Summary:
This analysis examines 12 elementary schools in the 78613 zip code of Cedar Park, TX, serving grades PK through 5th, including 11 public schools from the Leander Independent School District (Isd) and one charter school from the Basis Texas district.
The academic landscape is highly polarized. The standout performer is Basis Cedar Park Pri, a charter school ranking in the top 1% of Texas elementary schools (100th percentile) with dramatically higher test scores than any other school. Among Leander ISD schools, Deer Creek Elementary is the top performer, achieving a 5-star rating and ranking in the top 5% of the state. In contrast, Patricia Knowles Elementary and Lois F Giddens Elementary face significant challenges, with 1-star ratings and rankings in the bottom 20-30% of Texas schools. The data reveals a "resource paradox": schools with the highest spending per student (e.g., Pauline Naumann Elementary at $12,548) and lowest student-teacher ratios are often the lowest-performing, suggesting resources are directed toward schools with greater student needs rather than driving high test scores.
Key takeaways for parents include the dramatic performance gap between the charter school and public schools, and the strong correlation between socioeconomic factors (free/reduced lunch percentages) and academic outcomes. Even within similar demographics, school-level factors create differences, as seen with Ronald Reagan Elementary (4-star, top 20%) versus Deer Creek (5-star, top 5%). Several schools show declining performance trends, including Patricia Knowles Elementary dropping from the 38th to 16th percentile over three years. Science scores are a key differentiator, with top schools like Basis Cedar Park Pri (67.1% proficiency) and Deer Creek (60.58%) far exceeding the state average of 29.57%.
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