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Foster Elementary

Q: Is Foster Elementary a good school?

Foster Elementary ranks 751 st of 4627 Texas elementary schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 4 stars out of 5.

Public Grades PK, KG-6

751^st

SchoolDigger Rank ?

of 4,627 Texas Elementary Schools

Better than 84% of Texas elementary schools

Summary

Foster Elementary in Riesel, TX, is a PK-6 school serving 355 students in the small, rural Riesel Independent School District (Isd), which ranks in the 88th percentile statewide. This school has achieved a remarkable turnaround, rising from the bottom 22% of Texas elementary schools in 2019 to consistently earning a 4-star rating and ranking in the 84th percentile over the last five years, making it a top-performing school in the state.

Foster Elementary stands out dramatically from nearby schools in the Waco and Marlin areas. While schools like J H Hines Elementary, Alta Vista Elementary, South Waco Elementary, and Marlin Elementary serve high-poverty populations and rank in the bottom 5-10% of the state, Foster achieves proficiency rates 30-60 percentage points higher in nearly every subject. For example, in 5th Grade Science, Foster scored 61.36% proficient compared to just 2.13% at Marlin Elementary. The school is especially strong in mathematics, with proficiency rates 15-25 points above the state average, and it excels at serving economically disadvantaged students, who ranked in the 95th percentile statewide in 2024-2025.

Foster Elementary achieves these results with remarkable efficiency, spending just $8,417 per student—far less than struggling nearby schools like J.H. Hines ($13,913) or Marlin Elementary ($14,065). However, one area for improvement is its Gifted and Talented program, where students ranked only in the 33rd percentile in 2025-2026, a sharp drop from the 72nd percentile the year prior. Overall, Foster Elementary is a bright spot in the region, proving that effective instruction and resource allocation can deliver top-tier outcomes even with moderate poverty levels.

355

Students ?

16.7

Student/teacher ratio ?

$7,748

Per pupil spending ?

49.6%

Free/discounted lunch ?

200 N Williams St
Riesel, TX 76682

(254) 896-2297

District: Riesel Independent School District (Isd)

Students who attend Foster Elementary usually attend:

High:

Riesel School

Racial breakdown:

White:

67.6%

Hispanic:

23.7%

Two or more races:

4.5%

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Compare Foster Elementary to nearby elementary schools!

At a glance

▲ Ranking trend: Improving — 60th percentile in 2016 → 84th in 2026

Strengths

✓Test scores above the Texas average (64% vs 49% meeting standards)

✓Ranks in the top 16% of Texas elementary schools

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

Worth a look

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

Students meeting standards (2025-2026) ?

This school64%

District avg64%

Texas avg49%

751^st of 4,627

Texas public elementary schools ?

Top 16%▲ up 24 pts since 2016

From top 40% (2016) to top 16% (2026)

See the entire ranking list of Texas Elementary Schools →

★★★★★

SchoolDigger rating ?

115^th of 951Riesel 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	80.4	751 of 4627	83.8%	★★★★☆
2025	85.5	552 of 4651	88.1%	★★★★☆
2024	87.4	482 of 4710	89.8%	★★★★☆
2023	80.0	762 of 4647	83.6%	★★★★☆
2022	74.9	953 of 4581	79.2%	★★★★☆
2021	62.1	1442 of 4578	68.5%	★★★☆☆
2019	27.3	3506 of 4479	21.7%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	55.2	1722 of 4359	60.5%	★★★☆☆
2017	54.5	1733 of 4329	60.0%	★★★☆☆
2016	61.2	1710 of 4286	60.1%	★★★☆☆
2015	69.3	1310 of 4320	69.7%	★★★☆☆
2014	76.2	902 of 4260	78.8%	★★★★☆
2013	65.8	1395 of 4221	67.0%	★★★☆☆
2012	56.6	1892 of 4206	55.0%	★★★☆☆
2011	62.8	1651 of 4095	59.7%	★★★☆☆
2010	29.3	3298 of 3937	16.2%	★☆☆☆☆
2009	42.5	2621 of 3884	32.5%	★★☆☆☆
2008	56.9	1834 of 3768	51.3%	★★★☆☆
2007	66.8	1256 of 3724	66.3%	★★★☆☆
2006	76.9	600 of 3476	82.7%	★★★★☆
2005	68.2	1087 of 3475	68.7%	★★★☆☆
2004	71.8	880 of 3465	74.6%	★★★★☆

At Risk

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Texas percentile	Rating
2022	67.6	953 of 4461	78.6%	★★★★☆
2021	53.8	1580 of 4331	63.5%	★★★☆☆
2019	13.5	4209 of 4295	2.0%	☆☆☆☆☆
2018	25.3	3655 of 4240	13.8%	★☆☆☆☆

Female

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Texas percentile	Rating
2026	68.2	1174 of 4575	74.3%	★★★★☆
2025	72.9	774 of 3744	79.3%	★★★★☆
2024	80.9	658 of 4658	85.9%	★★★★☆
2023	72.0	1011 of 4588	78.0%	★★★★☆
2022	77.9	763 of 4561	83.3%	★★★★☆
2021	62.5	1386 of 4499	69.2%	★★★☆☆
2019	36.0	2954 of 4348	32.1%	★★☆☆☆
2018	56.7	1659 of 4306	61.5%	★★★☆☆

