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Tarkington Elementary

Public Grades 1-5

4103^rd

SchoolDigger Rank ?

of 4,643 Texas Elementary Schools

Better than 12% of Texas elementary schools

Summary

Tarkington Elementary in Cleveland, TX, serves 738 students in grades 1-5 and is part of the Tarkington Independent School District (Isd), a district that has faced significant challenges in recent years.

Once a solid performer, Tarkington Elementary has experienced a sharp and concerning decline. The school consistently ranked in the 50th-68th percentile statewide, earning a 3-star rating, but has plummeted to the 12th percentile and a 1-star rating in the most recent data. This is a stark contrast to nearby schools like Greenleaf Elementary in the Splendora Independent School District (Isd), which has remained stable in the 25th-27th percentile over the same period. The school's performance for male and female students is drastically different, with female students ranking in the 16th percentile and male students in the 8th percentile, a gender gap more pronounced than at most nearby schools. Additionally, the school's Gifted and Talented program, which ranked in the 92nd percentile in 2022-2023, has fallen to the 20th percentile, suggesting a systemic breakdown in advanced instruction.

Despite these challenges, there are pockets of success. In the most recent year, 4th-grade math proficiency at Tarkington Elementary was 37.41%, higher than many nearby schools like Cottonwood Elementary (21.13%) and Pine Burr Elementary (10.06%) in the Cleveland Independent School District (Isd). Historically, the school also excelled in 5th-grade science, with a 36.69% proficiency rate in 2024-2025, far exceeding the state average of 29.57% and every other nearby school. The school serves a comparatively more affluent student body than its neighbors, with a free/reduced lunch rate of 56.91% versus rates exceeding 88% at many nearby schools, making its recent underperformance a key concern. The key to recovery likely lies in understanding why performance collapsed so suddenly, particularly for male students and the Gifted and Talented program, and replicating the successes seen in 4th-grade math and 5th-grade science.

738

Students ?

14.6

Student/teacher ratio ?

$7,697

Per pupil spending ?

56.9%

Free/discounted lunch ?

2770 Fm 163
Cleveland, TX 77327

(281) 592-6134

District: Tarkington Independent School District (Isd)

Students who attend Tarkington Elementary usually attend:

Middle:	Tarkington Middle
High:	Tarkington High School

Racial breakdown:

White:

77.6%

Hispanic:

17.5%

Two or more races:

3.4%

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At a glance

▼ Ranking trend: Declining — 54th percentile in 2016 → 12th in 2026

Worth a look

!Test scores below the Texas average (33% vs 51% meeting standards)

!In the lower quartile statewide (12th percentile)

!Ranking has slipped — down 42 percentile points since 2016

Students meeting standards (2025-2026) ?

This school33%

District avg33%

Texas avg51%

4,103^rd of 4,643

Texas public elementary schools ?

Bottom 12%▼ down 42 pts since 2016

From top 46% (2016) to bottom 12% (2026)

See the entire ranking list of Texas Elementary Schools →

★★★★★

SchoolDigger rating ?

783^rd of 947Tarkington 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	19.2	4103 of 4643	11.6%	★☆☆☆☆
2025	31.0	3370 of 4651	27.5%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	24.6	3802 of 4710	19.3%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	49.8	2187 of 4647	52.9%	★★★☆☆
2022	52.8	1992 of 4581	56.5%	★★★☆☆
2021	62.1	1443 of 4578	68.5%	★★★☆☆
2019	51.2	1964 of 4479	56.2%	★★★☆☆
2018	55.7	1696 of 4359	61.1%	★★★☆☆
2017	52.7	1821 of 4329	57.9%	★★★☆☆
2016	56.7	1966 of 4286	54.1%	★★★☆☆
2015	40.7	2812 of 4320	34.9%	★★☆☆☆
2014	47.6	2483 of 4260	41.7%	★★☆☆☆
2013	52.7	2141 of 4221	49.3%	★★☆☆☆
2012	39.6	2911 of 4206	30.8%	★★☆☆☆
2011	33.2	3252 of 4095	20.6%	★☆☆☆☆
2010	38.4	2903 of 3937	26.3%	★☆☆☆☆
2009	25.1	3393 of 3884	12.6%	★☆☆☆☆
2008	40.3	2654 of 3768	29.6%	★☆☆☆☆
2007	46.0	2412 of 3724	35.2%	★★☆☆☆
2006	41.3	2449 of 3476	29.5%	★☆☆☆☆
2005	47.6	2120 of 3475	39.0%	★★☆☆☆
2004	54.3	1794 of 3465	48.2%	★★☆☆☆

