Summary:
Zip code 78661 is home to a single school, Prairie Lea Elementary, which serves students from Pre-Kindergarten through 12th grade within the Prairie Lea Independent School District (Isd), a small, rural community with 267 students and a high level of economic need, as over 62% of students qualify for free or reduced lunch.
Prairie Lea Elementary is classified as an "Alternative" school, which often serves students who have struggled in traditional settings, and it presents a striking contrast in performance. On one hand, the school boasts a strong graduation rate of 93.3% for the 2023-2024 school year, indicating success in keeping students on track to earn a diploma. On the other hand, its standardized test scores are significantly below state averages across all subjects and grade levels. For example, in the 2025-2026 school year, only 33.33% of 3rd graders were proficient in Reading, and 0% of 5th graders were proficient in Mathematics, compared to state averages that are roughly 20-40 percentage points higher. This gap highlights a persistent challenge in bringing students to grade-level academic standards.
Despite these low scores, there are signs of improvement. Between the 2024-2025 and 2025-2026 school years, proficiency rates in Reading and Mathematics nearly doubled in some grades, such as 3rd Grade Reading rising from 18.18% to 33.33%. The school's high graduation rate, combined with its "Alternative" classification, suggests it effectively re-engages students who might otherwise drop out, even as it works to address academic gaps. With a student-teacher ratio of 14.8:1 and per-student spending of $11,568, the school provides a focused learning environment, though the high economic need likely contributes to its academic struggles. For parents, this school offers a close-knit community with a strong commitment to student retention, but it faces significant work in raising academic achievement.
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