Sampson-Howard Elementary

Sampson-Howard Elementary in Temple, TX, serves 611 students in grades PK-5 within the Temple Independent School District (Isd), and it is a school where over 81% of students come from economically disadvantaged backgrounds—the highest rate among all district elementary schools.

Academically, Sampson-Howard faces significant challenges, with overall state rankings in the 22nd percentile. However, there are important nuances. A clear bright spot is 5th-grade Reading, where 50% of students were proficient in the 2025-2026 school year, actually outperforming the district average. In contrast, 5th-grade Math is a major concern, with only 26% proficient—nearly 10 points below the district average and over 21 points below the state average. The school also shows a notable gender achievement gap: female students rank in the 36th percentile statewide, while male students rank in the 13th percentile, the largest such gap among Temple ISD elementary schools. Science scores are alarmingly low, with only 13% of 5th graders proficient in the prior year.

For context, consider Kennedy-Powell Elementary, another Temple ISD school just over 5 miles away. Despite serving a population with a lower rate of economic disadvantage (61%), Kennedy-Powell ranks in the 73rd percentile (4 stars) and outperforms Sampson-Howard in every tested subject and grade level—for example, 3rd-grade Math proficiency is 67% at Kennedy-Powell versus 36% at Sampson-Howard. This comparison shows that higher performance is achievable within the same district. The school’s leadership would benefit from studying the successful practices at Kennedy-Powell and building on its own effective 5th-grade reading program to address the systemic declines seen across most subjects in recent years.