Summary
Passmore Elementary in San Antonio, TX, is a PK-5 school serving 384 students within the Northside Independent School District (Isd), and it currently ranks in the 5th percentile statewide, making it one of the lowest-performing schools in Texas. The school has experienced a steep and persistent academic decline since the mid-2010s, when it consistently ranked in the 34th to 41st percentile. This is a more dramatic drop than any nearby school; for example, Westwood Terrace Elementary, just 1.83 miles away, has actually improved from the 23rd to the 37th percentile over the same period. While Passmore serves a highly disadvantaged population—with over 91% of students qualifying for free or reduced lunch—its challenges are not solely due to poverty, as Jubilee Westwood, located only 0.16 miles away and serving a similarly high-poverty community, ranks higher (21st percentile) and generally outperforms Passmore in most subjects.
The most alarming academic metric is the performance of 5th graders in Mathematics, where only 5.77% were proficient in the 2025-2026 school year—far below the district (44.98%) and state (47.38%) averages, and the lowest score among all nearby schools. This creates a "5th grade math cliff," with proficiency dropping from 31.58% in 3rd grade to 20.51% in 4th grade, then plummeting to 5.77% in 5th grade, suggesting a systemic issue in upper-grade math instruction. In a notable contrast, the school’s Spanish-language STAAR exams show a relative strength: 3rd graders taking math in Spanish scored 33.33% proficient, outperforming the state average (27.28%), and 4th graders scored 37.5%, significantly higher than the district (28.13%) and state (29.41%). This suggests the bilingual program may be more effective than the general education program.
Despite its overall struggles, Passmore has shown a remarkable ability to serve its Special Education students, who ranked in the 57th percentile statewide in 2023-2024, earning a 3-star rating—a stark contrast to the school’s overall performance. However, the school’s per-student spending ($12,084) is higher than nearby peers like Martin Elementary ($11,079) and Cable Elementary ($11,894), yet its academic outcomes are among the lowest, raising questions about resource allocation. The school maintains a favorable student-to-teacher ratio of approximately 12:1, which is lower than many nearby schools and suggests potential for more individualized instruction, but this advantage has not translated into improved academic results.
Thank you for your feedback!