Summary:
This analysis examines six elementary schools in zip code 78573, serving approximately 2,721 students from Pre-Kindergarten through 6th grade in the Alton and Mission, Texas area, where a very high percentage of students qualify for free or reduced lunch.
Among these schools, Raquel Cavazos Elementary stands out as the top academic performer, achieving a 3-star rating and a 61st percentile state rank, with strong 5th grade reading and math scores that exceed district and state averages. In contrast, Carl C Waitz Elementary faces the greatest challenges, consistently earning a 1-star rating and ranking in the bottom 14-29% of Texas elementary schools, despite having the lowest student-to-teacher ratio and high per-student spending. Salinas Elementary provides steady, reliable performance with a consistent 3-star rating and strong math scores, while Jessie L Jensen Elementary in Sharyland Independent School District (Isd) shows a notable decline from the 53rd to 31st percentile over three years. Cantu Elementary and Alton Elementary show mixed results, with Alton excelling in 4th grade math but struggling in 3rd grade reading.
A key takeaway is that socioeconomic challenges are significant—with an average of 92.24% of students eligible for free or reduced lunch—but not insurmountable, as Raquel Cavazos and Salinas demonstrate high performance. The data also reveals a "money vs. results" paradox, where the lowest-performing school spends more per student, and a "Spanish test" success story, where schools like Carl C Waitz show higher proficiency on Spanish STAAR exams. Additionally, district-level rankings do not always predict individual school success, as Mission Consolidated Independent School District houses the top-performing school despite being a lower-ranked district overall.
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