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SCHOOL COMMUNITY·BELTON ISD·NCES 480986008101

Joe M Pirtle Elementary School

714 S PEA RDG, TEMPLE, TX 76502 · (254) 215-3400 · Bell County
GRADES KG–05ELEMENTARY13-CITYTITLE IREGULAR SCHOOL575 STUDENTS
C
allk12 Grade
Scored higher than 28% 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.
  • 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

Enrollment
575
Elementary
DISTRICT 498 · STATE 519
Student : Teacher
14.0:1
41 FTE teachers
DISTRICT 13.3:1 · STATE 15.1:1
Free / Reduced Lunch
40%
232 students
DISTRICT 47% · 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

GradeStudentsShare
Kindergarten8014%
Grade 110118%
Grade 29216%
Grade 311119%
Grade 49116%
Grade 510017%

This year's kindergarten class (80) is 20% smaller than its 5th grade class (100).

Student demographics
66%Diversity index
The chance that two students picked at random belong to different racial or ethnic groups.
DISTRICT 65% · STATE 63% · US 70%
White
27648%
DISTRICT 46% · STATE 24% · US 43%
Hispanic
16929%
DISTRICT 36% · STATE 54% · US 30%
Black
6311%
DISTRICT 8% · STATE 13% · US 15%
Asian
102%
DISTRICT 2% · STATE 6% · US 6%
Two+
539%
DISTRICT 7% · STATE 3% · US 5%
Native American
20%
DISTRICT 0% · STATE 0% · US 1%
Pacific Islander
20%
DISTRICT 0% · STATE 0% · US 0%
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
Male
30954%
Female
26646%

Discussions

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Test scores

STAAR 2025-26 . % Meets Grade Level or Above
Reading
51.0%
TX avg 54.5% . -5.0pp since 2020
Mathematics
40.0%
TX avg 45.3% . -16.0pp since 2020

What this means: On the STAAR, Texas's statewide test, about 51 of every 100 students at this school read at grade level and about 40 of 100 do math at grade level. Across all Texas schools, those numbers are about 55 and 45. Reading scores are down about 5 points since 2020, while math scores are down about 16 points.

Performance levels, 2025-26

SubjectMasters Grade LevelMeets Grade LevelApproaches Grade LevelDid Not Meet Grade Level
Reading25.0%26.0%25.0%24.0%
Mathematics12.0%28.0%23.0%37.0%
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 yearReadingMathematics
2025-2651.0%40.0%
2024-2555.0%41.0%
2023-2454.0%44.0%
2022-2392.0%75.0%
2021-2258.0%50.0%
2020-2156.0%56.0%
% 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 · methodology
Tier
AS EXPECTED
Performing as predicted given the school's student profile
Actual proficiency
45.8%
composite math + reading, all grades
Predicted
56.5%
based on TX schools with similar FRL share
Beats by
-10.7pp
below demographic expectation

What this means: About 46% of students here test proficient in math and reading, compared with the roughly 56% 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 Joe M Pirtle Elementary School

Joe M Pirtle Elementary School's state test result (45.8% proficient) is higher than 0 of the 5 schools below with a result.

SchoolStudentsLow-incomeProficient
Joe M Pirtle Elementary School this school57540.3%45.8%
Shady Shores Elementary School
SHADY SHORES
55438.4%49.1%
Irene Clinkscale Elementary School
BURLESON
60941.1%52.7%
Chapel Park Elementary School
WACO
53241.9%61.8%
Frazier Elementary School
BURLESON
55244.0%51.3%
Judy Hajek Elementary School
BURLESON
62837.3%54.7%
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 Joe M Pirtle Elementary School ranks

Among elementary schools
MeasureThis schoolIn TexasIn Bell County
State test proficiency
ranked highest first
45.8%#1,870 of 4,401#19 of 54
Math proficiency
ranked highest first
40.0%#2,820 of 4,466
▼ 285
#31 of 55
▼ 6
Reading proficiency
ranked highest first
51.0%#2,351 of 4,466
▼ 477
#29 of 55
▼ 12
3-year test score change
ranked biggest drop first
-38.0pp#7 of 3,998#1 of 50
Enrollment
ranked largest first
575#1,805 of 4,938#28 of 62
Students per teacher
ranked fewest first
14.0:1#1,560 of 4,622#18 of 57
Diversity index
ranked most diverse first
66.2%#868 of 4,628#33 of 57
Free and reduced lunch
ranked highest share first
40.3%#3,928 of 4,789#52 of 59
Enrollment change since 2017-18
ranked steepest decline first
-24.5%#811 of 2,838#8 of 33
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 2024-25
Enrollment
575
-30 (-5%) vs 2020
+28% since 2000-01, when it was 450
Student : Teacher
14.0:1
was 15.1:1
Source: NCES Common Core of Data

Enrollment and staffing by year

School yearStudentsTeachers (FTE)Students per teacherFree and reduced lunch
2024-255754114.0:140% (232)
2023-246304015.7:137% (230)
2022-2360643.114.1:142% (256)
2020-216054015.1:136% (216)
2017-187624218.1:134% (257)
2015-167124017.8:131% (219)
2010-117624417.3:134% (256)
2000-014503114.5:157% (256)
Source: NCES Common Core of Data. Rows are the federal collections on file for Joe M Pirtle Elementary School.

