Cactus Ranch Elementary

Cactus Ranch Elementary in Round Rock, TX, is a top-performing public school serving 693 students in grades PK through 5 within the Round Rock Independent School District (Isd), consistently ranking in the top 1% of all elementary schools in Texas for nearly a decade.

What truly sets Cactus Ranch apart is its remarkable ability to deliver exceptional academic results for every student group. The school ranks in the 99th percentile or higher statewide for all student subgroups, including English Language Learners, students receiving special education services, and those from low-income backgrounds. For example, it ranks #6 in Texas for serving English Language Learners and #31 for students from low socioeconomic status families. This "equity of excellence" is rare, as many high-performing schools struggle to maintain such consistent success across all demographics. The school's STAAR test scores are extraordinarily high, with reading proficiency reaching 88-94% and math proficiency at 83-92%, far exceeding district and state averages. In 5th-grade science, Cactus Ranch achieved 78.7% proficiency, nearly double the district average and more than 2.5 times the state average.

While nearby schools like Patsy Sommer Elementary (#23 in Texas) and Great Oaks Elementary (#186) are also high-performing, Cactus Ranch's sustained excellence over a decade places it in an elite tier. In stark contrast, schools just a few miles away, such as Caldwell Heights Elementary (#2,648), Vic Robertson Elementary (#3,754), and Claude Berkman Elementary (#2,113), rank in the bottom half of the state. Interestingly, Cactus Ranch operates with lower per-student spending ($7,629) compared to schools serving higher-poverty populations, reflecting a student body that requires fewer intensive interventions to achieve top scores. This efficiency, combined with a student-teacher ratio of 14.7:1, underscores a deeply embedded culture of high expectations and effective instructional practices.