At Risk

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Texas percentile	Rating
2022	27.1	3675 of 4461	17.6%	★☆☆☆☆
2021	50.0	1830 of 4331	57.7%	★★★☆☆
2019	29.1	3463 of 4295	19.4%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	59.0	1385 of 4240	67.3%	★★★☆☆

English Language Learner

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Texas percentile	Rating
2025	20.9	2574 of 2918	11.8%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	18.3	3363 of 3668	8.3%	☆☆☆☆☆
2023	49.9	1681 of 3556	52.7%	★★★☆☆
2022	54.2	1413 of 3487	59.5%	★★★☆☆
2021	66.9	732 of 3446	78.8%	★★★★☆
2019	46.5	1752 of 3333	47.4%	★★☆☆☆
2018	42.1	1919 of 3226	40.5%	★★☆☆☆

Female

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Texas percentile	Rating
2026	23.8	3848 of 4588	16.1%	★☆☆☆☆
2025	35.7	2498 of 3744	33.3%	★★☆☆☆
2024	38.6	2926 of 4658	37.2%	★★☆☆☆
2023	62.8	1410 of 4588	69.3%	★★★☆☆
2022	58.2	1652 of 4561	63.8%	★★★☆☆
2021	63.1	1355 of 4499	69.9%	★★★☆☆
2019	51.3	1971 of 4348	54.7%	★★★☆☆
2018	62.7	1352 of 4306	68.6%	★★★☆☆

Gifted and Talented

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Texas percentile	Rating
2026	38.0	2457 of 3080	20.2%	★☆☆☆☆
2025	47.5	1771 of 2619	32.4%	★★☆☆☆
2023	76.1	232 of 2980	92.2%	★★★★★
2022	55.5	1622 of 2958	45.2%	★★☆☆☆
2021	82.7	106 of 3006	96.5%	★★★★★
2019	65.9	1113 of 3184	65.0%	★★★☆☆
2018	77.8	233 of 3106	92.5%	★★★★★

Hispanic

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Texas percentile	Rating
2026	23.8	3822 of 4425	13.6%	★☆☆☆☆
2025	26.1	2994 of 3644	17.8%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	25.9	3671 of 4465	17.8%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	50.7	2023 of 4401	54.0%	★★★☆☆
2022	54.0	1823 of 4376	58.3%	★★★☆☆
2021	48.4	2045 of 4329	52.8%	★★★☆☆
2019	49.1	2062 of 4188	50.8%	★★★☆☆
2018	46.5	2167 of 4168	48.0%	★★☆☆☆

Low Socio Economic Status

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Texas percentile	Rating
2026	15.2	4331 of 4535	4.5%	☆☆☆☆☆
2025	22.7	3261 of 3705	12.0%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	27.3	3756 of 4594	18.2%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	50.8	2130 of 4521	52.9%	★★★☆☆
2022	51.2	2072 of 4477	53.7%	★★★☆☆
2021	66.6	1038 of 4451	76.7%	★★★★☆
2019	42.5	2605 of 4309	39.5%	★★☆☆☆
2018	53.2	1814 of 4264	57.5%	★★★☆☆

Male

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Texas percentile	Rating
2026	17.3	4208 of 4597	8.5%	☆☆☆☆☆
2025	28.9	2864 of 3739	23.4%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	19.6	4070 of 4647	12.4%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	36.7	2972 of 4585	35.2%	★★☆☆☆
2022	46.9	2332 of 4563	48.9%	★★☆☆☆
2021	60.2	1486 of 4498	67.0%	★★★☆☆
2019	50.2	2000 of 4357	54.1%	★★★☆☆
2018	45.2	2244 of 4319	48.0%	★★☆☆☆

Multi-racial

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Texas percentile	Rating
2025	43.0	613 of 975	37.1%	★★☆☆☆
2022	33.8	738 of 1004	26.5%	★☆☆☆☆
2021	36.4	661 of 961	31.2%	★★☆☆☆
2019	19.6	970 of 1112	12.8%	★☆☆☆☆

