SAM FORDYCE EL

Located at 801 FM 886, in SULLIVAN CITY, Texas, SAM FORDYCE EL is a modestly sized elementary school that teaches 356 students (grades pre-K through 5), part of LA JOYA ISD. By comparison, Texas's public schools average about 519 students each, so SAM FORDYCE EL sits 31% below that benchmark.

Within LA JOYA ISD, which oversees 36 schools and 22,942 students, SAM FORDYCE EL is one campus in the system.

For racial and ethnic makeup, SAM FORDYCE EL logs that the student body is overwhelmingly Hispanic (100%). By comparison, Hidalgo County as a whole is about 92% Hispanic, so the school skews meaningfully more Hispanic than its surroundings.

On the resource side, On paper, SAM FORDYCE EL has 28 full-time-equivalent teachers, translating to a class-load average of around 12.7:1. Statewide, the average ratio sits near 15.1:1, putting SAM FORDYCE EL tighter than the state norm the norm. About 99% of enrolled students meet the income threshold for free or reduced-price lunch, a commonly cited indicator of low-income enrollment. Set against Hidalgo County (around 85%), the school's rate is noticeably above typical.

On a demographically-adjusted basis, SAM FORDYCE EL is in the OUTPERFORMING tier of the BeatsExpectations model, which fits a per-state line through proficiency and FRL share. Schools with this campus's poverty mix typically land near 30.8%; this one delivers 55.2%, a residual of +24.4 points.

Zooming out to the county, community-level numbers for Hidalgo County indicate median household income runs about $54,338, 21% of adults hold a bachelor's degree or higher, and census figures put the poverty rate at about 23%. In all, Hidalgo County runs 364 public schools (combined enrollment of about 212,859 students), of which SAM FORDYCE EL is one.

The closest other public school is ROSENDO BENAVIDES EL, roughly 2.6 miles away. Counting just inside five miles, 5 other public schools cluster around SAM FORDYCE EL. Ranking that nearby cluster on reported proficiency puts SAM FORDYCE EL at 4th of 8; the average score across the group is 53.6%.

The campus sits in a rural setting.

Over the past 7-year window. Looking back 7 years, enrollment at SAM FORDYCE EL has ticked down 21%, going from 448 students in 2018 to 356 in 2025. The student-to-teacher ratio pulled in from 15.0:1 in 2018 to 12.7:1 today.

Inside the community feed, posts here usually surface around school events, parent volunteer needs, and clubs. The community welcomes input from current and former families.