Gifted and Talented

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Texas percentile	Rating
2026	48.7	2049 of 3075	33.4%	★★☆☆☆
2025	69.8	724 of 2619	72.4%	★★★★☆
2023	65.2	1158 of 2980	61.1%	★★★☆☆
2022	71.4	676 of 2958	77.1%	★★★★☆
2021	53.2	1651 of 3006	45.1%	★★☆☆☆
2019	51.6	1964 of 3184	38.3%	★★☆☆☆
2018	61.0	1446 of 3106	53.4%	★★★☆☆

Hispanic

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Texas percentile	Rating
2026	81.4	466 of 4413	89.4%	★★★★☆
2025	76.6	541 of 3644	85.2%	★★★★☆
2024	79.5	557 of 4465	87.5%	★★★★☆
2023	70.4	912 of 4401	79.3%	★★★★☆
2022	63.0	1273 of 4376	70.9%	★★★★☆
2021	42.0	2453 of 4329	43.3%	★★☆☆☆
2019	18.1	3909 of 4188	6.7%	☆☆☆☆☆
2018	45.7	2233 of 4168	46.4%	★★☆☆☆

Low Socio Economic Status

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Texas percentile	Rating
2026	74.1	708 of 4520	84.3%	★★★★☆
2025	88.0	180 of 3705	95.1%	★★★★★
2024	87.5	233 of 4594	94.9%	★★★★★
2023	76.1	600 of 4521	86.7%	★★★★☆
2022	65.5	1158 of 4477	74.1%	★★★★☆
2021	45.0	2383 of 4451	46.5%	★★☆☆☆
2019	15.8	4114 of 4309	4.5%	☆☆☆☆☆
2018	45.4	2332 of 4264	45.3%	★★☆☆☆

Male

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Texas percentile	Rating
2026	86.4	473 of 4582	89.7%	★★★★☆
2025	88.2	321 of 3739	91.4%	★★★★★
2024	83.5	565 of 4647	87.8%	★★★★☆
2023	83.6	570 of 4585	87.6%	★★★★☆
2022	68.4	1187 of 4563	74.0%	★★★★☆
2021	60.0	1496 of 4498	66.7%	★★★☆☆
2019	19.2	3882 of 4357	10.9%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	49.8	2003 of 4319	53.6%	★★★☆☆

Special Education

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Texas percentile	Rating
2026	54.9	1455 of 4301	66.2%	★★★☆☆
2025	58.6	1128 of 3549	68.2%	★★★☆☆
2024	32.2	3122 of 4292	27.3%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	69.6	706 of 4086	82.7%	★★★★☆
2022	55.1	1283 of 3952	67.5%	★★★☆☆
2021	35.4	2377 of 3799	37.4%	★★☆☆☆
2019	31.5	2726 of 3684	26.0%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	65.9	699 of 3558	80.4%	★★★★☆

White

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Texas percentile	Rating
2026	62.7	1070 of 3006	64.4%	★★★☆☆
2025	73.2	576 of 2612	77.9%	★★★★☆
2024	75.4	557 of 3108	82.1%	★★★★☆
2023	65.7	984 of 3106	68.3%	★★★☆☆
2022	58.3	1246 of 3082	59.6%	★★★☆☆
2021	47.5	1591 of 3082	48.4%	★★☆☆☆
2019	22.3	2723 of 3142	13.3%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	43.2	1837 of 3127	41.3%	★★☆☆☆

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)

Male (2026)90th percentile+6 vs school

Hispanic (2026)89th percentile+6 vs school

Low Socio Economic Status (2026)84th percentile~ school

At Risk (2022)79th percentile~ school

Female (2026)74th percentile-9 vs school

Special Education (2026)66th percentile-18 vs school

White (2026)64th percentile-19 vs school

Gifted and Talented (2026)33rd percentile-50 vs school

By subject vs Texas (2025-2026) ?

