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What's something GRAY EL does better than most schools?
Community prompt from u/allk12. Replies below.
Enrollment
409
Elementary
DISTRICT 507 · STATE 519
SCHOOL COMMUNITY·MESQUITE ISD·NCES 483039008192
Gray Elementary School
3500 PIONEER RD, BALCH SPRINGS, TX 75180 · (972) 882-7280 · Dallas County
GRADES PK–05ELEMENTARY21-SUBURBTITLE IREGULAR SCHOOL409 STUDENTS
C-
allk12 Grade
Scored higher than 16% of Texas public elementary schools
- C-Test scores Share of students meeting the state standard in reading, math, and other tested subjects, 2023-24 and 2024-25.
- C+Beats expectations How far test scores land above or below what the share of low-income students predicts for a school in this state.
- FThree-year trend Change in reading and math proficiency over the last three test years.
Grades compare a school only with schools in the same state, because every state gives its own test. How grades work · Top-graded Texas public elementary schools
Student : Teacher
13.5:1
30 FTE teachers
DISTRICT 13.6:1 · STATE 15.1:1
Free / Reduced Lunch
86%
352 students
DISTRICT 82% · 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
| Grade | Students | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Pre-K | 34 | 8% |
| Kindergarten | 55 | 13% |
| Grade 1 | 52 | 13% |
| Grade 2 | 70 | 17% |
| Grade 3 | 61 | 15% |
| Grade 4 | 62 | 15% |
| Grade 5 | 75 | 18% |
This year's kindergarten class (55) is 27% smaller than its 5th grade class (75).
Student demographics
42%Diversity index
The chance that two students picked at random belong to different racial or ethnic groups.
DISTRICT 53% · STATE 63% · US 70%
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
Test scores
STAAR 2025-26 . % Meets Grade Level or AboveReading
43.0%
TX avg 54.5% . +9.0pp since 2020
Mathematics
31.0%
TX avg 45.3% . -24.0pp since 2020
What this means: On the STAAR, Texas's statewide test, about 43 of every 100 students at this school read at grade level and about 31 of 100 do math at grade level. Across all Texas schools, those numbers are about 55 and 45. Reading scores are up about 9 points since 2020, while math scores are down about 24 points.
Performance levels, 2025-26
| Subject | Masters Grade Level | Meets Grade Level | Approaches Grade Level | Did Not Meet Grade Level |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Reading | 20.0% | 23.0% | 32.0% | 25.0% |
| Mathematics | 12.0% | 19.0% | 28.0% | 41.0% |
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 year | Reading | Mathematics |
|---|---|---|
| 2025-26 | 43.0% | 31.0% |
| 2024-25 | 40.0% | 35.0% |
| 2023-24 | 36.0% | 31.0% |
| 2022-23 | 57.0% | 51.0% |
| 2021-22 | 64.0% | 66.0% |
| 2020-21 | 34.0% | 55.0% |
% 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 · methodologyTier
AS EXPECTED
Performing as predicted given the school's student profile
Actual proficiency
32.2%
composite math + reading, all grades
Predicted
36.9%
based on TX schools with similar FRL share
Beats by
-4.7pp
below demographic expectation
What this means: About 32% of students here test proficient in math and reading, compared with the roughly 37% 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 Gray Elementary School
Gray Elementary School's state test result (32.2% proficient) is higher than 2 of the 5 schools below with a result.
| School | Students | Low-income | Proficient |
|---|---|---|---|
| Gray Elementary School this school | 409 | 86.1% | 32.2% |
| Vivian Fowler Elementary School MOUNT PLEASANT | 388 | 86.3% | 51.5% |
| Thomas J Rusk Elementary School NACOGDOCHES | 422 | 85.5% | 36.4% |
| Navarro Elementary School BRYAN | 451 | 86.9% | 30.3% |
| Compass Rose Legacy Elementary School SAN ANTONIO | 361 | 87.5% | 20.9% |
| Crockett Elementary School BRYAN | 442 | 89.8% | 46.8% |
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 Gray Elementary School ranks
Among elementary schools| Measure | This school | In Texas | In Dallas County |
|---|---|---|---|
| State test proficiency ranked highest first | 32.2% | #3,463 of 4,401 | #304 of 421 |
| Math proficiency ranked highest first | 31.0% | #3,855 of 4,466 ▼ 563 | #368 of 429 ▼ 61 |
| Reading proficiency ranked highest first | 43.0% | #3,381 of 4,466 ▲ 131 | #303 of 429 ▲ 14 |
| 3-year test score change ranked biggest drop first | -17.0pp | #117 of 3,998 | #15 of 399 |
| Enrollment ranked largest first | 409 | #3,409 of 4,938 | #327 of 448 |
| Students per teacher ranked fewest first | 13.5:1 | #1,170 of 4,622 | #90 of 432 |
| Diversity index ranked most diverse first | 42.1% | #2,946 of 4,628 | #246 of 433 |
| Free and reduced lunch ranked highest share first | 86.1% | #1,475 of 4,789 | #227 of 437 |
| Enrollment change since 2017-18 ranked steepest decline first | -35.5% | #291 of 2,838 | #41 of 274 |
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 2024-25Enrollment
409
-20 (-5%) vs 2020
-50% since 2000-01, when it was 823
Student : Teacher
13.5:1
was 14.3:1
Source: NCES Common Core of Data
Enrollment and staffing by year
| School year | Students | Teachers (FTE) | Students per teacher | Free and reduced lunch |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2024-25 | 409 | 30.2 | 13.5:1 | 86% (352) |
| 2023-24 | 427 | 27.8 | 15.4:1 | 91% (388) |
| 2022-23 | 429 | 30.7 | 14.0:1 | 90% (387) |
| 2020-21 | 429 | 30 | 14.3:1 | 91% (389) |
| 2017-18 | 634 | 38.8 | 16.4:1 | 89% (566) |
| 2015-16 | 662 | 40 | 16.6:1 | 86% (569) |
| 2010-11 | 843 | 48 | 17.6:1 | 87% (730) |
| 2000-01 | 823 | 56 | 14.7:1 | 63% (515) |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data. Rows are the federal collections on file for Gray Elementary School.
