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Berta S Palacios Elementary

Q: Is Berta S Palacios Elementary a good school?

Berta S Palacios Elementary ranks 1196 th of 4627 Texas elementary schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 4 stars out of 5.

Public Grades PK, KG-5

1196^th

SchoolDigger Rank ?

of 4,627 Texas Elementary Schools

Better than 74% of Texas elementary schools

Summary

Berta S Palacios Elementary in Pharr, TX, is a PK-5 school in the Pharr-San Juan-Alamo Independent School District (Isd) serving 470 students, and it has achieved a remarkable turnaround from a 1-star rating to a 4-star rating over the past five years, now ranking in the 74th percentile statewide.

This school stands out for its exceptional ability to support all students, especially those facing economic challenges. Over 99% of its students qualify for free or reduced lunch, yet the school ranks in the 97th percentile statewide for its low-income students—a feat unmatched by nearby schools like Cesar Chavez Elementary. It also excels with special education students, ranking in the 95th percentile, and its gifted and talented program ranks in the 98th percentile. In math, the school outperforms the district and state averages, with 66.67% of 4th graders proficient compared to 49.28% statewide. Its bilingual program is a major strength, with 63.64% of 5th graders proficient in Spanish reading versus 34.82% statewide, far surpassing schools like Geraldine Palmer Elementary.

While the school shows a dip in 3rd grade English reading—50% proficient versus 51.08% statewide—students quickly catch up by 4th and 5th grade, indicating effective interventions. Compared to Cesar Chavez Elementary, which is just 0.27 miles away and has higher overall math scores, Berta S Palacios is the equity champion, ensuring all students succeed regardless of their starting point. The school achieves these results with a per-student spending of $12,078, showing efficient use of resources. This is a school that has transformed itself into a model of inclusive, high-quality education.

470

Students ?

15.1

Student/teacher ratio ?

$11,941

Per pupil spending ?

99.6%

Free/discounted lunch ?

801 E Thomas Dr
Pharr, TX 78577

(956) 354-2000

District: Pharr-San Juan-Alamo Independent School District (Isd)

Students who attend Berta S Palacios Elementary usually attend:

Middle:	Jaime Escalante Middle
High:	Psja Southwest Early College High School

Racial breakdown:

Hispanic:

99.1%

White:

0.6%

African American:

0.2%

See top rated Texas elementary schools

Compare Berta S Palacios Elementary to nearby elementary schools!

At a glance

▲ Ranking trend: Improving — 50th percentile in 2016 → 74th in 2026

Strengths

✓Test scores above the Texas average (56% vs 50% meeting standards)

✓Ranking is trending up — up 24 percentile points since 2016

✓Above the Texas median (74th percentile)

Students meeting standards (2025-2026) ?

This school56%

District avg54%

Texas avg50%

1,196^th of 4,627

Texas public elementary schools ?

Top 26%▲ up 24 pts since 2016

From top 50% (2016) to top 26% (2026)

See the entire ranking list of Texas Elementary Schools →

★★★★★

SchoolDigger rating ?

7^th of 25Elementary Schools in the Pharr-San Juan-Alamo Independent School District (Isd)

306^th of 951Pharr-San Juan-Alamo 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	68.7	1196 of 4627	74.2%	★★★★☆
2025	77.0	874 of 4651	81.2%	★★★★☆
2024	62.6	1471 of 4710	68.8%	★★★☆☆
2023	47.8	2313 of 4647	50.2%	★★★☆☆
2022	40.5	2712 of 4581	40.8%	★★☆☆☆
2021	21.6	3736 of 4578	18.4%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	48.5	2128 of 4479	52.5%	★★★☆☆
2018	31.2	3117 of 4359	28.5%	★☆☆☆☆
2017	35.8	2791 of 4329	35.5%	★★☆☆☆
2016	53.3	2139 of 4286	50.1%	★★★☆☆
2015	56.1	1999 of 4320	53.7%	★★★☆☆

At Risk

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Texas percentile	Rating
2022	56.4	1645 of 4461	63.1%	★★★☆☆
2021	36.5	2846 of 4331	34.3%	★★☆☆☆
2019	70.4	776 of 4295	81.9%	★★★★☆
2018	53.9	1696 of 4240	60.0%	★★★☆☆

English Language Learner

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Texas percentile	Rating
2025	77.2	453 of 2918	84.5%	★★★★☆
2024	68.5	827 of 3668	77.5%	★★★★☆
2023	53.6	1476 of 3556	58.5%	★★★☆☆
2022	41.1	2166 of 3487	37.9%	★★☆☆☆
2021	34.1	2423 of 3446	29.7%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	53.7	1379 of 3333	58.6%	★★★☆☆
2018	39.8	2043 of 3226	36.7%	★★☆☆☆

