1
What's the vibe like in the hallways at ORTIZ EL right now?
Community prompt from u/allk12. Replies below.
Enrollment
564
Elementary
DISTRICT 534 · STATE 519
SCHOOL COMMUNITY·BROWNSVILLE ISD·NCES 481168010473
Ortiz Elementary School
2500 W ALTON GLOOR BLVD, BROWNSVILLE, TX 78521 · (956) 698-1100 · Cameron County
GRADES PK–05ELEMENTARY12-CITYTITLE IREGULAR SCHOOL564 STUDENTS
A
allk12 Grade
Scored higher than 90% of Texas public elementary schools
- ATest scores Share of students meeting the state standard in reading, math, and other tested subjects, 2023-24 and 2024-25.
- A+Beats expectations How far test scores land above or below what the share of low-income students predicts for a school in this state.
- DThree-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
16.7:1
34 FTE teachers
DISTRICT 15.5:1 · STATE 15.1:1
Free / Reduced Lunch
94%
532 students
DISTRICT 91% · 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 | 122 | 22% |
| Kindergarten | 67 | 12% |
| Grade 1 | 84 | 15% |
| Grade 2 | 60 | 11% |
| Grade 3 | 72 | 13% |
| Grade 4 | 74 | 13% |
| Grade 5 | 85 | 15% |
This year's kindergarten class (67) is 21% smaller than its 5th grade class (85).
Student demographics
4%Diversity index
The chance that two students picked at random belong to different racial or ethnic groups.
DISTRICT 3% · 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
68.0%
TX avg 54.5% . -11.0pp since 2020
Mathematics
76.0%
TX avg 45.3% . +3.0pp 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 76 of 100 do math at grade level. Across all Texas schools, those numbers are about 55 and 45. Reading scores are down about 11 points since 2020, while math scores are up about 3 points.
Performance levels, 2025-26
| Subject | Masters Grade Level | Meets Grade Level | Approaches Grade Level | Did Not Meet Grade Level |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Reading | 38.0% | 30.0% | 18.0% | 14.0% |
| Mathematics | 43.0% | 33.0% | 17.0% | 7.0% |
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% | 76.0% |
| 2024-25 | 74.0% | 75.0% |
| 2023-24 | 75.0% | 78.0% |
| 2022-23 | 78.0% | 82.0% |
| 2021-22 | 84.0% | 90.0% |
| 2020-21 | 79.0% | 73.0% |
% 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
OUTPERFORMING
Top 10% of TX schools after controlling for student poverty
Actual proficiency
68.5%
composite math + reading, all grades
Predicted
33.4%
based on TX schools with similar FRL share
Beats by
+35.1pp
above demographic expectation
What this means: About 69% of students here test proficient in math and reading, well above the roughly 33% typical for Texas schools with a similar share of low-income students. BeatsExpectations ranks schools against others at the same poverty level, not by raw scores, so a school can post high scores and still fall short of its prediction, or post lower scores and still beat it. This school clears its prediction by about 35 points, placing it in Texas's top 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 Ortiz Elementary School
Ortiz Elementary School's state test result (68.5% proficient) is higher than 5 of the 5 schools below with a result.
| School | Students | Low-income | Proficient |
|---|---|---|---|
| Ortiz Elementary School this school | 564 | 94.3% | 68.5% |
| Raul Longoria Elementary School PHARR | 568 | 94.5% | 39.7% |
| Bryss Academy BROWNSVILLE | 555 | 95.0% | 68.0% |
| Kelly-Pharr Elementary School PHARR | 587 | 93.7% | 40.3% |
| A M Ochoa Elementary School DONNA | 580 | 93.6% | 34.3% |
| H B Zachry Elementary School LAREDO | 562 | 95.4% | 46.9% |
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 Ortiz Elementary School ranks
Among elementary schools| Measure | This school | In Texas | In Cameron County |
|---|---|---|---|
| State test proficiency ranked highest first | 68.5% | #357 of 4,401 | #2 of 93 |
| Math proficiency ranked highest first | 76.0% | #228 of 4,466 ▲ 26 | #3 of 93 ▼ 2 |
| Reading proficiency ranked highest first | 68.0% | #813 of 4,466 ▼ 281 | #8 of 93 ▼ 2 |
| 3-year test score change ranked biggest drop first | -8.0pp | #448 of 3,998 | #7 of 93 |
| Enrollment ranked largest first | 564 | #1,911 of 4,938 | #28 of 95 |
| Students per teacher ranked fewest first | 16.7:1 | #3,752 of 4,622 | #70 of 93 |
| Diversity index ranked most diverse first | 4.2% | #4,354 of 4,628 | #57 of 93 |
| Free and reduced lunch ranked highest share first | 94.3% | #585 of 4,789 | #24 of 94 |
| Enrollment change since 2017-18 ranked steepest decline first | -13.9% | #1,697 of 2,838 | #44 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
564
-14 (-2%) vs 2020
-15% since 2010-11, when it was 662
Student : Teacher
16.7:1
was 14.8:1
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 | 564 | 33.7 | 16.7:1 | 94% (532) |
| 2023-24 | 533 | 33 | 16.2:1 | 92% (493) |
| 2022-23 | 500 | 35 | 14.3:1 | 92% (461) |
| 2020-21 | 578 | 39 | 14.8:1 | 95% (547) |
| 2017-18 | 655 | 36.6 | 17.9:1 | 99% (647) |
| 2015-16 | 673 | 42 | 16.0:1 | 97% (650) |
| 2010-11 | 662 | 40 | 16.6:1 | 1% (5) |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data. Rows are the federal collections on file for Ortiz Elementary School.
