BIRCH EL

As a moderately sized K-5 school in LONGVIEW, Texas, BIRCH EL teaches 656 students from grades 1 through 4, overseen by PINE TREE ISD. Enrollment runs roughly 26% bigger than the state mean of about 519.

PINE TREE ISD runs 6 schools in total, collectively educating 4,439 students. BIRCH EL is one of those campuses.

Looking at the student body, BIRCH EL lists that 37% of students identify as White, with the remaining enrollment distributed across several groups. Beyond that, the school records 30% Hispanic, 23% Black, 8% multiracial. The wider county runs roughly 58% White, putting the school's mix noticeably less White than the area baseline.

On the income-and-resources front, On paper, BIRCH EL has 42 full-time-equivalent teachers, translating to a class-load average of around 15.5:1. The state averages about 15.1:1, putting this campus right in line with peers. Around 69% of the student body qualifies for free or reduced-price meals, a commonly cited indicator of low-income enrollment.

On a residual basis (actual vs predicted given the student mix), BIRCH EL is in the OUTPERFORMING tier of the BeatsExpectations model, which fits a per-state line through proficiency and FRL share. Schools with this campus's poverty mix typically land near 43.7%; this one delivers 60.2%, a residual of +16.4 points.

Zooming out to the county, Gregg County reports that the typical household earns roughly $66,550 per year, about 23% of the adult population holds a bachelor's degree or above, and census figures put the poverty rate at about 12%. Across Gregg County's 46 public schools (combined enrollment of about 20,498 students), BIRCH EL is one campus in the mix.

Nearest neighbor: PINE TREE PRI, around 0.2 miles off. Within five miles, there are 8 other public schools. On composite proficiency, BIRCH EL comes 2nd of 6 in the immediate cluster, higher than the nearby-schools average of 52.0%.

Geographically, the school is in a high-density area.

Trend over the last 7 years. Looking back 7 years, enrollment at BIRCH EL has fell 3%, going from 678 students in 2018 to 656 in 2025. The Hispanic share of enrollment fell from 35% to 30% over that span. The student-to-teacher ratio rose from 13.8:1 in 2018 to 15.5:1 today.

In the discussion threads here, the page collects discussion, questions, and updates around enrollment questions, classroom assignments, and PTA news. Members of the school community can share what they know.