Summary:
This analysis examines 16 elementary schools serving Pre-Kindergarten through 5th grade in the 78245 zip code of San Antonio, TX, a diverse area where schools are spread across four districts: Northside Independent School District (ISD), Southwest Independent School District (ISD), Idea Public Schools, and Medina Valley Independent School District (ISD).
The standout school in the area is Wernli Elementary, which consistently ranks in the top 27% of Texas elementary schools and significantly outperforms both its district and state averages in reading, math, and science. Another strong performer is Big Country Elementary, which has shown impressive improvement and ranks in the top 27% of the state despite serving a high-poverty community. In contrast, Adams Hill Elementary and Hatchett Elementary face severe academic challenges, ranking in the bottom 17% of the state. The three Idea Public Schools charter schools—Idea Burke Academy, Idea Mays Academy, and Idea Ambrose And Freda Robinson Academy—all rank in the bottom half of the state and generally underperform compared to the local Northside ISD schools, particularly in math.
A critical area of concern across the zip code is mathematics, where proficiency rates are consistently lower than reading rates at nearly every school. For example, at Ladera Elementary, 5th-grade reading proficiency was 55.26% but math was only 28.95%. Science scores are also alarmingly low, with an average proficiency of just 24.5% across the area, and some schools like Michael Elementary and Kriewald Road School Of The Arts reporting rates in the single digits. While higher poverty rates often correlate with lower performance, Big Country Elementary proves that high achievement is possible in high-needs communities. Additionally, spending per student does not guarantee results, as Cody Elementary has the highest spending ($11,469) but ranks in the bottom 34%, while Lieck Elementary spends the least ($8,781) but ranks in the top 31%.
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