Ruben Chavira Elementary

Ruben Chavira Elementary is a K-5 public school in Del Rio, TX, serving 563 students as part of the San Felipe-Del Rio Consolidated Independent School District, where over 86% of students qualify for free or reduced lunch.

This school faces significant challenges, with a recent and severe academic decline that sets it apart from nearby schools. In the most recent school year, Ruben Chavira dropped to the 3rd percentile statewide, making it the lowest-performing elementary in its immediate area. For context, nearby schools like Buena Vista Elementary and Ceniza Hills Elementary have maintained or slightly improved their rankings. Math proficiency is a major concern—only 18.4% of 3rd graders and 25.4% of 4th graders were proficient, roughly half the state average. In contrast, the district's top-performing Roberto Bobby Barrera Elementary STEM Magnet had 50% of 4th graders proficient in math. The school struggles across all student groups, ranking in the bottom 6th percentile or lower for every subgroup, indicating a systemic issue rather than one tied to a specific population.

There have been isolated bright spots. In the 2022-2023 school year, 62% of 5th graders were proficient in math—12 points above the state average—but this strength has since faded, dropping to 28% in the most recent year. Science scores are also low, but this is a district-wide weakness; the district average for 5th-grade science was only 14.67% compared to the state's 29.57%. Notably, Ruben Chavira's per-student spending ($10,576) is higher than some better-performing nearby schools, suggesting that funding alone isn't the issue. The school requires urgent, targeted intervention to reverse its current trajectory.