Best Elementary Schools in Zip Code 77545

This analysis examines three elementary schools in zip code 77545 (Fresno, Texas)—Lula Belle Goodman Elementary, Walter Moses Burton Elementary, and Rosa Parks Elementary—all part of the Fort Bend Independent School District (ISD). These schools serve grades PK through 5 and face significant challenges, with all three having high poverty rates (70% to 83% free/reduced lunch) and performing well below district and state averages in most subjects.

Lula Belle Goodman Elementary stands out as the highest-performing school in the area, despite having the highest poverty rate (83.43%). It ranks in the 31st percentile statewide, far ahead of Walter Moses Burton Elementary and Rosa Parks Elementary, which both rank in the 13th percentile. Goodman also shows a clear upward trend in its state ranking, while the other two schools have stagnated. Notably, Goodman’s students taking the STAAR Spanish exam consistently outperform district and state averages in 3rd-grade reading and math. In contrast, Walter Moses Burton Elementary has a standout subgroup: 66.67% of its 4th graders taking the Spanish reading exam were proficient, nearly double the district average. Rosa Parks Elementary has the lowest poverty rate (70.83%) and the lowest per-student spending ($11,806), suggesting a potential link between lower need and lower resource allocation.

Key findings include a persistent performance gap between these schools and the district average, especially in 5th-grade science, where proficiency rates range from just 11.81% to 19.39%—roughly half the state average. Spending does not correlate with performance: the highest-spending school (Burton, at $14,124 per student) is the lowest-ranked, while the highest-performing school (Goodman) has mid-range spending ($12,184). This suggests that how money is spent matters more than how much, and that Goodman may be using its resources more effectively to overcome socioeconomic barriers.