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Jefferson Elementary

Q: Is Jefferson Elementary a good school?

Jefferson Elementary ranks 3182 nd of 4627 Texas elementary schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 2 stars out of 5.

Public Grades K-5

3182^nd

SchoolDigger Rank ?

of 4,627 Texas Elementary Schools

Better than 31% of Texas elementary schools

Summary

Jefferson Elementary in Temple, TX, is a K-5 school serving 504 students within the Temple Independent School District (Isd), where 73.4% of students qualify for free or reduced lunch, and the school currently holds a 2-star rating at the 31st percentile statewide. This school stands out for its inconsistent academic performance, with significant year-over-year swings in test scores—for example, 5th-grade Mathematics proficiency jumped from 39% to 46% then crashed to 27% over three years—making it an unpredictable choice compared to more stable nearby schools.

A key differentiator is Jefferson’s exceptional support for Special Education students, which ranked in the 98th percentile statewide in 2023-2024, earning a 5-star rating, though this dropped to the 79th percentile in 2024-2025. However, the school struggles with its White student population, ranking in the 13th percentile in 2025-2026. This contrasts sharply with Kennedy-Powell Elementary, just 2.3 miles away in the same district, which ranks in the 73rd percentile (4 stars) and consistently outperforms Jefferson in nearly every subject—for instance, 3rd-grade Math proficiency at Kennedy-Powell (67%) was nearly double Jefferson’s (36%) in 2025-2026. Nearby Belton Independent School District (Isd) schools like Joe M Pirtle Elementary, Tarver Elementary, and James L Burrell Elementary all rank higher and have significantly lower economic disadvantage rates (27% to 44%), highlighting systemic challenges Jefferson faces.

Despite these challenges, Jefferson has shown a remarkable ability to rebound from low points, such as climbing from a 5th percentile ranking in 2015-2016 to the 49th percentile by 2019, demonstrating resilience not seen in schools like Hector P Garcia Elementary, which has been stuck in the bottom 20% for years. A bright spot is 5th-grade Science, where Jefferson outperformed both the district and state averages in 2023-2024 (27% vs. 19% district and 26% state), suggesting an instructional strength that could be replicated. Interestingly, Jefferson’s free/reduced lunch rate (73%) is lower than some Temple ISD peers like Hector P. Garcia (87%) and Sampson-Howard Elementary (81%), indicating its challenges aren’t solely driven by poverty levels.

504

Students ?

17.0

Student/teacher ratio ?

$8,942

Per pupil spending ?

73.4%

Free/discounted lunch ?

2616 N 3rd St
Temple, TX 76501-1345

(254) 215-5500

District: Temple Independent School District (Isd)

Students who attend Jefferson Elementary usually attend:

Middle:	Lamar Middle
High:	Temple High School

Racial breakdown:

Hispanic:

44.0%

White:

25.2%

African American:

22.6%

See top rated Texas elementary schools

Compare Jefferson Elementary to nearby elementary schools!

At a glance

▲ Ranking trend: Improving — 5th percentile in 2016 → 31st in 2026

Strengths

✓Ranking is trending up — up 26 percentile points since 2016

Worth a look

!Test scores below the Texas average (41% vs 51% meeting standards)

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

Students meeting standards (2025-2026) ?

This school41%

District avg42%

Texas avg51%

3,182^nd of 4,627

Texas public elementary schools ?

Bottom 31%▲ up 26 pts since 2016

From bottom 5% (2016) to bottom 31% (2026)

See the entire ranking list of Texas Elementary Schools →

★★★★★

SchoolDigger rating ?

4^th of 8Elementary Schools in the Temple Independent School District (Isd)

744^th of 951Temple 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	33.6	3182 of 4627	31.2%	★★☆☆☆
2025	22.8	3860 of 4651	17.0%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	33.6	3238 of 4710	31.3%	★★☆☆☆
2023	31.2	3320 of 4647	28.6%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	34.3	3105 of 4581	32.2%	★★☆☆☆
2021	37.6	2697 of 4578	41.1%	★★☆☆☆
2019	46.3	2272 of 4479	49.3%	★★☆☆☆
2018	35.5	2837 of 4359	34.9%	★★☆☆☆
2017	27.1	3328 of 4329	23.1%	★☆☆☆☆
2016	10.6	4071 of 4286	5.0%	☆☆☆☆☆
2015	16.1	3918 of 4320	9.3%	☆☆☆☆☆
2014	18.1	3886 of 4260	8.8%	☆☆☆☆☆
2013	27.4	3508 of 4221	16.9%	★☆☆☆☆
2012	28.8	3488 of 4206	17.1%	★☆☆☆☆
2011	19.2	3760 of 4095	8.2%	☆☆☆☆☆
2010	23.9	3496 of 3937	11.2%	★☆☆☆☆
2009	18.5	3582 of 3884	7.8%	☆☆☆☆☆
2008	6.9	3704 of 3768	1.7%	☆☆☆☆☆
2007	24.7	3259 of 3724	12.5%	★☆☆☆☆
2006	38.9	2543 of 3476	26.8%	★☆☆☆☆
2005	48.6	2084 of 3475	40.0%	★★☆☆☆
2004	47.2	2158 of 3465	37.7%	★★☆☆☆

