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Alumni: what's one memory from PURCELL EL that still sticks with you?
Community prompt from u/allk12. Replies below.
Enrollment
537
Elementary
DISTRICT 502 · STATE 519
SCHOOL COMMUNITY·ABILENE ISD·NCES 480744000024
Purcell Elementary School
3633 N 14TH ST, ABILENE, TX 79603 · (325) 671-4845 · Taylor County
GRADES PK–05ELEMENTARY12-CITYTITLE IREGULAR SCHOOL537 STUDENTS
Student : Teacher
15.6:1
34 FTE teachers
DISTRICT 15.3:1 · STATE 15.1:1
Free / Reduced Lunch
80%
432 students
DISTRICT 69% · 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 | 3 | 1% |
| Kindergarten | 90 | 17% |
| Grade 1 | 85 | 16% |
| Grade 2 | 95 | 18% |
| Grade 3 | 95 | 18% |
| Grade 4 | 97 | 18% |
| Grade 5 | 72 | 13% |
This year's kindergarten class (90) is 25% larger than its 5th grade class (72).
Student demographics
59%Diversity index
The chance that two students picked at random belong to different racial or ethnic groups.
DISTRICT 65% · 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
47.0%
TX avg 54.5% . +41.0pp since 2020
Mathematics
34.0%
TX avg 45.3% . +34.0pp since 2020
What this means: On the STAAR, Texas's statewide test, about 47 of every 100 students at this school read at grade level and about 34 of 100 do math at grade level. Across all Texas schools, those numbers are about 55 and 45. Reading scores are up about 41 points since 2020, while math scores are up about 34 points.
Performance levels, 2025-26
| Subject | Masters Grade Level | Meets Grade Level | Approaches Grade Level | Did Not Meet Grade Level |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Reading | 21.0% | 26.0% | 24.0% | 29.0% |
| Mathematics | 11.0% | 23.0% | 27.0% | 39.0% |
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 | 47.0% | 34.0% |
| 2024-25 | 52.0% | 35.0% |
| 2023-24 | 38.0% | 27.0% |
| 2022-23 | 13.0% | 7.0% |
| 2021-22 | 6.0% | 0.0% |
| 2020-21 | 6.0% | 0.0% |
% 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
33.0%
composite math + reading, all grades
Predicted
39.3%
based on TX schools with similar FRL share
Beats by
-6.3pp
below demographic expectation
What this means: About 33% of students here test proficient in math and reading, compared with the roughly 39% 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 Purcell Elementary School
Purcell Elementary School's state test result (33.0% proficient) is higher than 2 of the 5 schools below with a result.
| School | Students | Low-income | Proficient |
|---|---|---|---|
| Purcell Elementary School this school | 537 | 80.4% | 33.0% |
| Hardwick Elementary School LUBBOCK | 534 | 79.8% | 47.0% |
| Logan Elementary School EL PASO | 606 | 79.0% | 27.2% |
| Roberts Elementary School LUBBOCK | 526 | 79.8% | 66.2% |
| De Zavala Elementary School BAYTOWN | 527 | 75.5% | 28.5% |
| Bowie Elementary School GREENVILLE | 601 | 83.7% | 37.4% |
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 Purcell Elementary School ranks
Among elementary schools| Measure | This school | In Texas | In Taylor County |
|---|---|---|---|
| State test proficiency ranked highest first | 33.0% | #3,367 of 4,401 | #16 of 19 |
| Math proficiency ranked highest first | 34.0% | #3,507 of 4,466 ▼ 286 | #14 of 19 no change |
| Reading proficiency ranked highest first | 47.0% | #2,824 of 4,466 ▼ 626 | #10 of 19 ▼ 1 |
| 3-year test score change ranked biggest gain first | +30.5pp | #137 of 3,998 | #1 of 13 |
| Enrollment ranked largest first | 537 | #2,152 of 4,938 | #9 of 23 |
| Students per teacher ranked fewest first | 15.6:1 | #3,004 of 4,622 | #13 of 21 |
| Diversity index ranked most diverse first | 59.3% | #1,477 of 4,628 | #11 of 21 |
| Free and reduced lunch ranked highest share first | 80.4% | #1,924 of 4,789 | #6 of 23 |
| Enrollment change since 2017-18 ranked steepest decline first | -17.4% | #1,388 of 2,838 | #6 of 15 |
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
537
-123 (-19%) vs 2020
+5% since 1990-91, when it was 512
Student : Teacher
15.6:1
was 15.7:1
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 | 537 | 34.4 | 15.6:1 | 80% (432) |
| 2023-24 | 594 | 36.7 | 16.2:1 | 84% (499) |
| 2022-23 | 635 | 39.7 | 16.0:1 | 84% (536) |
| 2020-21 | 660 | 42 | 15.7:1 | 80% (530) |
| 2017-18 | 650 | 38.5 | 16.9:1 | 86% (559) |
| 2015-16 | 492 | 28 | 17.6:1 | 75% (368) |
| 2010-11 | 597 | 37 | 16.1:1 | 70% (418) |
| 2000-01 | 396 | 29 | 13.7:1 | 51% (203) |
| 1990-91 | 512 | 28 | 18.3:1 | N/A |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data. Rows are the federal collections on file for Purcell Elementary School.
