Enrollment
262
Elementary
DISTRICT 534 · STATE 519
SCHOOL COMMUNITY·BROWNSVILLE ISD·NCES 481168000654
GARZA EL
200 ESPERANZA RD, BROWNSVILLE, TX 78521 · (956)982-2660 · Cameron County
GRADES PK–05ELEMENTARY12-CITYTITLE IREGULAR SCHOOL262 STUDENTS
Student : Teacher
11.5:1
20 FTE teachers
DISTRICT 15.5:1 · STATE 15.1:1
Free / Reduced Lunch
96%
252 students
DISTRICT 91% · STATE 65%
Community
0
0 members
Enrollment and student:teacher ratio compared against other elementary schools. Free/Reduced Lunch and demographics compared against all schools.
Enrollment by grade
Student demographics
Student head counts by race/ethnicity from federal NCES enrollment data. Very small groups may be suppressed in the source, so categories do not always sum exactly to total enrollment.
Test scores
STAAR 2023-24 . % Meets Grade Level or AboveReading
45.0%
TX avg 51.8% . +14.0pp since 2020
Mathematics
43.0%
TX avg 42.0% . +14.0pp since 2020
What this means: On the STAAR, Texas's statewide test, about 45 of every 100 students at this school read at grade level and about 43 of 100 do math at grade level. Across all Texas schools, those numbers are about 52 and 42. Reading scores are up about 14 points since 2020, while math scores are up about 14 points.
Source: STAAR. All students, all grades. See all years and grades →
BeatsExpectations
Demographically-adjusted score · methodologyTier
AS EXPECTED
Performing as predicted given the school's student profile
Actual proficiency
38.9%
composite math + reading, all grades
Predicted
31.9%
based on TX schools with similar FRL share
Beats by
+7.0pp
above demographic expectation
What this means: About 39% of students here test proficient in math and reading, compared with the roughly 32% 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 →
6-year change
SY 2017-18 vs SY 2023-24Enrollment
262
-163 (-38%) vs 2017
Student : Teacher
12.9:1
was 16.6:1
% White
2%
was 0%
% Hispanic
98%
was 100%
% Black
0%
was 0%
% Asian
0%
was 0%
Source: NCES Common Core of Data
About GARZA EL
Set in BROWNSVILLE, Texas, GARZA EL is a close-knit elementary campus, overseen by BROWNSVILLE ISD. It caters to 262 students across grades pre-K through 5. Enrollment runs roughly 50% leaner than the state mean of about 519.
BROWNSVILLE ISD runs 52 schools in total, collectively educating 37,097 students. GARZA EL is one of those campuses.
On demographics, GARZA EL records that the student body is overwhelmingly Hispanic (98%). That is considerably more Hispanic than the county at large, where the share is closer to 89%.
Looking at the economic backdrop, GARZA EL records 20 full-time-equivalent teachers, putting the student-to-teacher ratio at about 11.5:1. Statewide, the average ratio sits near 15.1:1, putting GARZA EL tighter than the state norm the norm. Around 96% of the student body qualifies for free or reduced-price meals, a number frequently used as a low-income enrollment indicator. Set against Cameron County (around 84%), the school's rate is north of typical.
On a demographically-adjusted basis, GARZA EL sits in the middle band of the BeatsExpectations distribution. Schools with this campus's student mix typically land near 31.9%; this one delivers 38.9%.
In the area at large, census data for Cameron County shows median household income runs about $52,601, 22% of adults hold a bachelor's degree or higher, and roughly 21% of residents live below the federal poverty line. In all, Cameron County runs 187 public schools (combined enrollment of about 97,392 students), of which GARZA EL is one.
The closest other public school is GARZA AT SOUTHMOST EL, roughly 0.7 miles away. 8 of the 8 nearest public schools sit inside a five-mile radius. Among the 9 schools in that immediate cluster with test data (this one included), GARZA EL ranks 6th on composite proficiency, below the local average of 41.0%.
The campus sits in a downtown setting.
Trend over the last 6 years. Looking back 6 years, enrollment at GARZA EL has declined 38%, going from 425 students in 2018 to 262 in 2024. The student-to-teacher ratio tightened from 16.6:1 in 2018 to 12.9:1 today.
On the community side, members of the GARZA EL community share and discuss fundraisers, lost-and-found posts, and report-card season. Posting is open to anyone connected to the school.
Cameron County at a glance
View full county profilePopulation
426,120
Census ACS
Median income
$52,601
Household, ACS
Bachelor's+
22%
Adults 25+
Poverty rate
21%
Below federal line
Schools in county
187
97,392 students
Quick facts
Related schools
Other schools in BROWNSVILLE ISD
- VETERANS MEMORIAL EARLY COLLEGE H SHigh · 2,216 students
- RIVERA EARLY COLLEGE H SHigh · 2,150 students
- HANNA EARLY COLLEGE H SHigh · 2,039 students
- LOPEZ EARLY COLLEGE H SHigh · 1,739 students
- PACE EARLY COLLEGE H SHigh · 1,621 students
- PORTER EARLY COLLEGE H SHigh · 1,543 students
Other schools in BROWNSVILLE
- VETERANS MEMORIAL EARLY COLLEGE H SHigh · 2,216 students
- RIVERA EARLY COLLEGE H SHigh · 2,150 students
- HANNA EARLY COLLEGE H SHigh · 2,039 students
- LOPEZ EARLY COLLEGE H SHigh · 1,739 students
- PACE EARLY COLLEGE H SHigh · 1,621 students
- PORTER EARLY COLLEGE H SHigh · 1,543 students
Nearby schools
- GARZA AT SOUTHMOST EL0.7 mi · 524
- DEL CASTILLO - MORNINGSIDE EL0.9 mi · 526
- DEL CASTILLO EL0.9 mi · 240
- BESTEIRO MIDDLE1.1 mi · 558
- CROMACK - CASTANEDA EL1.2 mi · 823
- AIKEN EL1.2 mi · 630
Frequently asked questions
About GARZA ELHow many students attend GARZA EL?
GARZA EL enrolls approximately 262 students in grades PK-05.
What age range does GARZA EL serve?
GARZA EL serves students from grade PK through grade 05.
How many students per teacher at GARZA EL?
Approximately 11.5:1 students per teacher at GARZA EL.
How diverse is GARZA EL?
GARZA EL reports a student body of 2% White, 98% Hispanic.
Who oversees GARZA EL?
GARZA EL is overseen by BROWNSVILLE ISD in Cameron County.
Data sourceSchool profile facts are sourced from the NCES. Community content is posted by allk12 members.