Since 2017-18: students down 25% (762 to 575); teachers down 2% (42 to 41).

About Joe M Pirtle Elementary School

Joe M Pirtle Elementary School is a mid-sized elementary school with its address in TEMPLE, Texas. It reports enrollment of 575 students in kindergarten through 5.

BELTON ISD oversees Joe M Pirtle Elementary School and 20 other schools, with 13,980 students in total.

No group is above 50% at Joe M Pirtle Elementary School; the largest is White, at 48%. Beyond that, enrollment is 29% Hispanic, 11% Black, and 9% multiracial. Among Bell County residents, the White share is about 49%. On the diversity index, which measures the chance that two random students are from different groups, Joe M Pirtle Elementary School scores 66%.

There are 41 full-time-equivalent teachers at Joe M Pirtle Elementary School, giving a ratio of 14.0:1. Elementary schools in Texas average 15.1:1, 1.1 more students per teacher than here. A total of 232 students, or 40%, are eligible for free or reduced-price lunch. That rate is below the 57% average among public schools in Bell County.

On the allk12 Grade, Joe M Pirtle Elementary School lands at C, ahead of 28% of Texas public elementary schools.

Joe M Pirtle Elementary School sits between the top and bottom 10% of Texas schools on BeatsExpectations, with an actual average proficiency rate across its state test results of 45.8% and a predicted 56.5%.

For Bell County, Census Bureau data show median household income comes to about $68,865, about 27% of adults have at least a bachelor's degree, and the poverty rate is about 11%. The county has 130 public schools and about 71,041 students.

Joe M Pirtle Elementary School's nearest public school is Lake Belton Middle School (about 0.3 miles). In all, at least 8 other public schools sit within five miles of Joe M Pirtle Elementary School. Of the 9 nearby schools with scores, including this one, Joe M Pirtle Elementary School is 5th on average proficiency.

Joe M Pirtle Elementary School is inside a principal city with a population under 100,000, a location NCES labels City: Small.

From 605 students in 2020-21, enrollment fell to 575 by 2024-25. From 2020-21 to 2024-25, the ratio dropped from 15.1:1 to 14.0:1.

This page is set up for the Joe M Pirtle Elementary School community to discuss homework, tutoring, and testing dates. Current and former families are welcome to add their experience.

Bell County at a glance

View full county profile
Population
386,897
Census ACS
Median income
$68,865
Household, ACS
Bachelor's+
27%
Adults 25+
Poverty rate
11%
Below federal line
Schools in county
130
71,041 students

Quick facts

School name
Joe M Pirtle Elementary School
District
BELTON ISD
Address
714 S PEA RDG, TEMPLE, TX 76502
Phone
(254) 215-3400
County
Bell County
Level
Elementary
Grade range
KG–05
Total enrollment
575
Teachers (FTE)
41
Student–teacher ratio
14.0:1
Free and reduced lunch
232 (40%)
Locale
13-City: Small
NCES ID
480986008101
Charter school
No
Virtual school
No

Related schools

Other schools in BELTON ISD
Other schools in TEMPLE
Nearby schools

Frequently asked questions

About Joe M Pirtle Elementary School
How many students attend Joe M Pirtle Elementary School?
Joe M Pirtle Elementary School enrolls approximately 575 students in grades KG-05.
What grades does Joe M Pirtle Elementary School serve?
Joe M Pirtle Elementary School serves grades KG-05.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Joe M Pirtle Elementary School?
The student-to-teacher ratio at Joe M Pirtle Elementary School is approximately 14.0:1 (41 FTE teachers).
What is the racial breakdown of students at Joe M Pirtle Elementary School?
At Joe M Pirtle Elementary School, the student body is approximately 48% White, 29% Hispanic, 11% Black, 2% Asian, 9% Two or more.
What district is Joe M Pirtle Elementary School in?
Joe M Pirtle Elementary School is part of BELTON ISD.
Data sourceSchool profile facts are sourced from the NCES. Community content is posted by allk12 members.
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