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SCHOOL COMMUNITY·PEARLAND ISD·NCES 483444003114

Challenger Elementary School

9434 HUGHES RANCH RD, PEARLAND, TX 77581 · (281) 485-7912 · Brazoria County
GRADES PK–04ELEMENTARY21-SUBURBREGULAR SCHOOL614 STUDENTS
Enrollment
614
Elementary
DISTRICT 657 · STATE 519
Student : Teacher
15.5:1
40 FTE teachers
DISTRICT 15.4:1 · STATE 15.1:1
Free / Reduced Lunch
39%
239 students
DISTRICT 39% · STATE 65%
Community
1
0 members
Enrollment and student:teacher ratio compared against other elementary schools. Free/Reduced Lunch and demographics compared against all schools.

Enrollment by grade, 2024-25

GradeStudentsShare
Pre-K437%
Kindergarten8714%
Grade 19515%
Grade 212320%
Grade 313923%
Grade 412721%

This year's kindergarten class (87) is 31% smaller than its 4th grade class (127).

Student demographics
77%Diversity index
The chance that two students picked at random belong to different racial or ethnic groups.
DISTRICT 72% · STATE 63% · US 70%
White
15325%
DISTRICT 28% · STATE 24% · US 43%
Hispanic
17328%
DISTRICT 40% · STATE 54% · US 30%
Black
14023%
DISTRICT 15% · STATE 13% · US 15%
Asian
10317%
DISTRICT 13% · STATE 6% · US 6%
Two+
437%
DISTRICT 4% · STATE 3% · US 5%
Native American
10%
DISTRICT 0% · STATE 0% · US 1%
Pacific Islander
10%
DISTRICT 0% · STATE 0% · US 0%
Student head counts by race/ethnicity from federal NCES enrollment data. District, state, and US figures are each group's share of all public school students in that area (US excludes territories). Very small groups may be suppressed in the source, so categories do not always sum exactly to total enrollment.
Gender split
Male
31551%
Female
29949%

Discussions

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Test scores

STAAR 2025-26 . % Meets Grade Level or Above
Reading
74.0%
TX avg 54.5% . +8.0pp since 2020
Mathematics
73.0%
TX avg 45.3% . +5.0pp since 2020

What this means: On the STAAR, Texas's statewide test, about 74 of every 100 students at this school read at grade level and about 73 of 100 do math at grade level. Across all Texas schools, those numbers are about 55 and 45. Reading scores are up about 8 points since 2020, while math scores are up about 5 points.

Performance levels, 2025-26

SubjectMasters Grade LevelMeets Grade LevelApproaches Grade LevelDid Not Meet Grade Level
Reading47.0%27.0%14.0%12.0%
Mathematics48.0%25.0%12.0%15.0%
Share of tested students at each STAAR level. Each student counts in one level, so a row adds to about 100%.

STAAR results by year

School yearReadingMathematics
2025-2674.0%73.0%
2024-2569.0%64.0%
2023-2473.0%62.0%
2022-2375.0%75.0%
2021-2267.0%69.0%
2020-2166.0%68.0%
% Meets Grade Level or Above, all students and all tested grades.
Source: STAAR. All students, all grades. See all years and grades →

BeatsExpectations

Demographically-adjusted score · methodology
Tier
AS EXPECTED
Performing as predicted given the school's student profile
Actual proficiency
66.9%
composite math + reading, all grades
Predicted
57.1%
based on TX schools with similar FRL share
Beats by
+9.8pp
above demographic expectation

What this means: About 67% of students here test proficient in math and reading, compared with the roughly 57% typical for Texas schools with a similar share of low-income students. BeatsExpectations measures results against demographically similar schools rather than by raw scores, and this school falls within the typical range, neither among Texas's top nor bottom 10%.

BeatsExpectations runs a per-state regression of proficiency on free/reduced-lunch share, then scores each school by residual. How this is calculated →

Schools most like Challenger Elementary School

Challenger Elementary School's state test result (66.9% proficient) is higher than 4 of the 5 schools below with a result.

SchoolStudentsLow-incomeProficient
Challenger Elementary School this school61438.9%66.9%
Copper Creek Elementary School
FORT WORTH
70238.0%41.6%
Dodd Elementary School
WYLIE
60741.8%76.0%
Berkshire Elementary School
FORT WORTH
68838.4%37.1%
Huffman Elementary School
PLANO
51940.1%48.3%
Indian Creek Elementary School
CARROLLTON
49038.2%42.1%
Matched among Texas elementary schools on enrollment, the share of students from low-income families (eligible for free or reduced-price lunch), and racial and ethnic makeup. Proficient is the average share of students meeting the state standard across all of the school's state tests in 2023-24 and 2024-25, the same combined score our test-score rankings use. Online schools and schools serving specialized populations are not matched.

