Summary:
The five public schools in zip code 78076 (Zapata, TX) are part of the Zapata County Independent School District (Isd), serving approximately 3,239 students across three elementary schools, one middle school, and one high school in a high-poverty area where about 89% of students qualify for free or reduced lunch.
The elementary schools are the district's strongest performers. Zapata North Elementary is the most consistent, earning a 3-star rating for three consecutive years and often exceeding state averages in 5th-grade math and reading. Zapata South Elementary is the most improved, jumping from the 43rd to the 67th percentile between 2024 and 2026, with 4th graders scoring 73.81% proficient in both reading and math. Fidel And Andrea R Villarreal Elementary has the highest poverty rate (93.48%) and shows more volatile rankings. In contrast, Zapata Middle and Zapata High School struggle significantly. The high school has a 0-star rating and ranks in the bottom 2% of Texas high schools, with proficiency rates in the single digits for Algebra I (6.98%) and English I (0.89%), despite a 94.9% graduation rate.
Key takeaways include a dramatic drop in math proficiency at the middle school level—7th-grade math proficiency is just 4.1%, down from 14.46% in 6th grade—and a district-wide weakness in science. Spending does not correlate with performance: the lowest-spending school (Zapata North at $9,515 per student) outperforms the highest-spending school (Villarreal at $10,355). The elementary schools show strong foundational skills, but the upper grades face systemic challenges in curriculum and instruction that need targeted intervention.
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