Since 2017-18: students down 14% (655 to 564); teachers down 8% (36.6 to 33.7).
About Ortiz Elementary School
Ortiz Elementary School is a medium-sized elementary school with an address in BROWNSVILLE, Texas. School enrollment was 564 students in 2024-25, in pre-K through 5.
BROWNSVILLE ISD oversees Ortiz Elementary School and 51 other schools, with 37,097 students in total.
Hispanic students make up 98% of enrollment at Ortiz Elementary School. Census estimates put the Hispanic share of Cameron County's population at about 89%. Pick two students at random and there is a 4% chance they belong to different racial or ethnic groups; that figure is the school's diversity index.
The school reported 33.7 full-time-equivalent teachers in 2024-25 and a ratio of 16.7:1. That is 1.6 students per teacher above the 15.1:1 average for elementary schools in Texas. Free or reduced-price lunch eligibility is 94%. Among public schools in Cameron County, the average eligibility rate is 84%.
Measured against Texas public elementary schools, Ortiz Elementary School receives an A. The grade weighs proficiency most heavily, then how results compare with what the school's low-income share predicts, then the three-year change.
Given its lunch-eligibility share, the predicted average proficiency rate on state tests for Ortiz Elementary School is 33.4%. It actually posts 68.5%, which is 35.1 points higher and in the top 10% of Texas schools.
Census Bureau estimates for Cameron County show that the median household income is $52,601, the share of adults with a bachelor's degree or higher is 22%, and roughly 21% of residents are in poverty. Ortiz Elementary School is one of 187 public schools in the county.
Keller Elementary School is the nearest neighboring public school, about 0.2 miles away. Within five miles of Ortiz Elementary School, there are at least 8 other public schools. Of 9 schools in the immediate area with test results, Ortiz Elementary School ranks 2nd on average proficiency.
Ortiz Elementary School is coded as City: Mid-size in federal locale data.
Compared with 2020-21, when it had 578 students, enrollment in 2024-25 was about the same at 564. The number of students per teacher rose from 14.8 to 16.7 over 4 years.
Discussions about Ortiz Elementary School may include school events, clubs, and volunteer needs. Questions from prospective families are welcome too.
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 High SchoolHigh · 2,216 students
- Rivera Early College High SchoolHigh · 2,150 students
- Hanna Early College High SchoolHigh · 2,039 students
- Lopez Early College High SchoolHigh · 1,739 students
- Pace Early College High SchoolHigh · 1,621 students
- Porter Early College High SchoolHigh · 1,543 students
Other schools in BROWNSVILLE
- Veterans Memorial Early College High SchoolHigh · 2,216 students
- Rivera Early College High SchoolHigh · 2,150 students
- Hanna Early College High SchoolHigh · 2,039 students
- Lopez Early College High SchoolHigh · 1,739 students
- Pace Early College High SchoolHigh · 1,621 students
- Porter Early College High SchoolHigh · 1,543 students
Other Ortiz Elementary schools
2 other US public schools in 2 states are named Ortiz Elementary. Ortiz Elementary School is the largest of the 3.
- Ortiz Elementary SchoolABILENE, TX · 523 students
- Ortiz Elementary SchoolWichita, KS · 323 students
Nearby schools
- Keller Elementary School0.2 mi · 537
- Manzano Middle School0.3 mi · 837
- Jubilee Living Way0.8 mi · 363
- Garden Park Elementary School1.2 mi · 372
- Pace Early College High School1.3 mi · 1,621
- Benavides Elementary School1.4 mi · 818
Frequently asked questions
About Ortiz Elementary SchoolHow large is Ortiz Elementary School?
Ortiz Elementary School enrolls approximately 564 students in grades PK-05.
What age range does Ortiz Elementary School serve?
Ortiz Elementary School serves students from grade PK through grade 05.
How many students per teacher at Ortiz Elementary School?
Approximately 16.7:1 students per teacher at Ortiz Elementary School.
What is the student diversity at Ortiz Elementary School?
Student demographics at Ortiz Elementary School are roughly 1% White, 98% Hispanic, 1% Asian, 1% Two or more.
Is Ortiz Elementary School public or private?
Ortiz Elementary School is a public K-12 school, overseen by BROWNSVILLE ISD.
Data sourceSchool profile facts are sourced from the NCES. Community content is posted by allk12 members.