Hayley Elementary

Hayley Elementary in La Marque, TX, serves 484 students in grades K-5 as part of the Texas City Independent School District (Isd), and has consistently ranked in the bottom 5% of all elementary schools in Texas for the past five years, earning zero stars from Schooldigger.

This school faces significant academic challenges, with proficiency rates on STAAR tests dramatically lower than both district and state averages. For example, in 3rd grade math, only 16% of Hayley students met proficiency compared to 80% at Heights Elementary, a school just 2.87 miles away. In 5th grade science, only 10% of Hayley students were proficient versus the state average of 29.57%. The underperformance is systemic across all subjects and grade levels, with no significant improvement over the last five years. While the school spends a relatively high amount per student ($13,867), this funding is not translating into academic results, especially when compared to nearby schools like Roosevelt-Wilson Elementary and Manuel Guajardo Junior Elementary, which achieve much higher rankings with lower per-pupil spending.

There are a few areas of relative strength that could be leveraged. Gifted and Talented students at Hayley ranked in the 41st percentile in 2025-2026, a notable outlier compared to the school's overall 3rd percentile ranking. Special Education students have shown some improvement, moving from the 8th percentile in 2022-2023 to the 17th percentile in 2025-2026. However, the most telling comparison is with Heights Elementary, which serves a student population with nearly identical levels of economic disadvantage yet ranks in the 96th percentile statewide. This stark contrast highlights profound differences in school leadership, instructional quality, and school culture, suggesting that a radical, systemic intervention is needed to reverse Hayley's trend of persistent underperformance.