CHISHOLM TRAIL EL

CHISHOLM TRAIL EL is one of the medium-sized K-5 schools in BELTON, Texas, part of BELTON ISD, with 766 students on its rolls from grades K through 5. Enrollment runs roughly 48% larger than the state mean of about 519.

CHISHOLM TRAIL EL is one of 21 schools operated by BELTON ISD, a district that serves 13,980 students overall.

In terms of who attends, CHISHOLM TRAIL EL logs that the most-represented group is Hispanic (51%), with the rest of the student body spread across multiple groups. Beyond that, the school records 33% White, 8% Black, 6% multiracial. That is considerably more Hispanic than the county at large, where the share is closer to 26%.

In terms of school funding signals, CHISHOLM TRAIL EL shows 56 full-time-equivalent teachers, putting the student-to-teacher ratio at about 13.7:1. That figure is tighter than the state norm's 15.1:1 average. About 58% of enrolled students meet the income threshold for free or reduced-price lunch, often used as a Title I proxy.

Adjusting for the school's free-and-reduced-lunch share, CHISHOLM TRAIL EL falls in the UNDERPERFORMING tier of the BeatsExpectations residual. Given its student profile, a typical campus would land near 48.7%; this one comes in at 32.5%, -16.2 points off the demographic line.

Zooming out to the county, census data for Bell County shows the typical household earns roughly $68,865 per year, roughly 27% of adults have completed at least a four-year degree, and census figures put the poverty rate at about 11%. CHISHOLM TRAIL EL is one of 130 public schools in Bell County (combined enrollment of about 71,041 students).

The closest other public school is SOUTH BELTON MIDDLE, roughly 1.3 miles away. 8 of the 8 nearest public schools sit inside a five-mile radius. Among the 6 schools in that immediate cluster with test data (this one included), CHISHOLM TRAIL EL ranks 3rd on composite proficiency, below the local average of 38.7%.

The school occupies an outer-ring site.

Trend over the last 7 years. Over the past 7-year window, the student count changed only slightly: 765 students in 2018 compared to 766 in 2025. The White share of enrollment edged down from 43% to 33% over that span. Class-load math has fell: from 16.3:1 in 2018 to 13.7:1 in 2025.

On the community side, the page collects discussion, questions, and updates around sports schedules, lunch menu changes, and school spirit week. Anyone with firsthand experience at this school can post or comment.