PILLOW EL

As an intimate elementary campus in AUSTIN, Texas, PILLOW EL caters to 356 students from grades pre-K through 5, run under AUSTIN ISD. That puts it 31% smaller than the typical public school in Texas, which averages around 519 students.

Across the 123 schools in AUSTIN ISD (72,272 students total), PILLOW EL accounts for its share of the district's footprint.

In terms of who attends, PILLOW EL lists that Hispanic students make up the majority at 70%. Other groups include 12% White, 9% Black, 8% Asian. The wider county runs roughly 33% Hispanic, putting the school's mix meaningfully more Hispanic than the area baseline.

Looking at the economic backdrop, Staff filings list 30 full-time-equivalent teachers, which works out to roughly 11.9:1 students per teacher. That figure is tighter than the state norm's 15.1:1 average. Around 83% of the student body qualifies for free or reduced-price meals, a commonly cited indicator of low-income enrollment. Set against Travis County (around 54%), the school's rate is north of typical.

Adjusting for the school's free-and-reduced-lunch share, On a poverty-adjusted basis, PILLOW EL sits in the bottom 10% statewide. Predicted proficiency from the FRL regression is roughly 37.6%; actual is 22.0%, a gap of -15.6 points.

In the area at large, ACS estimates for Travis County put median household income runs about $99,611, 57% of adults hold a bachelor's degree or higher, and the poverty rate sits near 7%. PILLOW EL is one of 333 public schools in Travis County (combined enrollment of about 191,706 students).

BURNET MIDDLE is the nearest neighboring public school, about 0.5 miles from this campus. 8 of the 8 nearest public schools sit inside a five-mile radius. On composite proficiency, PILLOW EL comes 3rd of 6 in the immediate cluster, below the nearby-schools average of 36.3%.

Geographically, the school is in an inner-city area.

Five-year trend. PILLOW EL's enrollment has contracted 31% since 2018, when it stood at 519 (now 356). The Hispanic share of enrollment expanded from 61% to 70% over that span. Class-load math has fell: from 14.6:1 in 2018 to 11.9:1 in 2025.

In the discussion threads here, posts here usually surface around pickup logistics, teacher feedback, and after-school programs. The community welcomes input from current and former families.