African American

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Texas percentile	Rating
2026	36.5	1602 of 2406	33.4%	★★☆☆☆
2025	26.7	1559 of 1905	18.2%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	54.1	983 of 2443	59.8%	★★★☆☆
2022	55.3	910 of 2421	62.4%	★★★☆☆
2021	51.6	1002 of 2444	59.0%	★★★☆☆
2019	57.0	874 of 2515	65.2%	★★★☆☆
2018	47.3	1200 of 2483	51.7%	★★★☆☆

At Risk

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Texas percentile	Rating
2022	27.8	3638 of 4461	18.4%	★☆☆☆☆
2021	31.4	3258 of 4331	24.8%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	41.1	2577 of 4295	40.0%	★★☆☆☆
2018	37.9	2812 of 4240	33.7%	★★☆☆☆

English Language Learner

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Texas percentile	Rating
2025	54.8	1140 of 2918	60.9%	★★★☆☆
2023	41.4	2169 of 3556	39.0%	★★☆☆☆
2022	30.7	2720 of 3487	22.0%	★☆☆☆☆
2021	47.2	1635 of 3446	52.6%	★★★☆☆

Female

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Texas percentile	Rating
2026	37.5	2942 of 4575	35.7%	★★☆☆☆
2025	36.2	2465 of 3744	34.2%	★★☆☆☆
2024	39.0	2898 of 4658	37.8%	★★☆☆☆
2022	37.2	2961 of 4561	35.1%	★★☆☆☆
2021	49.0	2082 of 4499	53.7%	★★★☆☆
2019	41.4	2580 of 4348	40.7%	★★☆☆☆
2018	33.9	3000 of 4306	30.3%	★★☆☆☆

Gifted and Talented

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Texas percentile	Rating
2026	60.7	1418 of 3075	53.9%	★★★☆☆
2025	37.2	2061 of 2619	21.3%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	40.0	2216 of 2958	25.1%	★☆☆☆☆
2021	39.2	2099 of 3006	30.2%	★★☆☆☆
2019	45.0	2220 of 3184	30.3%	★★☆☆☆
2018	46.8	2081 of 3106	33.0%	★★☆☆☆

Hispanic

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Texas percentile	Rating
2026	45.2	2397 of 4413	45.7%	★★☆☆☆
2025	38.6	2372 of 3644	34.9%	★★☆☆☆
2024	44.8	2460 of 4465	44.9%	★★☆☆☆
2022	37.6	2908 of 4376	33.5%	★★☆☆☆
2021	50.9	1881 of 4329	56.5%	★★★☆☆
2019	49.6	2021 of 4188	51.7%	★★★☆☆
2018	41.5	2490 of 4168	40.3%	★★☆☆☆

Low Socio Economic Status

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Texas percentile	Rating
2026	44.9	2510 of 4520	44.5%	★★☆☆☆
2025	31.5	2819 of 3705	23.9%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	61.0	1436 of 4594	68.7%	★★★☆☆
2022	43.4	2595 of 4477	42.0%	★★☆☆☆
2021	46.4	2293 of 4451	48.5%	★★☆☆☆
2019	54.9	1717 of 4309	60.2%	★★★☆☆
2018	40.0	2697 of 4264	36.7%	★★☆☆☆

Male

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Texas percentile	Rating
2026	32.8	3262 of 4582	28.8%	★☆☆☆☆
2025	21.5	3184 of 3739	14.8%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	57.1	1754 of 4647	62.3%	★★★☆☆
2022	33.6	3162 of 4563	30.7%	★★☆☆☆
2021	29.8	3200 of 4498	28.9%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	50.3	1989 of 4357	54.3%	★★★☆☆
2018	38.0	2702 of 4319	37.4%	★★☆☆☆

