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Honest take: what's the hardest part about being a student at JAMES PATTERSON EL?
Community prompt from u/allk12. Replies below.
Enrollment
782
Elementary
DISTRICT 638 · STATE 519
SCHOOL COMMUNITY·FORT BEND ISD·NCES 481965013336
James Patterson Elementary School
18702 BEECHNUT ST, RICHMOND, TX 77407 · (281) 327-4260 · Fort Bend County
GRADES PK–05ELEMENTARY21-SUBURBTITLE IREGULAR SCHOOL782 STUDENTS
B+
allk12 Grade
Scored higher than 65% of Texas public elementary schools
- BTest scores Share of students meeting the state standard in reading, math, and other tested subjects, 2023-24 and 2024-25.
- BBeats expectations How far test scores land above or below what the share of low-income students predicts for a school in this state.
- BThree-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
16.8:1
47 FTE teachers
DISTRICT 14.4:1 · STATE 15.1:1
Free / Reduced Lunch
68%
529 students
DISTRICT 53% · 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 | 72 | 9% |
| Kindergarten | 95 | 12% |
| Grade 1 | 116 | 15% |
| Grade 2 | 107 | 14% |
| Grade 3 | 139 | 18% |
| Grade 4 | 115 | 15% |
| Grade 5 | 138 | 18% |
This year's kindergarten class (95) is 31% smaller than its 5th grade class (138).
Student demographics
67%Diversity index
The chance that two students picked at random belong to different racial or ethnic groups.
DISTRICT 76% · 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
School pathway
Students here typically continue to
Based on published attendance-zone data from FORT BEND ISD. Zones change; confirm enrollment with the district.
Test scores
STAAR 2025-26 . % Meets Grade Level or AboveReading
68.0%
TX avg 54.5% . +26.0pp since 2020
Mathematics
51.0%
TX avg 45.3% . +31.0pp since 2020
What this means: On the STAAR, Texas's statewide test, about 68 of every 100 students at this school read at grade level and about 51 of 100 do math at grade level. Across all Texas schools, those numbers are about 55 and 45. Reading scores are up about 26 points since 2020, while math scores are up about 31 points.
Performance levels, 2025-26
| Subject | Masters Grade Level | Meets Grade Level | Approaches Grade Level | Did Not Meet Grade Level |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Reading | 40.0% | 28.0% | 17.0% | 15.0% |
| Mathematics | 25.0% | 26.0% | 23.0% | 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 | 68.0% | 51.0% |
| 2024-25 | 66.0% | 50.0% |
| 2023-24 | 57.0% | 45.0% |
| 2022-23 | 55.0% | 45.0% |
| 2021-22 | 52.0% | 38.0% |
| 2020-21 | 42.0% | 20.0% |
% 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
47.2%
composite math + reading, all grades
Predicted
44.8%
based on TX schools with similar FRL share
Beats by
+2.4pp
above demographic expectation
What this means: About 47% of students here test proficient in math and reading, compared with the roughly 45% 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 James Patterson Elementary School
James Patterson Elementary School's state test result (47.2% proficient) is higher than 5 of the 5 schools below with a result.
| School | Students | Low-income | Proficient |
|---|---|---|---|
| James Patterson Elementary School this school | 782 | 67.6% | 47.2% |
| Juan Seguin Elementary School RICHMOND | 901 | 65.4% | 42.0% |
| Arbor Creek Elementary School EULESS | 710 | 68.5% | 40.9% |
| Dulles Elementary School SUGAR LAND | 675 | 70.5% | 34.8% |
| Richland Elementary School RICHARDSON | 643 | 73.7% | 38.8% |
| West Elementary School GRAND PRAIRIE | 607 | 73.8% | 46.0% |
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 James Patterson Elementary School ranks
Among elementary schools| Measure | This school | In Texas | In Fort Bend County |
|---|---|---|---|
| State test proficiency ranked highest first | 47.2% | #1,712 of 4,401 | #78 of 113 |
| Math proficiency ranked highest first | 51.0% | #1,665 of 4,466 ▼ 60 | #77 of 113 ▲ 2 |
| Reading proficiency ranked highest first | 68.0% | #825 of 4,466 ▲ 146 | #61 of 113 ▲ 3 |
| 3-year test score change ranked biggest gain first | +9.5pp | #1,521 of 3,998 | #30 of 104 |
| Enrollment ranked largest first | 782 | #514 of 4,938 | #49 of 119 |
| Students per teacher ranked fewest first | 16.8:1 | #3,771 of 4,622 | #83 of 116 |
| Diversity index ranked most diverse first | 66.9% | #810 of 4,628 | #66 of 116 |
| Free and reduced lunch ranked highest share first | 67.6% | #2,683 of 4,789 | #35 of 117 |
| Enrollment change since 2017-18 ranked fastest growth first | +30.8% | #245 of 1,307 | #12 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 2024-25Enrollment
782
+20 (+3%) vs 2020
Student : Teacher
16.8:1
was 14.4:1
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 | 782 | 46.6 | 16.8:1 | 68% (529) |
| 2023-24 | 735 | 47.8 | 15.4:1 | 71% (522) |
| 2022-23 | 771 | 49.3 | 15.6:1 | 70% (538) |
| 2020-21 | 762 | 53 | 14.4:1 | 52% (397) |
| 2017-18 | 598 | 38.6 | 15.5:1 | 46% (278) |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data. Rows are the federal collections on file for James Patterson Elementary School.
