North Elementary

North Elementary in Plainview, TX, serves 492 students in grades PK-4 within the Plainview Independent School District (Isd), a district ranked in the 14th percentile statewide, and the school itself holds a 1-star rating and ranks in the 8th percentile for the 2025-2026 school year, with over 87% of students qualifying for free or reduced lunch.

A critical concern at North Elementary is a significant and widening gender achievement gap, with female students ranking in the 15th percentile and male students dropping to the 5th percentile in 2025-2026—a gap that has tripled in three years. Mathematics performance is particularly weak, with only 17.39% of 3rd graders and 32.43% of 4th graders proficient, far below state averages. In contrast, nearby Central Elementary, just 2.23 miles away and serving a similarly high-poverty population (80.79% free/reduced lunch), has improved to a 3-star school and outperforms North Elementary in every subject, including 57.01% proficiency in 4th-grade math. This suggests North Elementary’s challenges are not solely due to demographics but also to school-specific factors. Additionally, the school’s effectiveness with low socioeconomic status students has declined sharply, from the 26th percentile in 2022-2023 to the 10th percentile in 2025-2026.

While North Elementary showed a bright spot in 4th-grade reading in 2024-2025, with 51.39% proficiency exceeding the district average, this gain was not sustained, dropping to 38.18% the following year. The Gifted and Talented program is also failing, with students in this subgroup ranking in the 7th percentile in 2025-2026, a dramatic fall from the 27th percentile three years prior. With a student-to-teacher ratio of 16:1—higher than Lockney Elementary (11.2:1) and Akin Elementary (11.1:1)—the school faces additional strain in providing individualized attention to its high-needs population.