Best Public Schools in Zip Code 78595

Zip code 78595 in Sullivan City, Texas, is served by two public elementary schools, Sam Fordyce Elementary and Rosendo Benavides Elementary, both part of the La Joya Independent School District (Isd), and exclusively serve grades PK-5 with no middle or high schools in the area.

The standout school in this area is Sam Fordyce Elementary, which earns a 3-star rating and ranks in the 59th percentile statewide, while Rosendo Benavides Elementary is a 1-star school ranking in the 11th percentile. Despite serving the same high-poverty community—with over 95% of students qualifying for free or reduced lunch—and having nearly identical student-to-teacher ratios (12.6:1 vs. 12.7:1), academic outcomes differ drastically. For example, in 3rd Grade Math, Sam Fordyce’s proficiency rate of 56.1% is nearly four times higher than Rosendo Benavides’ 15%. Interestingly, Sam Fordyce achieves these superior results while spending less per student ($12,301 vs. $14,098), highlighting a more efficient use of resources. A notable strength for Sam Fordyce is its Spanish-language testing, where 3rd graders achieved a 76.92% proficiency rate in reading, nearly 2.7 times the state average, suggesting an exceptionally effective bilingual program.

While Rosendo Benavides Elementary struggles overall, it shows a glimmer of hope in 5th Grade Reading Spanish, where it outperformed both the district and state with a 66.67% proficiency rate. Both schools face the immense challenge of extreme economic disadvantage, and even the higher-performing Sam Fordyce generally lags behind state averages in English-language tests. This data underscores that school leadership and instructional quality, rather than spending alone, drive success in this community.