Female

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Texas percentile	Rating
2026	64.7	1347 of 4575	70.6%	★★★★☆
2025	74.6	721 of 3744	80.7%	★★★★☆
2024	59.6	1598 of 4658	65.7%	★★★☆☆
2023	45.5	2448 of 4588	46.6%	★★☆☆☆
2022	33.8	3185 of 4561	30.2%	★★☆☆☆
2021	20.2	3874 of 4499	13.9%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	59.6	1524 of 4348	64.9%	★★★☆☆
2018	29.8	3261 of 4306	24.3%	★☆☆☆☆

Gifted and Talented

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Texas percentile	Rating
2025	77.9	40 of 2619	98.5%	★★★★★

Hispanic

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Texas percentile	Rating
2026	74.8	733 of 4413	83.4%	★★★★☆
2025	85.7	277 of 3644	92.4%	★★★★★
2024	74.1	760 of 4465	83.0%	★★★★☆
2023	54.2	1812 of 4401	58.8%	★★★☆☆
2022	46.5	2335 of 4376	46.6%	★★☆☆☆
2021	26.2	3501 of 4329	19.1%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	55.9	1616 of 4188	61.4%	★★★☆☆
2018	37.9	2716 of 4168	34.8%	★★☆☆☆

Low Socio Economic Status

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Texas percentile	Rating
2026	83.6	356 of 4520	92.1%	★★★★★
2025	91.8	113 of 3705	97.0%	★★★★★
2024	80.6	445 of 4594	90.3%	★★★★★
2023	62.1	1387 of 4521	69.3%	★★★☆☆
2022	50.8	2100 of 4477	53.1%	★★★☆☆
2021	30.8	3330 of 4451	25.2%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	62.9	1175 of 4309	72.7%	★★★★☆
2018	40.5	2665 of 4264	37.5%	★★☆☆☆

Male

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Texas percentile	Rating
2026	68.8	1151 of 4582	74.9%	★★★★☆
2025	81.1	547 of 3739	85.4%	★★★★☆
2024	70.1	1127 of 4647	75.7%	★★★★☆
2023	49.5	2188 of 4585	52.3%	★★★☆☆
2022	48.9	2235 of 4563	51.0%	★★★☆☆
2021	25.6	3481 of 4498	22.6%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	36.9	2861 of 4357	34.3%	★★☆☆☆
2018	37.9	2709 of 4319	37.3%	★★☆☆☆

Special Education

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Texas percentile	Rating
2026	55.6	1414 of 4301	67.1%	★★★☆☆
2025	89.4	160 of 3549	95.5%	★★★★★
2024	77.0	542 of 4292	87.4%	★★★★☆
2023	41.4	2189 of 4086	46.4%	★★☆☆☆
2022	28.4	3145 of 3952	20.4%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	30.0	2834 of 3684	23.1%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	50.9	1364 of 3558	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)

Gifted and Talented (2025)98th percentile+17 vs school

Low Socio Economic Status (2026)92nd percentile+18 vs school

English Language Learner (2025)84th percentile+3 vs school

Hispanic (2026)83rd percentile+9 vs school

Male (2026)75th percentile~ school

Female (2026)71st percentile-4 vs school

Special Education (2026)67th percentile-7 vs school

At Risk (2022)63rd percentile+22 vs school

By subject vs Texas (2025-2026) ?

