PRAIRIE LEA EL

PRAIRIE LEA EL is an intimate all-grades campus in PRAIRIE LEA, Texas, one of the schools within PRAIRIE LEA ISD. The school enrolls 267 students in grades pre-K through 12. Compared to the state average of about 485 students per school, that is 45% below typical.

Operationally, PRAIRIE LEA EL answers to PRAIRIE LEA ISD, which sets policy, hires staff, and reports enrollment to the state.

In terms of who attends, PRAIRIE LEA EL shows that 70% of the student body identifies as Hispanic. Beyond that, the school logs 21% White, 5% Black, 4% multiracial. By comparison, Caldwell County as a whole is about 57% Hispanic, so the school skews noticeably more Hispanic than its surroundings.

On the resource side, On paper, PRAIRIE LEA EL has 18 full-time-equivalent teachers, translating to a class-load average of around 14.8:1. Statewide, the average ratio sits near 11.7:1, putting PRAIRIE LEA EL higher than the state norm the norm. Roughly 62% of students at PRAIRIE LEA EL qualify for free or reduced-price lunch, a number frequently used as a low-income enrollment indicator. Set against Caldwell County (around 76%), the school's rate is south of typical.

With demographic context factored in, PRAIRIE LEA EL falls in the UNDERPERFORMING tier of the BeatsExpectations residual. Given its student profile, a typical campus would land near 46.7%; this one comes in at 5.2%, -41.6 points off the demographic line.

Around the school, ACS estimates for Caldwell County put median household earnings sit near $69,758, roughly 19% of adults have completed at least a four-year degree, and the poverty rate sits near 8%. PRAIRIE LEA EL is one of 19 public schools in Caldwell County (combined enrollment of about 9,286 students).

Nearest neighbor: LEONARD SHANKLIN EL, around 7.0 miles off. 4 of the 8 nearest public schools sit inside a ten-mile radius, suggesting a relatively low-density school footprint. Ranking that nearby cluster on reported proficiency puts PRAIRIE LEA EL at 8th of 8; the average score across the group is 35.7%.

The campus sits in a low-density setting.

Looking at the recent track record. Looking back 7 years, enrollment at PRAIRIE LEA EL has grew 34%, going from 199 students in 2018 to 267 in 2025. Over the same period, the White share contracted from 35% to 21%. Class-load math has grew: from 11.1:1 in 2018 to 14.8:1 in 2025.

Inside the community feed, the feed for PRAIRIE LEA EL typically covers sports schedules, lunch menu changes, and school spirit week. Anyone with firsthand experience at this school can post or comment.