1
Enrollment
420
Elementary
DISTRICT 423 · STATE 519
SCHOOL COMMUNITY·HARLINGEN CISD·NCES 482253002285
Houston Elementary School
301 E TAFT AVE, HARLINGEN, TX 78550 · (956) 427-3110 · Cameron County
GRADES PK–05ELEMENTARY13-CITYTITLE IREGULAR SCHOOL420 STUDENTS
Student : Teacher
14.7:1
29 FTE teachers
DISTRICT 15.6:1 · STATE 15.1:1
Free / Reduced Lunch
91%
381 students
DISTRICT 80% · 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 | 88 | 21% |
| Kindergarten | 52 | 12% |
| Grade 1 | 45 | 11% |
| Grade 2 | 51 | 12% |
| Grade 3 | 65 | 15% |
| Grade 4 | 52 | 12% |
| Grade 5 | 67 | 16% |
This year's kindergarten class (52) is 22% smaller than its 5th grade class (67).
Student demographics
6%Diversity index
The chance that two students picked at random belong to different racial or ethnic groups.
DISTRICT 10% · 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
60.0%
TX avg 54.5% . +41.0pp since 2020
Mathematics
55.0%
TX avg 45.3% . +42.0pp since 2020
What this means: On the STAAR, Texas's statewide test, about 60 of every 100 students at this school read at grade level and about 55 of 100 do math at grade level. Across all Texas schools, those numbers are about 55 and 45. Reading scores are up about 41 points since 2020, while math scores are up about 42 points.
Performance levels, 2025-26
| Subject | Masters Grade Level | Meets Grade Level | Approaches Grade Level | Did Not Meet Grade Level |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Reading | 32.0% | 28.0% | 18.0% | 22.0% |
| Mathematics | 17.0% | 38.0% | 19.0% | 26.0% |
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 | 60.0% | 55.0% |
| 2024-25 | 54.0% | 46.0% |
| 2023-24 | 44.0% | 41.0% |
| 2022-23 | 39.0% | 29.0% |
| 2021-22 | 32.0% | 19.0% |
| 2020-21 | 19.0% | 13.0% |
% 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
39.5%
composite math + reading, all grades
Predicted
35.0%
based on TX schools with similar FRL share
Beats by
+4.6pp
above demographic expectation
What this means: About 40% of students here test proficient in math and reading, compared with the roughly 35% 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 Houston Elementary School
Houston Elementary School's state test result (39.5% proficient) is higher than 3 of the 5 schools below with a result.
| School | Students | Low-income | Proficient |
|---|---|---|---|
| Houston Elementary School this school | 420 | 90.7% | 39.5% |
| Del Valle Elementary School EL PASO | 422 | 90.3% | 46.9% |
| Franklin Elementary School SAN ANTONIO | 409 | 91.2% | 47.8% |
| T Price Elementary School DONNA | 416 | 90.1% | 35.4% |
| Fabens Elementary School FABENS | 421 | 90.5% | 25.5% |
| Johanna Odonnell Intermediate School FABENS | 434 | 91.0% | 39.1% |
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 Houston Elementary School ranks
Among elementary schools| Measure | This school | In Texas | In Cameron County |
|---|---|---|---|
| State test proficiency ranked highest first | 39.5% | #2,648 of 4,401 | #71 of 93 |
| Math proficiency ranked highest first | 55.0% | #1,317 of 4,466 ▲ 708 | #35 of 93 ▲ 23 |
| Reading proficiency ranked highest first | 60.0% | #1,439 of 4,466 ▲ 580 | #29 of 93 ▲ 18 |
| 3-year test score change ranked biggest gain first | +23.5pp | #338 of 3,998 | #5 of 93 |
| Enrollment ranked largest first | 420 | #3,325 of 4,938 | #57 of 95 |
| Students per teacher ranked fewest first | 14.7:1 | #2,159 of 4,622 | #27 of 93 |
| Diversity index ranked most diverse first | 5.6% | #4,293 of 4,628 | #49 of 93 |
| Free and reduced lunch ranked highest share first | 90.7% | #990 of 4,789 | #48 of 94 |
| Enrollment change since 2017-18 ranked steepest decline first | -9.1% | #2,108 of 2,838 | #54 of 64 |
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
420
-63 (-13%) vs 2020
-13% since 1990-91, when it was 481
Student : Teacher
14.7:1
was 14.6:1
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 | 420 | 28.6 | 14.7:1 | 91% (381) |
| 2023-24 | 416 | 33.8 | 12.3:1 | 88% (366) |
| 2022-23 | 467 | 32.7 | 14.3:1 | 90% (419) |
| 2020-21 | 483 | 33 | 14.6:1 | 87% (421) |
| 2017-18 | 462 | 32.6 | 14.2:1 | 85% (395) |
| 2015-16 | 454 | 31 | 14.7:1 | 83% (375) |
| 2010-11 | 512 | 31 | 16.5:1 | 88% (453) |
| 2000-01 | 338 | 25 | 13.5:1 | 81% (275) |
| 1990-91 | 481 | 23 | 20.9:1 | N/A |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data. Rows are the federal collections on file for Houston Elementary School.