Where Challenger Elementary School ranks

Among elementary schools
MeasureThis schoolIn TexasIn Brazoria County
State test proficiency
ranked highest first
66.9%#419 of 4,401#9 of 52
Math proficiency
ranked highest first
73.0%#330 of 4,466
▲ 336
#7 of 52
▲ 4
Reading proficiency
ranked highest first
74.0%#544 of 4,466
▲ 266
#9 of 52
▲ 4
3-year test score change
ranked biggest drop first
-1.5pp#1,045 of 3,998#12 of 49
Enrollment
ranked largest first
614#1,508 of 4,938#29 of 55
Students per teacher
ranked fewest first
15.5:1#2,912 of 4,622#40 of 53
Diversity index
ranked most diverse first
77.3%#17 of 4,628#2 of 53
Free and reduced lunch
ranked highest share first
38.9%#3,974 of 4,789#43 of 55
Enrollment change since 2017-18
ranked steepest decline first
-10.1%#2,017 of 2,838#22 of 34
Ranked against other public elementary schools. Online schools are left out of every list, and test-score lists leave out schools that serve specialized populations. Each rank links to the full list. Arrows under a test-score rank show places moved since the prior test year, among schools tested both years.

4-year change

SY 2020-21 vs SY 2024-25
Enrollment
614
+41 (+7%) vs 2020
+31% since 2000-01, when it was 467
Student : Teacher
15.5:1
was 13.6:1
Source: NCES Common Core of Data

Enrollment and staffing by year

School yearStudentsTeachers (FTE)Students per teacherFree and reduced lunch
2024-2561439.615.5:139% (239)
2023-2460538.515.7:138% (229)
2022-2357038.115.0:136% (203)
2020-215734213.6:132% (182)
2017-1868344.515.3:125% (168)
2015-166624315.4:123% (149)
2010-117394416.8:120% (147)
2000-014673015.6:19% (41)
Source: NCES Common Core of Data. Rows are the federal collections on file for Challenger Elementary School.

Since 2017-18: students down 10% (683 to 614); teachers down 11% (44.5 to 39.6).

About Challenger Elementary School

Challenger Elementary School is an elementary school in PEARLAND, Texas, and it is part of PEARLAND ISD. The student body numbers 614 students, from pre-K through 4.

Challenger Elementary School is one school in PEARLAND ISD, a system of 24 schools with 20,862 students.

Challenger Elementary School's enrollment has no majority group, and Hispanic students are the largest at 28%. The school is also 25% White, 23% Black, 17% Asian, and 7% multiracial. That is close to the 32% Hispanic share among all Brazoria County residents. Challenger Elementary School has a diversity index of 77%, compared with 70% for all US public school students.

Its teaching staff equals 39.6 full-time positions, a ratio of 15.5:1. Elementary schools in Texas average about 15.1:1, a similar figure. Around 39% of the school's students qualify for free or reduced-price meals. The 50% average for public schools in Brazoria County is 11 points higher.

A school with Challenger Elementary School's lunch-eligibility share in Texas is predicted to score 57.1%. Challenger Elementary School scores 66.9%, 9.8 points above that line.

In the county around the school, Brazoria County, median household income is about $97,993, roughly 33% of adults have a four-year degree or more, and the share of residents below the poverty line is 6%. Challenger Elementary School is among the 115 public schools in Brazoria County.

The school nearest to Challenger Elementary School is Glenda Dawson High School, at a distance of about 0.9 miles. Counting only straight-line distance, at least 8 other public schools are within five miles. Challenger Elementary School places 7th of 9 on proficiency among the closest schools that report scores.

For locale, NCES codes Challenger Elementary School as Suburb: Large.

Enrollment was 573 in 2020-21 and 614 in 2024-25, a increase of 41 students. Staffing shifted too: the ratio moved from 13.6:1 to 15.5:1.

Threads on this page can be about enrollment questions, class placement, and PTA news. Alumni can share how the school prepared them.

Brazoria County at a glance

View full county profile
Population
391,255
Census ACS
Median income
$97,993
Household, ACS
Bachelor's+
33%
Adults 25+
Poverty rate
6%
Below federal line
Schools in county
115
75,767 students

Quick facts

School name
Challenger Elementary School
District
PEARLAND ISD
Address
9434 HUGHES RANCH RD, PEARLAND, TX 77581
Phone
(281) 485-7912
County
Brazoria County
Level
Elementary
Grade range
PK–04
Total enrollment
614
Teachers (FTE)
40
Student–teacher ratio
15.5:1
Free and reduced lunch
239 (39%)
Locale
21-Suburb: Large
NCES ID
483444003114
Charter school
No
Virtual school
No

Related schools

Other schools in PEARLAND ISD
Other schools in PEARLAND
Other Challenger Elementary schools

8 other US public schools in 7 states are named Challenger Elementary. Challenger Elementary School is the 4th largest of the 9.

Nearby schools

Frequently asked questions

About Challenger Elementary School
What is the total enrollment at Challenger Elementary School?
Challenger Elementary School enrolls approximately 614 students in grades PK-04.
Is Challenger Elementary School an elementary, middle, or high school?
Challenger Elementary School is an elementary school covering grades PK-04.
How many teachers does Challenger Elementary School have?
Challenger Elementary School employs 40 FTE teachers, for a student-to-teacher ratio of 15.5:1.
What is the racial breakdown of students at Challenger Elementary School?
At Challenger Elementary School, the student body is approximately 25% White, 28% Hispanic, 23% Black, 17% Asian, 7% Two or more.
What district is Challenger Elementary School in?
Challenger Elementary School is part of PEARLAND ISD.
Data sourceSchool profile facts are sourced from the NCES. Community content is posted by allk12 members.
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