Special Education

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Texas percentile	Rating
2026	29.2	3427 of 4308	20.5%	★☆☆☆☆
2025	36.0	2352 of 3549	33.7%	★★☆☆☆
2024	65.1	1005 of 4292	76.6%	★★★★☆
2023	50.7	1603 of 4086	60.8%	★★★☆☆
2022	49.4	1622 of 3952	59.0%	★★★☆☆
2021	49.2	1473 of 3799	61.2%	★★★☆☆
2019	45.0	1729 of 3684	53.1%	★★★☆☆
2018	27.8	2860 of 3558	19.6%	★☆☆☆☆

White

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Texas percentile	Rating
2026	9.5	2926 of 3015	3.0%	☆☆☆☆☆
2025	19.4	2351 of 2612	10.0%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	14.6	2908 of 3108	6.4%	☆☆☆☆☆
2023	29.2	2447 of 3106	21.2%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	31.7	2362 of 3082	23.4%	★☆☆☆☆
2021	40.2	1925 of 3082	37.5%	★★☆☆☆
2019	34.4	2283 of 3142	27.3%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	39.9	1982 of 3127	36.6%	★★☆☆☆

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)

Multi-racial (2025)37th percentile+10 vs school

Special Education (2026)20th percentile+9 vs school

Gifted and Talented (2026)20th percentile+9 vs school

At Risk (2022)18th percentile-39 vs school

Female (2026)16th percentile+4 vs school

Hispanic (2026)14th percentile~ school

English Language Learner (2025)12th percentile-16 vs school

Male (2026)8th percentile-3 vs school

Low Socio Economic Status (2026)4th percentile-7 vs school

White (2026)3rd percentile-9 vs school

By subject vs Texas (2025-2026) ?