Reading59%+5 vs state

Mathematics57%+10 vs state

5.0

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What people are saying

by a parent
Thursday, April 25, 2019

staff is amazing! would recommend Close Quote

Schools Near Berta S Palacios 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 Spanish Mathematics (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 Spanish Mathematics 4th Grade	STAAR Spanish Mathematics 5th Grade	STAAR Reading 3rd Grade	STAAR Reading 4th Grade	STAAR Reading 5th Grade	STAAR Reading 6th Grade	STAAR Mathematics 3rd Grade	STAAR Mathematics 4th Grade	STAAR Mathematics 5th Grade	STAAR Mathematics 6th Grade	Total
Berta S Palacios Elementary	Public	PK, KG-5	801 E Thomas Dr	Pharr	78577	Hidalgo County	Pharr-San Juan-Alamo Independent School District (Isd)	No	No	(n/a)	Yes	(956) 354-2000	470	31	15.1	99.6%	3 (0.6%)	1 (0.2%)	466 (99.1%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	68.7	1196^th of 4627 public elementary schools	74.2%		77	874^th of 4651 public elementary schools	81.2%	322	7.1	46.2	63.6			50.0	64.4	60.9		44.2	66.7	59.7		$11,941
Cesar Chavez Elementary	Public	PK, KG-5	401 E Thomas Rd	Pharr	78577	Hidalgo County	Pharr-San Juan-Alamo Independent School District (Isd)	No	No	(n/a)	Yes	(956) 354-2720	403	30	13.4	98.3%	2 (0.5%)	0 (0.0%)	401 (99.5%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	89.4	395^th of 4627 public elementary schools	91.5%		74.7	941^st of 4651 public elementary schools	79.8%	546	59.3	73.3	55.0			55.6	65.4	82.1		74.6	65.9	91.4		$13,411
Jc Kelly Elementary	Public	PK, KG-5	201 E Las Milpas Rd	Pharr	78577	Hidalgo County	Hidalgo Independent School District (Isd)	No	No	(n/a)	Yes	(956) 843-4201	260	20	12.8	86.2%	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	260 (100.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	82.7	668^th of 4627 public elementary schools	85.6%		89.5	389^th of 4651 public elementary schools	91.6%	279	36.8	81.3	45.5			47.8	87.0	60.0		61.9	87.2	80.4		$11,540
Idea Academy Pharr	Public, Charter	K-5	600 E Las Milpas Rd	Pharr	78577	Hidalgo County	Idea Public Schools	Yes	No	(n/a)	Yes	(956) 283-1515	717	31	22.7	93.7%	1 (0.1%)	0 (0.0%)	716 (99.9%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	33.8	3165^th of 4627 public elementary schools	31.6%		41.3	2697^th of 4651 public elementary schools	42.0%	468						29.0	27.8	55.2		36.5	45.8	46.5		$9,432
Hidalgo Park Elementary	Public	PK, KG-5	8700 S I Rd	Pharr	78577	Hidalgo County	Hidalgo Independent School District (Isd)	No	No	(n/a)	Yes	(956) 834-4276	239	19	12.8	88.7%	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	239 (100.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	68.2	1220^th of 4627 public elementary schools	73.6%		69.5	1156^th of 4651 public elementary schools	75.1%	64	53.9	36.4	38.5			38.5	39.3	57.7		64.1	79.5	69.2		$11,526
Carmen Anaya Elementary	Public	PK, KG-5	1000 W Dicker Rd	Pharr	78577	Hidalgo County	Pharr-San Juan-Alamo Independent School District (Isd)	No	No	(n/a)	Yes	(956) 784-8500	429	26	16.5	97.2%	3 (0.7%)	2 (0.5%)	424 (98.8%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	75	937^th of 4627 public elementary schools	79.7%		53.9	1910^th of 4651 public elementary schools	58.9%	973	66.7	63.6	50.0			56.3	62.2	72.1		41.5	66.7	66.7		$11,190
Graciela Garcia Elementary	Public	PK, KG-5	1002 W Juan Balli	Pharr	78577	Hidalgo County	Pharr-San Juan-Alamo Independent School District (Isd)	No	No	(n/a)	Yes	(956) 354-2790	385	27	14.3	97.9%	1 (0.3%)	1 (0.3%)	383 (99.5%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	75.7	913^th of 4627 public elementary schools	80.3%		66.9	1266^th of 4651 public elementary schools	72.8%	353	40.0	89.5	66.7			60.0	67.4	60.8		45.0	81.0	61.0		$13,632
Valley View North Elementary	Public	PK, KG-6	1300 E Anaya Rd	Pharr	78577	Hidalgo County	Valley View Independent School District (Isd)	No	No	(n/a)	Yes	(956) 340-1600	372	25	14.9	99.7%	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	372 (100.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	56.7	1775^th of 4627 public elementary schools	61.6%		49.1	2192^nd of 4651 public elementary schools	52.9%	417		20.0	71.4			51.2	55.3	57.5	53.6	44.2	48.1	61.9	39.3	$10,804
Valley View Elementary	Public	PK, KG-6	3408 E Olmo St	Hidalgo	78557	Hidalgo County	Valley View Independent School District (Isd)	No	No	(n/a)	Yes	(956) 340-1450	446	27	16.6	87.9%	1 (0.2%)	0 (0.0%)	445 (99.8%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	80.7	735^th of 4627 public elementary schools	84.1%		80.6	733^rd of 4651 public elementary schools	84.2%	2		66.7	88.9	0.0	28.6	66.0	60.8	76.0	69.4	59.6	65.4	56.9	57.1	$9,682
Geraldine Palmer Elementary	Public	PK, KG-5	1200 W Hall Acres Rd	Pharr	78577	Hidalgo County	Pharr-San Juan-Alamo Independent School District (Isd)	No	No	(n/a)	Yes	(956) 354-2860	657	38	17.2	88.6%	15 (2.3%)	5 (0.8%)	636 (96.8%)	1 (0.2%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	54.7	1881^st of 4627 public elementary schools	59.3%		51.5	2053^rd of 4651 public elementary schools	55.9%	172	18.2	9.1	18.2			45.3	56.1	56.3		43.0	52.0	53.8		$10,570

Frequently Asked Questions about Berta S Palacios Elementary

What district is Berta S Palacios Elementary in?

Pharr-San Juan-Alamo Independent School District (Isd)

Is Berta S Palacios Elementary a good school?

Berta S Palacios Elementary ranks 1196^th of 4627 Texas elementary schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 4 stars out of 5.

How many students attend Berta S Palacios Elementary?

In the 2024-25 school year, 470 students attended Berta S Palacios Elementary.

What is the racial makeup of Berta S Palacios Elementary?

Students at Berta S Palacios Elementary are 99% Hispanic.

What schools do graduates of Berta S Palacios Elementary attend?

Students who attend Berta S Palacios Elementary usually go on to attend:

Middle : Jaime Escalante Middle
High : Psja Southwest Early College High School

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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.