Since 2017-18: students up 31% (598 to 782); teachers up 21% (38.6 to 46.6).
About James Patterson Elementary School
James Patterson Elementary School is a public elementary school run by FORT BEND ISD in RICHMOND, Texas. The school's enrollment of 782 students covers pre-K through 5. Enrollment is 51% higher than the average for elementary schools in Texas, which is about 519.
FORT BEND ISD operates 83 schools. Combined enrollment is 79,663 students.
By race and ethnicity, the largest group at James Patterson Elementary School is Black (48%). Enrollment also includes 23% Asian, 20% Hispanic, 4% White, and 4% multiracial. The school's Black share is 27 points above the 21% share among Fort Bend County residents. The chance that two students picked at random at James Patterson Elementary School belong to different racial or ethnic groups, known as the diversity index, is 67%.
Teachers at the school number 46.6 full-time equivalents, and the ratio is 16.8:1. The 15.1:1 average for elementary schools in Texas is lower than this school's figure. Roughly 68% of the student body qualifies for free or reduced-price lunch. Public schools in Fort Bend County average 42%.
Measured against Texas public elementary schools, James Patterson Elementary School receives a B+. The grade weighs proficiency most heavily, then how results compare with what the school's low-income share predicts, then the three-year change.
James Patterson Elementary School sits between the top and bottom 10% of Texas schools on BeatsExpectations, with an actual average proficiency rate on state tests of 47.2% and a predicted 44.8%.
Census estimates describe Fort Bend County this way: median household income is about $114,041, 50% of adults hold a bachelor's degree or higher, and about 7% of people live in poverty. The public schools of Fort Bend County number 217 and enroll about 191,372.
Juan Seguin Elementary School is the closest public school, about 0.7 miles away in a straight line. James Patterson Elementary School is one of several public schools in the area, with at least 8 others within five miles. Among 9 nearby schools that report test results, James Patterson Elementary School ranks 4th on proficiency.
James Patterson Elementary School is in a suburban area outside a principal city, within an urbanized area with a population of 250,000 or more, a location NCES labels Suburb: Large.
Enrollment was 762 in 2020-21 and 782 in 2024-25, a rise of 20 students. In 2020-21, the student-to-teacher ratio was 14.4:1; by 2024-25 it was 16.8:1.
Conversations here can range across sports schedules, lunch menus, and spirit week. Reviews and ratings from people who know the school are welcome.
Fort Bend County at a glance
View full county profilePopulation
893,767
Census ACS
Median income
$114,041
Household, ACS
Bachelor's+
50%
Adults 25+
Poverty rate
7%
Below federal line
Schools in county
217
191,372 students
Quick facts
Related schools
Other schools in FORT BEND ISD
- William B Travis High SchoolHigh · 3,114 students
- Lawrence E Elkins High SchoolHigh · 2,848 students
- Ridge Point High SchoolHigh · 2,816 students
- Stephen F Austin High SchoolHigh · 2,655 students
- Clements High SchoolHigh · 2,641 students
- George Bush High SchoolHigh · 2,428 students
Other schools in RICHMOND
- William B Travis High SchoolHigh · 3,114 students
- Foster High SchoolHigh · 2,747 students
- George Bush High SchoolHigh · 2,428 students
- George Ranch High SchoolHigh · 2,337 students
- Briscoe JHMiddle · 2,003 students
- Dr Thomas E Randle High SchoolHigh · 1,966 students
Nearby schools
- Juan Seguin Elementary School0.7 mi · 901
- David Crockett Middle School1.2 mi · 1,268
- Barbara Jordan Elementary School1.3 mi · 410
- Iltexas Katy Westpark High School1.3 mi · 869
- Mission West Elementary School1.5 mi · 513
- George Bush High School2.0 mi · 2,428
Frequently asked questions
About James Patterson Elementary SchoolWhat is the total enrollment at James Patterson Elementary School?
James Patterson Elementary School enrolls approximately 782 students in grades PK-05.
What age range does James Patterson Elementary School serve?
James Patterson Elementary School serves students from grade PK through grade 05.
How many teachers does James Patterson Elementary School have?
James Patterson Elementary School employs 47 FTE teachers, for a student-to-teacher ratio of 16.8:1.
What is the student diversity at James Patterson Elementary School?
Student demographics at James Patterson Elementary School are roughly 4% White, 20% Hispanic, 48% Black, 23% Asian, 4% Two or more.
Is James Patterson Elementary School public or private?
James Patterson Elementary School is a public K-12 school, overseen by FORT BEND ISD.
Data sourceSchool profile facts are sourced from the NCES. Community content is posted by allk12 members.