%)	13 (3.4%)	27.9	3572^nd of 4627 public elementary schools	22.8%		20	4025^th of 4651 public elementary schools	13.5%	453				36.5	20.8	65.1	21.2	22.9	39.7	$9,297
Bayless Elementary	Public	PK, KG-5	2115 58th St	Lubbock	79412	Lubbock County	Lubbock Independent School District (Isd)	No	No	(n/a)	Yes	(806) 219-5000	469	32	14.6	95.1%	43 (9.2%)	77 (16.4%)	325 (69.3%)	1 (0.2%)	3 (0.6%)	2 (0.4%)	18 (3.8%)	36	3023^rd of 4627 public elementary schools	34.7%		38.6	2879^th of 4651 public elementary schools	38.1%	144				38.9	42.6	51.0	38.9	35.5	49.0	$9,353
Roberts Elementary	Public	PK, KG-5	7901 Ave P	Lubbock	79423	Lubbock County	Lubbock Independent School District (Isd)	No	No	(n/a)	Yes	(806) 219-7900	526	36	14.6	79.8%	112 (21.3%)	50 (9.5%)	343 (65.2%)	1 (0.2%)	2 (0.4%)	0 (0.0%)	18 (3.4%)	85.1	573^rd of 4627 public elementary schools	87.6%		93.5	243^rd of 4651 public elementary schools	94.8%	330				72.9	81.8	66.7	65.9	64.4	59.0	$8,244
Lubbock-Cooper North Elementary	Public	PK, KG-5	3202 108th St	Lubbock	79423	Lubbock County	Lubbock-Cooper Independent School District (Isd)	No	No	(n/a)	Yes	(806) 993-2342	826	66	12.4	41.8%	303 (36.7%)	37 (4.5%)	454 (55.0%)	12 (1.5%)	1 (0.1%)	1 (0.1%)	18 (2.2%)	74.7	947^th of 4627 public elementary schools	79.5%		86.7	502^nd of 4651 public elementary schools	89.2%	445	38.1	54.6	37.5	66.1	67.5	67.3	54.7	54.0	55.8	$8,804
Wheelock Elementary	Public	PK, KG-5	3008 42nd St	Lubbock	79413	Lubbock County	Lubbock Independent School District (Isd)	No	No	(n/a)	Yes	(806) 219-7200	344	24	14.3	91.0%	33 (9.6%)	53 (15.4%)	252 (73.3%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	6 (1.7%)	29.2	3484^th of 4627 public elementary schools	24.7%		25.3	3712^th of 4651 public elementary schools	20.2%	228				36.6	31.6	48.9	22.0	43.9	46.7	$11,971
Maedgen Elementary	Public	PK, KG-5	4401 Nashville	Lubbock	79413	Lubbock County	Lubbock Independent School District (Isd)	No	No	(n/a)	Yes	(806) 219-6200	314	21	15.0	92.4%	56 (17.8%)	23 (7.3%)	226 (72.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (0.3%)	8 (2.5%)	48.6	2185^th of 4627 public elementary schools	52.8%		40.8	2721^st of 4651 public elementary schools	41.5%	536				47.5	47.4	51.1	37.5	49.1	57.8	$8,634
Hodges Elementary	Public	PK, KG-5	5001 Ave P	Lubbock	79412	Lubbock County	Lubbock Independent School District (Isd)	No	No	(n/a)	Yes	(806) 219-5800	292	25	11.6	93.2%	20 (6.8%)	49 (16.8%)	215 (73.6%)	2 (0.7%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (0.3%)	5 (1.7%)								(n/a)										$10,921

Frequently Asked Questions about Waters Elementary

How many students attend Waters Elementary?

In the 2024-25 school year, 464 students attended Waters Elementary.

Is Waters Elementary a good school?

Waters Elementary ranks 2422^nd of 4627 Texas elementary schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 2 stars out of 5.

What district is Waters Elementary in?

Lubbock Independent School District (Isd)

What schools do graduates of Waters Elementary attend?

Students who attend Waters Elementary usually go on to attend:

Middle : Evans Middle
High : Monterey High School

What is the racial makeup of Waters Elementary?

Students at Waters Elementary are 61% Hispanic, 25% White, 9% African American, 3% Two or more races, 1% Pacific Islander.

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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.