ALTO EL

As a micro-enrollment elementary school in ALTO, Texas, ALTO EL hosts 207 students from grades pre-K through 4, overseen by ALTO ISD. That puts it 60% below the typical public school in Texas, which averages around 519 students.

Within ALTO ISD, which oversees 3 schools and 505 students, ALTO EL is one campus in the system.

On demographics, ALTO EL reports that the largest single group is White at 40%, but no single group is in the majority. The remainder reads as 29% Hispanic, 21% Black, 9% multiracial. That is noticeably less White than the county at large, where the share is closer to 65%.

In terms of school funding signals, On paper, ALTO EL has 14 full-time-equivalent teachers, translating to a class-load average of around 14.8:1. The state averages about 15.1:1, putting this campus right in line with peers. Around 73% of the student body qualifies for free or reduced-price meals, a number frequently used as a low-income enrollment indicator.

On a demographically-adjusted basis, ALTO EL falls in the UNDERPERFORMING tier of the BeatsExpectations residual. Given its student profile, a typical campus would land near 42.0%; this one comes in at 28.0%, -14.0 points off the demographic line.

In the broader community, census data for Cherokee County shows median household income runs about $61,261, 19% of adults hold a bachelor's degree or higher, and census figures put the poverty rate at about 15%. Across Cherokee County's 24 public schools (combined enrollment of about 10,948 students), ALTO EL is one campus in the mix.

Nearest neighbor: ALTO MIDDLE, around 0.1 miles off. 2 of the 8 nearest public schools sit inside a five-mile radius. Ranking that nearby cluster on reported proficiency puts ALTO EL at 8th of 8; the average score across the group is 50.1%.

The campus sits in a rural setting.

Five-year trend. Looking back 7 years, enrollment at ALTO EL has decreased 26%, going from 278 students in 2018 to 207 in 2025. The Hispanic share of enrollment declined from 37% to 29% over that span. Class-load math has loosened: from 12.6:1 in 2018 to 14.8:1 in 2025.

Inside the community feed, recent activity here tends to focus on sports schedules, lunch menu changes, and school spirit week. Anyone with firsthand experience at this school can post or comment.