Since 2017-18: students down 17% (650 to 537); teachers down 11% (38.5 to 34.4).
About Purcell Elementary School
As a medium-sized elementary school, Purcell Elementary School serves students in ABILENE, Texas. The latest federal count shows 537 students in pre-K through 5.
Purcell Elementary School is one of the 26 schools that make up ABILENE ISD (14,536 students in total).
By race and ethnicity, Purcell Elementary School is 58% Hispanic. Other reported shares: 22% White, 15% Black, and 4% multiracial. That compares with about 25% Hispanic among all Taylor County residents. By the diversity index, Purcell Elementary School comes in at 59%.
Teacher staffing is 34.4 full-time equivalents, or about 15.6 students per teacher. Elementary schools in Texas average about 15.1:1, a similar figure. Eligibility for subsidized school meals is 80%. It compares with 53% for public schools in Taylor County.
Predicted from its free or reduced-price lunch share, Purcell Elementary School would score about 39.3%. It scores 33.0%, 6.3 points below that figure.
Across Taylor County, median household income is about $67,139, a bachelor's degree or higher is held by about 29% of adults, and the poverty rate is about 11%. The public schools of Taylor County number 54 and enroll about 24,159.
The shortest distance from Purcell Elementary School to another public school is about 0.7 miles, to Stafford Elementary School. The five-mile area around Purcell Elementary School holds at least 8 other public schools. Nearby schools with test data average 34.0% proficiency; Purcell Elementary School posts 33.0%.
Locale data from NCES put Purcell Elementary School inside a principal city with a population between 100,000 and 250,000 (City: Mid-size).
Purcell Elementary School had 660 students in 2020-21 and 537 in 2024-25, a 19% decrease.
If you have questions about science fairs, picture day, and bus routes at Purcell Elementary School, you can post them here. Anyone with firsthand experience at this school can post or comment.
Taylor County at a glance
View full county profilePopulation
145,863
Census ACS
Median income
$67,139
Household, ACS
Bachelor's+
29%
Adults 25+
Poverty rate
11%
Below federal line
Schools in county
54
24,159 students
Quick facts
Related schools
Other schools in ABILENE ISD
- Abilene High SchoolHigh · 1,798 students
- Cooper High SchoolHigh · 1,570 students
- Mann Middle SchoolMiddle · 776 students
- Craig Middle SchoolMiddle · 771 students
- Madison Middle SchoolMiddle · 770 students
- Austin Elementary SchoolElementary · 729 students
Other schools in ABILENE
- Abilene High SchoolHigh · 1,798 students
- Cooper High SchoolHigh · 1,570 students
- Wylie High SchoolHigh · 1,537 students
- Wylie West Junior High SchoolMiddle · 1,038 students
- Texas Leadership of AbileneCombined · 834 students
- Mann Middle SchoolMiddle · 776 students
Other Purcell Elementary schools
2 other US public schools in 3 states are named Purcell Elementary. Purcell Elementary School is the largest of the 3.
- PURCELL ELEMENTARY SCHOOLMULBERRY, FL · 438 students
- Purcell Elementary SchoolPurcell, OK · 387 students
Nearby schools
- Stafford Elementary School0.7 mi · 473
- Long Early Learning Center0.9 mi · 692
- Abilene High School0.9 mi · 1,798
- Mann Middle School1.1 mi · 776
- Ortiz Elementary School1.4 mi · 523
- Martinez Elementary School1.5 mi · 371
Frequently asked questions
About Purcell Elementary SchoolWhat is the total enrollment at Purcell Elementary School?
Purcell Elementary School enrolls approximately 537 students in grades PK-05.
What age range does Purcell Elementary School serve?
Purcell Elementary School serves students from grade PK through grade 05.
How many teachers does Purcell Elementary School have?
Purcell Elementary School employs 34 FTE teachers, for a student-to-teacher ratio of 15.6:1.
What is the student diversity at Purcell Elementary School?
Student demographics at Purcell Elementary School are roughly 22% White, 58% Hispanic, 15% Black, 0% Asian, 4% Two or more.
Who oversees Purcell Elementary School?
Purcell Elementary School is overseen by ABILENE ISD in Taylor County.
Data sourceSchool profile facts are sourced from the NCES. Community content is posted by allk12 members.