Reading37%-17 vs state

Mathematics28%-19 vs state

★

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Schools Near Tarkington 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 (2025)	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 3rd Grade	STAAR Spanish Mathematics 4th Grade	STAAR Spanish Mathematics 5th Grade	STAAR Reading 3rd Grade	STAAR Reading 4th Grade	STAAR Reading 5th Grade	STAAR Mathematics 3rd Grade	STAAR Mathematics 4th Grade	STAAR Mathematics 5th Grade	Total
Tarkington Elementary	Public	1-5	2770 Fm 163	Cleveland	77327	Liberty County	Tarkington Independent School District (Isd)	No	No	(n/a)	Yes	(281) 592-6134	738	50	14.6	56.9%	573 (77.6%)	6 (0.8%)	129 (17.5%)	2 (0.3%)	1 (0.1%)	2 (0.3%)	25 (3.4%)	19.2	4103^rd of 4643 public elementary schools	11.6%		31	3370^th of 4651 public elementary schools	27.5%	733							30.2	42.9	37.5	24.0	37.4	22.8	$7,697
Tarkington Early Childhood School	Public	PK-K	2770 Fm 163	Cleveland	77327	Liberty County	Tarkington Independent School District (Isd)	No	No	(n/a)	Yes	(281) 592-7736	214	12	18.6	70.6%	147 (68.7%)	3 (1.4%)	59 (27.6%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (0.5%)	4 (1.9%)								(n/a)													$11,598
Eastside Elementary	Public	PK, KG-5	1602 Shell St	Cleveland	77327	Liberty County	Cleveland Independent School District (Isd)	No	No	(n/a)	Yes	(281) 592-0125	867	64	13.6	91.8%	96 (11.1%)	38 (4.4%)	716 (82.6%)	1 (0.1%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	16 (1.8%)	30.1	3430^th of 4643 public elementary schools	26.1%		17.7	4152^nd of 4651 public elementary schools	10.7%	722	20.6	25.0	17.5				57.3	27.7	48.4	40.6	23.8	29.9	$11,714
Southside Elementary	Public	PK, KG-5	303 Fort Worth	Cleveland	77327	Liberty County	Cleveland Independent School District (Isd)	No	No	(n/a)	Yes	(281) 592-0594	1,016	68	14.8	94.1%	87 (8.6%)	28 (2.8%)	887 (87.3%)	1 (0.1%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	13 (1.3%)	16.1	4250^th of 4643 public elementary schools	8.5%		11.9	4418^th of 4651 public elementary schools	5.0%	168	48.8	23.3	38.2	0.0	0.0	0.0	32.3	33.7	44.8	23.9	29.1	25.2	$9,984
Northside Elementary	Public	PK, KG-5	1020 Northside Blvd	Cleveland	77327	Liberty County	Cleveland Independent School District (Isd)	No	No	(n/a)	Yes	(281) 592-4628	1,073	78	13.7	88.8%	226 (21.1%)	86 (8.0%)	709 (66.1%)	3 (0.3%)	0 (0.0%)	2 (0.2%)	47 (4.4%)	17	4206^th of 4643 public elementary schools	9.4%		9.7	4495^th of 4651 public elementary schools	3.4%	289	14.0	22.9	21.4			0.0	32.7	25.0	51.5	22.2	28.5	26.1	$10,272
Iltexas Msg Ramirez Elementary	Public, Charter	PK, KG-5	1954 Rd 5714	Cleveland	77327	Liberty County	International Leadership Of Texas (Iltexas)	Yes	(n/a)	(n/a)	(n/a)	(832) 353-1340	895	52	17.0	95.0%	15 (1.7%)	18 (2.0%)	847 (94.6%)	5 (0.6%)	1 (0.1%)	1 (0.1%)	8 (0.9%)	9.5	4514^th of 4643 public elementary schools	2.8%		5.7	4600^th of 4651 public elementary schools	1.1%	86							22.9	23.5	23.8	23.5	23.1	29.9	$10,673
Pine Burr Elementary	Public	PK, KG-5	7054 Rd 3540	Cleveland	77327	Liberty County	Cleveland Independent School District (Isd)	No	No	(n/a)	Yes	(346) 799-4900	1,017	68	14.8	95.5%	52 (5.1%)	10 (1.0%)	951 (93.5%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	4 (0.4%)	8.6	4541^st of 4643 public elementary schools	2.2%		10.2	4476^th of 4651 public elementary schools	3.8%	65	17.5	18.3	20.7		14.3	0.0	17.5	29.2	42.7	14.0	10.1	26.4	$11,679
Iltexas Bg Ramirez Elementary	Public, Charter	PK, KG-5	4114 Rd 5200	Cleveland	75082	Dallas County	International Leadership Of Texas (Iltexas)	Yes	(n/a)	(n/a)	(n/a)	(281) 689-9009	888	55	16.2	93.2%	16 (1.8%)	12 (1.4%)	842 (94.8%)	9 (1.0%)	4 (0.5%)	0 (0.0%)	5 (0.6%)	12	4437^th of 4643 public elementary schools	4.4%		12.9	4376^th of 4651 public elementary schools	5.9%	61							33.6	30.7	26.7	23.5	20.7	28.1	$10,709
Santa Fe Elementary	Public	PK, KG-5	7499 Rd 3540	Cleveland	77327	Liberty County	Cleveland Independent School District (Isd)	No	(n/a)	(n/a)	(n/a)	(281) 592-8717	1,072	66	16.1	97.5%	53 (4.9%)	18 (1.7%)	998 (93.1%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (0.1%)	2 (0.2%)	16	4254^th of 4643 public elementary schools	8.4%		10.3	4471^st of 4651 public elementary schools	3.9%	217	39.0	27.5	4.7	0.0	0.0	0.0	36.1	25.0	37.6	31.3	29.5	20.8	$10,567
Cottonwood Elementary	Public	PK, KG-5	1922 Rd 3549	Cleveland	77327	Liberty County	Cleveland Independent School District (Isd)	No	No	(n/a)	Yes	(281) 761-7540	1,023	69	14.7	94.7%	49 (4.8%)	25 (2.4%)	930 (90.9%)	2 (0.2%)	1 (0.1%)	1 (0.1%)	15 (1.5%)	27.8	3591^st of 4643 public elementary schools	22.7%		16.7	4196^th of 4651 public elementary schools	9.8%	605	25.0	30.4	23.5	0.0	0.0		34.3	39.6	51.8	29.8	21.1	46.1	$8,859

Frequently Asked Questions about Tarkington Elementary

Is Tarkington Elementary a good school?

Tarkington Elementary ranks in the bottom 11.6% of Texas elementary schools.

What schools do graduates of Tarkington Elementary attend?

Students who attend Tarkington Elementary usually go on to attend:

Middle : Tarkington Middle
High : Tarkington High School

What district is Tarkington Elementary in?

Tarkington Independent School District (Isd)

How many students attend Tarkington Elementary?

In the 2024-25 school year, 738 students attended Tarkington Elementary.

What is the racial makeup of Tarkington Elementary?

Students at Tarkington Elementary are 78% White, 17% Hispanic, 3% Two or more races.

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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.