Since 2017-18: students down 9% (462 to 420); teachers down 12% (32.6 to 28.6).
About Houston Elementary School
Among the schools in HARLINGEN, Texas, is Houston Elementary School, a small elementary school. The school serves 420 students in pre-K through 5 in 2024-25.
Houston Elementary School is one school in HARLINGEN CISD, a system of 31 schools with 17,506 students.
The student body at Houston Elementary School is 97% Hispanic. Other groups include 2% White. Pick two students at random and there is a 6% chance they belong to different racial or ethnic groups; that figure is the school's diversity index.
Dividing enrollment by its 28.6 full-time-equivalent teachers gives a ratio of about 14.7:1. For comparison, elementary schools in Texas average 15.1:1. Eligible students account for 91% of enrollment in the free or reduced-price lunch program.
Houston Elementary School scores 39.5% on state tests, averaged across results. The predicted figure, based on its student poverty level, is 35.0%.
Cameron County has these Census figures: the median household income is $52,601, a bachelor's degree or higher is held by about 22% of adults, and the share of residents below the poverty line is 21%. Cameron County is home to 187 public schools and about 97,392 public school students.
The closest public school, Coakley Middle School, is about 0.1 miles from Houston Elementary School. Other public schools within five miles: at least 8. Compared with its nearest neighbors, Houston Elementary School ranks 4th of 8 on average proficiency.
Locale: City: Small. In NCES terms, the school is inside a principal city with a population under 100,000.
Enrollment at Houston Elementary School declined 13% between 2020-21 and 2024-25, from 483 to 420 students.
To ask about science fairs, picture day, and bus routes, start a discussion on this page. 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 HARLINGEN CISD
- Harlingen High SchoolHigh · 2,433 students
- Harlingen H S - SouthHigh · 2,019 students
- Dr Abraham P Cano Freshman AcademyCombined · 1,035 students
- Moises Vela Middle SchoolMiddle · 761 students
- Treasure Hills Elementary SchoolElementary · 758 students
- Gutierrez Middle SchoolMiddle · 747 students
Other schools in HARLINGEN
- Harlingen High SchoolHigh · 2,433 students
- Harlingen H S - SouthHigh · 2,019 students
- Dr Abraham P Cano Freshman AcademyCombined · 1,035 students
- Moises Vela Middle SchoolMiddle · 761 students
- Treasure Hills Elementary SchoolElementary · 758 students
- Gutierrez Middle SchoolMiddle · 747 students
Other Houston Elementary schools
13 other US public schools in 5 states are named Houston Elementary. Houston Elementary School is the 8th largest of the 14.
- Houston Elementary SchoolCONROE, TX · 741 students
- Houston Elementary SchoolPORT ARTHUR, TX · 689 students
- Houston Elementary SchoolLANCASTER, TX · 613 students
- Houston Elementary SchoolDENTON, TX · 537 students
- Houston Elementary SchoolAUSTIN, TX · 496 students
Nearby schools
- Coakley Middle School0.1 mi · 687
- Bowie Elementary School0.5 mi · 335
- Travis Elementary School0.7 mi · 294
- Secondary Alter Center0.9 mi · 59
- Vernon Middle School1.1 mi · 631
- Jefferson Elementary School1.1 mi · 259
Frequently asked questions
About Houston Elementary SchoolHow many students attend Houston Elementary School?
Houston Elementary School enrolls approximately 420 students in grades PK-05.
What grades does Houston Elementary School serve?
Houston Elementary School serves grades PK-05.
How many students per teacher at Houston Elementary School?
Approximately 14.7:1 students per teacher at Houston Elementary School.
How diverse is Houston Elementary School?
Houston Elementary School reports a student body of 2% White, 97% Hispanic, 0% Black, 0% Two or more.
Who oversees Houston Elementary School?
Houston Elementary School is overseen by HARLINGEN CISD in Cameron County.
Data sourceSchool profile facts are sourced from the NCES. Community content is posted by allk12 members.