Best Elementary Schools in Zip Code 78724

This analysis examines nine elementary schools in zip code 78724 of Austin, Texas, serving grades PK-5 across five districts, an area characterized by high economic disadvantage with an average free/reduced lunch rate of 85.6%.

The standout school in this area is Magnolia Montessori For All, part of the Montessori For All district, which consistently meets or exceeds state averages in core subjects and ranks in the 55th percentile, a significant improvement from the 37th percentile two years prior. This performance is achieved with a 41.49% free/reduced lunch rate, dramatically lower than the zip code average. In contrast, Jordan Elementary in Austin Independent School District (Isd) ranks in the 0th percentile, with critically low test scores—only 1.69% of 5th graders proficient in Math and 0% in Science—despite having the highest per-student spending at $12,815. Other schools like Hornsby-Dunlap Elementary and Joseph Gilbert Elementary in Del Valle Independent School District (Isd) show more consistent, though below-average, performance, with Joseph Gilbert showing a positive upward trend. KIPP Alegria Pri in KIPP Texas Public Schools performs similarly to struggling traditional public schools with a 91.92% free/reduced lunch rate and a 27th percentile rank.

Key findings reveal a "money vs. performance" paradox, where higher spending does not guarantee better outcomes, as seen with Jordan Elementary. The socioeconomic divide is the dominant factor, with schools having lower free/reduced lunch rates performing better. A bilingual achievement gap exists in Mathematics, where Spanish-language math scores are drastically lower than English ones, suggesting a need for targeted math instruction. The average state rank for these schools is 19.2%, well below the state median, and the average student-teacher ratio is 15.4:1. Schools in Austin ISD are the lowest-performing despite the district's higher rank, while Del Valle ISD schools show more consistent results.