Special Education

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Texas percentile	Rating
2026	30.6	3301 of 4301	23.3%	★☆☆☆☆
2025	67.7	748 of 3549	78.9%	★★★★☆
2024	92.9	105 of 4292	97.6%	★★★★★
2023	26.9	3352 of 4086	18.0%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	58.0	1161 of 3952	70.6%	★★★★☆
2021	45.5	1682 of 3799	55.7%	★★★☆☆
2019	50.2	1401 of 3684	62.0%	★★★☆☆
2018	31.0	2659 of 3558	25.3%	★☆☆☆☆

White

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Texas percentile	Rating
2026	21.8	2622 of 3006	12.8%	★☆☆☆☆
2025	28.9	2069 of 2612	20.8%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	49.3	1658 of 3108	46.7%	★★☆☆☆
2022	31.1	2383 of 3082	22.7%	★☆☆☆☆
2021	22.8	2639 of 3082	14.4%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	44.7	1824 of 3142	41.9%	★★☆☆☆
2018	32.8	2273 of 3127	27.3%	★☆☆☆☆

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)

English Language Learner (2025)61st percentile+44 vs school

Gifted and Talented (2026)54th percentile+23 vs school

Hispanic (2026)46th percentile+14 vs school

Low Socio Economic Status (2026)44th percentile+13 vs school

Female (2026)36th percentile+4 vs school

African American (2026)33rd percentile~ school

Male (2026)29th percentile~ school

Special Education (2026)23rd percentile-8 vs school

At Risk (2022)18th percentile-14 vs school

White (2026)13th percentile-18 vs school

By subject vs Texas (2025-2026) ?

Reading45%-10 vs state

Mathematics38%-9 vs state

1.0

1 rating · 1 written review

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What people are saying

by a parent
Wednesday, August 17, 2011

My daughter attended the 09-10 school yr as a 1st grader. Her teacher bordered on incompetent, immature and for the most part was not engaged with her students. My daughter struggled to feel accepted and gain guidance from her teacher or any of the staff. On several occasions I called my frustrations to the attention of her teacher and the principal to no avail. And during the many times I attended lunch with my daughter I was dismayed at the lack of patience and tolerance from the lunch time monitors, who resorted to all out yelling at the children on a constant basis. I always left feeling utterly shaken and completely stressed out. The overall feeling I came away with from this school was that they were just trying to 'get by'. There was NO attempt to improve the conditions or encourage excellence from the students. The staff was often rude and disrespectful. I found that the students exhibited more maturity than the teachers or staff. I would discourage any parent from enrolling their child at Jefferson. Close Quote

