Summary:
There are two elementary schools serving students in zip code 78599 (Weslaco, TX): Idea Academy Weslaco and Horizon Montessori II - Stem Academy, both of which serve a high-poverty demographic with over 80% of students qualifying for free or reduced lunch.
Horizon Montessori II - Stem Academy stands out as the higher-performing school in the area, despite a lower overall state ranking in recent years. This PK-8 STEM-focused magnet school, part of Horizon Montessori Public Schools, shows a dramatic upward trajectory, jumping from the 24th to the 47th state percentile in one year. It excels in mathematics, with 7th-grade math proficiency (65.38%) more than double the state average, and boasts a remarkable 100% proficiency rate on Algebra I and English I EOC exams. The school also benefits from a lower student-teacher ratio (14.8:1) and higher per-student spending ($10,821) compared to its counterpart.
In contrast, Idea Academy Weslaco, a larger K-5 school within Idea Public Schools, has remained stagnant in the bottom 40% of Texas elementary schools for three consecutive years. Its test scores are almost universally below state averages, with notable weaknesses in 3rd-grade math (28.16% proficient vs. 44.33% state) and 5th-grade science (23.68% vs. 29.57% state). The school also has a higher student-teacher ratio of 22.5:1. A key takeaway is that both schools struggle with 5th-grade science proficiency, with Horizon Montessori II - Stem Academy at just 16.67% and Idea Academy Weslaco at 23.68%, indicating a critical area for improvement across the zip code.
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