Reading67%+13 vs state

Mathematics62%+17 vs state

★

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Schools Near Foster 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 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
Foster Elementary	Public	PK, KG-6	200 N Williams St	Riesel	76682	McLennan County	Riesel Independent School District (Isd)	No	No	(n/a)	Yes	(254) 896-2297	355	21	16.7	49.6%	240 (67.6%)	14 (3.9%)	84 (23.7%)	1 (0.3%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	16 (4.5%)	80.4	751^st of 4627 public elementary schools	83.8%		85.5	552^nd of 4651 public elementary schools	88.1%	199			61.9	57.8	70.2	76.6	59.5	60.0	63.8	63.8	$7,748
Hallsburg School	Public	PK, KG-6	2313 Hallsburg Rd	Waco	76705	McLennan County	Hallsburg Independent School District (Isd)	No	No	(n/a)	Yes	(254) 875-2331	131	12	11.1	62.6%	85 (64.9%)	6 (4.6%)	35 (26.7%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	5 (3.8%)	24.1	3804^th of 4627 public elementary schools	17.8%		22.7	3870^th of 4651 public elementary schools	16.8%	66			40.0	42.9	15.4	46.2	53.3	13.3	7.7	7.7	$12,843
Mart Elementary	Public	PK, KG-6	1400 J L Davis Ave	Mart	76664	McLennan County	Mart Independent School District (Isd)	No	No	(n/a)	Yes	(254) 876-2762	352	25	13.8	66.5%	186 (52.8%)	58 (16.5%)	75 (21.3%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	33 (9.4%)	63.5	1432^nd of 4627 public elementary schools	69.1%		54.3	1887^th of 4651 public elementary schools	59.4%	455			55.6	54.6	58.8	51.1	60.0	57.1	52.9	45.7	$9,459
Marlin Elementary	Public	PK, KG-6	678 Success Dr #b	Marlin	76661	Falls County	Marlin Independent School District (Isd)	No	No	(n/a)	Yes	(254) 883-3232	479	27	17.6	98.5%	14 (2.9%)	252 (52.6%)	187 (39.0%)	4 (0.8%)	2 (0.4%)	0 (0.0%)	20 (4.2%)	11.9	4425^th of 4627 public elementary schools	4.4%		17.2	4177^th of 4651 public elementary schools	10.2%	248			14.6	12.9	28.9	41.7	5.5	29.0	20.0	31.3	$6,675
Robinson Elementary	Public	2-3	151 Peplow	Robinson	76706	McLennan County	Robinson Independent School District (Isd)	No	No	(n/a)	Yes	(254) 662-5000	328	23	14.0	42.1%	192 (58.5%)	11 (3.4%)	107 (32.6%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (0.3%)	1 (0.3%)	16 (4.9%)								(n/a)			63.5				65.8				$8,882
Robinson Pri	Public	PK, KG-1	541 N Old Robinson Rd	Robinson	76706	McLennan County	Robinson Independent School District (Isd)	No	No	(n/a)	Yes	(254) 662-0251	389	25	15.2	43.7%	232 (59.6%)	12 (3.1%)	123 (31.6%)	2 (0.5%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (0.3%)	19 (4.9%)								(n/a)											$7,927
Axtell Elementary	Public	PK, KG-5	308 Ottawa	Axtell	76624	McLennan County	Axtell Independent School District (Isd)	No	No	(n/a)	Yes	(254) 863-5419	358	27	13.0	54.5%	273 (76.3%)	3 (0.8%)	75 (20.9%)	0 (0.0%)	2 (0.6%)	0 (0.0%)	5 (1.4%)	81.9	704^th of 4627 public elementary schools	84.8%		83	646^th of 4651 public elementary schools	86.1%	58			67.9	80.4	74.0		56.6	68.6	50.0		$8,662
South Waco Elementary	Public	PK, KG-5	2104 Gurley Ln	Waco	76706	McLennan County	Waco Independent School District (Isd)	No	No	(n/a)	Yes	(254) 753-6802	490	27	18.1	97.1%	26 (5.3%)	251 (51.2%)	182 (37.1%)	9 (1.8%)	5 (1.0%)	0 (0.0%)	17 (3.5%)	2.9	4616^th of 4627 public elementary schools	0.2%		5	4615^th of 4651 public elementary schools	0.8%	1			17.7	16.5	24.3		14.4	8.8	5.4		$9,945
La Vega Pri Phil Bancale Campus	Public	PK-K	4400 Harrison	Waco	76705	McLennan County	La Vega Independent School District (Isd)	No	No	(n/a)	Yes	(254) 299-6730	444	26	17.1	98.6%	55 (12.4%)	120 (27.0%)	240 (54.1%)	0 (0.0%)	2 (0.5%)	0 (0.0%)	27 (6.1%)								(n/a)											$9,129
Alta Vista Elementary	Public	PK, KG-5	3637 Alta Vista Dr	Waco	76706	McLennan County	Waco Independent School District (Isd)	No	No	(n/a)	Yes	(254) 662-3050	479	33	14.4	90.4%	39 (8.1%)	89 (18.6%)	328 (68.5%)	0 (0.0%)	4 (0.8%)	0 (0.0%)	19 (4.0%)	7.4	4548^th of 4627 public elementary schools	1.7%		13.2	4368^th of 4651 public elementary schools	6.1%	180	0.0	0.0	22.1	23.6	35.3		18.1	17.8	22.1		$11,056

Frequently Asked Questions about Foster Elementary

How many students attend Foster Elementary?

In the 2024-25 school year, 355 students attended Foster Elementary.

Is Foster Elementary a good school?

Foster Elementary ranks 751^st of 4627 Texas elementary schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 4 stars out of 5.

What schools do graduates of Foster Elementary attend?

Students who attend Foster Elementary usually go on to attend:

High : Riesel School

What is the racial makeup of Foster Elementary?

Students at Foster Elementary are 68% White, 24% Hispanic, 5% Two or more races, 4% African American.

What district is Foster Elementary in?

Riesel Independent School District (Isd)

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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.