Vernon Elementary

Vernon Elementary in Vernon, TX, serves 494 students in grades 2 through 5 within the Vernon Independent School District (Isd), a community where about 78% of students qualify for free or reduced lunch.

Academically, Vernon Elementary has experienced a volatile and declining performance trajectory over the past decade. After a brief improvement in the 2024-2025 school year, the school suffered a dramatic drop to the 16th percentile statewide in 2025-2026, earning a 1-star rating. A critical weakness is in mathematics, where only 25% of 3rd graders and 32% of 4th graders were proficient, compared to state averages of 44% and 49%, respectively. However, there is a surprising bright spot in 5th-grade science, where 38% of students were proficient in 2024-2025, significantly outperforming the state average of 30%. This suggests a specific teacher or program is highly effective, but the success is not replicated in other subjects or grades. The school also struggles to serve all student subgroups equitably, with special education students performing in the bottom 10% of the state.

Compared to the district's only other elementary school, T G McCord Elementary (serving PK-1), Vernon Elementary has a slightly higher student-teacher ratio (13.9 vs. 12.5) and spent $708 more per student ($11,309 vs. $10,601) in the 2020-2021 school year. Despite this higher spending, academic results have not improved, pointing to a need for a strategic review of how funds are allocated. The economic disadvantage rate is nearly identical between the two schools (78% at Vernon vs. 79% at T.G. McCord), indicating consistent economic challenges across the district's elementary population.