Since 2017-18: students down 35% (634 to 409); teachers down 22% (38.8 to 30.2).
About Gray Elementary School
In BALCH SPRINGS, Texas, Gray Elementary School is a small elementary school. Enrollment in 2024-25 was 409 students in pre-K through 5. The average for elementary schools in Texas is about 519 students, so this school is 21% smaller than average.
Gray Elementary School is part of MESQUITE ISD, where 51 schools serve 37,930 students.
Roughly 74% of students at Gray Elementary School are Hispanic. Beyond that, enrollment is 15% Black and 9% White. The Hispanic share of the county population is lower, at 41%. Gray Elementary School's diversity index is 42%, against a US figure of 70%.
Its 30.2 full-time-equivalent teachers give the school a ratio of 13.5:1. The school has fewer students per teacher than the 15.1:1 average for elementary schools in Texas. The school's lunch program data list 86% of students as eligible for free or reduced-price meals. Public schools in Dallas County average 77%.
The allk12 Grade for Gray Elementary School is C-. Compared with Texas public elementary schools, the school scored higher than 16% on a mix of test scores, poverty-adjusted results, and recent trend.
Compared with Texas schools that have similar shares of low-income students, Gray Elementary School's results are 4.7 points below predicted: 32.2% against 36.9%.
Across Dallas County, the median household income is $76,547, a bachelor's degree or higher is held by about 36% of adults, and the share of residents below the poverty line is 11%. Dallas County is home to 771 public schools and about 459,645 public school students.
New Middle School is the closest public school, about 0.5 miles away in a straight line. In all, at least 8 other public schools sit within five miles of Gray Elementary School. By average proficiency, Gray Elementary School is 6th among 9 schools close by.
NCES lists the school's locale as Suburb: Large. That means it sits in a suburban area outside a principal city, within an urbanized area with a population of 250,000 or more.
Over 4 years, Gray Elementary School's enrollment declined 5%, to 409.
Discussion on this page can cover science fairs, picture day, and bus routes. Reviews and ratings from people who know the school are welcome.
Dallas County at a glance
View full county profilePopulation
2,621,179
Census ACS
Median income
$76,547
Household, ACS
Bachelor's+
36%
Adults 25+
Poverty rate
11%
Below federal line
Schools in county
771
459,645 students
Quick facts
Related schools
Other schools in MESQUITE ISD
- Horn High SchoolHigh · 2,757 students
- Mesquite High SchoolHigh · 2,294 students
- North Mesquite High SchoolHigh · 2,099 students
- West Mesquite High SchoolHigh · 1,997 students
- Vroonland - Vanguard High SchoolHigh · 1,605 students
- Poteet High SchoolHigh · 1,523 students
Other schools in BALCH SPRINGS
- Young Women's Steam Academy at Balch Springs MiddlMiddle · 751 students
- KIPP Pleasant Grove Leadership AcademyHigh · 618 students
- Hodges Elementary SchoolElementary · 570 students
- Floyd Elementary SchoolElementary · 552 students
- Mackey Elementary SchoolElementary · 478 students
Other Gray Elementary schools
4 other US public schools in 5 states are named Gray Elementary. Gray Elementary School is the 5th largest of the 5.
- Gray Elementary SchoolChicago, IL · 1,000 students
- Gray Elementary SchoolGray, GA · 512 students
- Gray Elementary SchoolGray, TN · 512 students
- GRAY ELEM.SPRINGFIELD, MO · 474 students
Nearby schools
- New Middle School0.5 mi · 670
- Hodges Elementary School0.6 mi · 570
- Mackey Elementary School1.1 mi · 478
- Floyd Elementary School1.3 mi · 552
- Vroonland - Vanguard High School1.5 mi · 1,605
- Gentry Elementary School1.8 mi · 607
Frequently asked questions
About Gray Elementary SchoolWhat is the total enrollment at Gray Elementary School?
Gray Elementary School enrolls approximately 409 students in grades PK-05.
What age range does Gray Elementary School serve?
Gray Elementary School serves students from grade PK through grade 05.
How many students per teacher at Gray Elementary School?
Approximately 13.5:1 students per teacher at Gray Elementary School.
What is the racial breakdown of students at Gray Elementary School?
At Gray Elementary School, the student body is approximately 9% White, 74% Hispanic, 15% Black, 0% Asian, 2% Two or more.
What district is Gray Elementary School in?
Gray Elementary School is part of MESQUITE ISD.
Data sourceSchool profile facts are sourced from the NCES. Community content is posted by allk12 members.