Summary:
Zip code 77488 in Wharton, Texas, is home to two elementary schools within the Wharton Independent School District (Isd): Wharton Elementary (serving grades 2-5) and C G Sivells Elementary (serving grades PK-1). The district itself is ranked in the bottom 5% of Texas school districts, and the elementary schools reflect significant academic challenges. A very high percentage of students across both schools come from economically disadvantaged backgrounds, with C G Sivells Elementary at nearly 90% and Wharton Elementary at over 77%.
Academic performance at Wharton Elementary is critically low, with proficiency rates far below state averages in reading, math, and science. For the 2025-2026 school year, reading proficiency ranged from just 16% to 29% across grades 3-5, while math proficiency was even lower, between 9% and 17%. The most alarming figure is in 5th-grade science, where only 6% of students were proficient, compared to the state average of 30%. The school has consistently ranked in the bottom 1-5% of Texas elementary schools for the past three years, showing no meaningful improvement. C G Sivells Elementary does not have test score data, as it serves only pre-kindergarten through first grade, making it impossible to assess early learning foundations.
A key takeaway is the disconnect between spending and outcomes. Wharton Elementary spends $12,336 per student, which is not low by Texas standards, yet academic results are among the worst in the state. This suggests that funding alone is not solving the deep-rooted challenges. The feeder pattern from C G Sivells to Wharton Elementary indicates a systemic issue, with students entering second grade already behind. The lack of data for early grades is a critical blind spot, as understanding readiness at the PK-1 level would be essential for designing effective interventions to break the cycle of low performance seen in grades 2-5.
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