Schools Near Jefferson 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	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
Jefferson Elementary	Public	K-5	2616 N 3rd St	Temple	76501	Bell County	Temple Independent School District (Isd)	No	No	(n/a)	Yes	(254) 215-5500	504	30	17.0	73.4%	127 (25.2%)	114 (22.6%)	222 (44.0%)	0 (0.0%)	2 (0.4%)	4 (0.8%)	35 (6.9%)	33.6	3182^nd of 4627 public elementary schools	31.2%		22.8	3860^th of 4651 public elementary schools	17.0%	678							40.6	43.7	49.4	36.2	40.9	37.2	$8,942
Kennedy-Powell Elementary	Public	PK, KG-5	3707 W Nugent Ave	Temple	76504	Bell County	Temple Independent School District (Isd)	No	No	(n/a)	Yes	(254) 215-6000	384	23	16.3	61.5%	106 (27.6%)	84 (21.9%)	154 (40.1%)	6 (1.6%)	0 (0.0%)	3 (0.8%)	31 (8.1%)	67.8	1233^rd of 4627 public elementary schools	73.4%		61.1	1524^th of 4651 public elementary schools	67.2%	291							61.7	62.7	58.3	67.2	56.7	40.7	$9,329
Hector P Garcia Elementary	Public	PK, KG-5	2525 Lavendusky Dr	Temple	76501	Bell County	Temple Independent School District (Isd)	No	No	(n/a)	Yes	(254) 215-6100	396	30	13.3	86.9%	34 (8.6%)	29 (7.3%)	319 (80.6%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	14 (3.5%)	23.7	3835^th of 4627 public elementary schools	17.1%		23.9	3803^rd of 4651 public elementary schools	18.2%	32	0.0	21.4	50.0	0.0	0.0	16.7	24.0	48.3	43.1	20.4	36.4	35.3	$9,298
Western Hills Elementary	Public	PK, KG-5	600 Arapaho Dr	Temple	76504	Bell County	Temple Independent School District (Isd)	No	No	(n/a)	Yes	(254) 215-5600	417	24	17.6	70.0%	118 (28.3%)	93 (22.3%)	166 (39.8%)	7 (1.7%)	1 (0.2%)	2 (0.5%)	30 (7.2%)	31.9	3304^th of 4627 public elementary schools	28.6%		36	3049^th of 4651 public elementary schools	34.4%	255							40.3	35.9	41.8	35.8	40.0	47.8	$9,344
Scott Elementary	Public	K-5	2301 W Ave P	Temple	76504	Bell County	Temple Independent School District (Isd)	No	No	(n/a)	Yes	(254) 215-6222	442	28	16.0	73.1%	112 (25.3%)	65 (14.7%)	229 (51.8%)	7 (1.6%)	1 (0.2%)	3 (0.7%)	25 (5.7%)	39.6	2786^th of 4627 public elementary schools	39.8%		36.3	3032^nd of 4651 public elementary schools	34.8%	246							61.7	38.4	46.2	59.0	31.5	36.3	$8,405
Thornton Elementary	Public	PK, KG-5	2825 Cottonwood Ln	Temple	76502	Bell County	Temple Independent School District (Isd)	No	No	(n/a)	Yes	(254) 215-5700	763	44	17.4	67.1%	152 (19.9%)	98 (12.8%)	449 (58.8%)	21 (2.8%)	2 (0.3%)	1 (0.1%)	40 (5.2%)	32.8	3241^st of 4627 public elementary schools	30.0%		31.3	3346^th of 4651 public elementary schools	28.1%	105							27.6	47.1	46.7	34.7	45.8	41.7	$7,762
Sampson-Howard Elementary	Public	PK, KG-5	1910 E Blackland Rd	Temple	76502	Bell County	Temple Independent School District (Isd)	No	(n/a)	(n/a)	(n/a)	(254) 215-8473	611	36	16.7	81.2%	109 (17.8%)	188 (30.8%)	228 (37.3%)	15 (2.5%)	3 (0.5%)	0 (0.0%)	68 (11.1%)	27	3632^nd of 4627 public elementary schools	21.5%					(n/a)							35.6	37.5	50.0	36.0	39.6	26.2	$00
Tarver Elementary	Public	K-5	7949 Stonehollow Dr	Temple	76502	Bell County	Belton Independent School District (Isd)	No	No	(n/a)	No	(254) 215-3800	494	37	13.3	44.1%	165 (33.4%)	69 (14.0%)	187 (37.9%)	39 (7.9%)	0 (0.0%)	4 (0.8%)	30 (6.1%)	36.2	3005^th of 4627 public elementary schools	35.1%		39.5	2802^nd of 4651 public elementary schools	39.8%	203							38.2	47.9	65.5	26.5	28.6	44.2	$8,211
James L Burrell Elementary	Public	K-5	8104 Glade Dr	Temple	76502	Bell County	Belton Independent School District (Isd)	No	(n/a)	(n/a)	(n/a)	(254) 215-2000	466	33	13.9	27.3%	205 (44.0%)	59 (12.7%)	121 (26.0%)	34 (7.3%)	1 (0.2%)	0 (0.0%)	46 (9.9%)	47.1	2263^rd of 4627 public elementary schools	51.1%		50.6	2111^th of 4651 public elementary schools	54.6%	152							53.8	53.9	58.7	43.8	39.3	34.8	$10,433
Raye-Allen Elementary	Public	PK, KG-5	5015 S 5th St	Temple	76502	Bell County	Temple Independent School District (Isd)	No	No	(n/a)	Yes	(254) 215-5800	441	28	15.8	63.9%	108 (24.5%)	107 (24.3%)	174 (39.5%)	9 (2.0%)	0 (0.0%)	2 (0.5%)	41 (9.3%)	37.9	2899^th of 4627 public elementary schools	37.3%		34.7	3154^th of 4651 public elementary schools	32.2%	255							55.6	56.8	47.2	34.6	34.6	22.2	$7,461

Frequently Asked Questions about Jefferson Elementary

What is the racial makeup of Jefferson Elementary?

Students at Jefferson Elementary are 44% Hispanic, 25% White, 23% African American, 7% Two or more races.

Is Jefferson Elementary a good school?

Jefferson Elementary ranks 3182^nd of 4627 Texas elementary schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 2 stars out of 5.

How many students attend Jefferson Elementary?

In the 2024-25 school year, 504 students attended Jefferson Elementary.

What schools do graduates of Jefferson Elementary attend?

Students who attend Jefferson Elementary usually go on to attend:

Middle : Lamar Middle
High : Temple High School

What district is Jefferson Elementary in?

Temple 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.