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What's the most underrated thing about SANTA MARIA EL that outsiders don't know?
Community prompt from u/allk12. Replies below.
Enrollment
465
Elementary
DISTRICT 513 · STATE 519
SCHOOL COMMUNITY·LAREDO ISD·NCES 482679003029
Santa Maria Elementary School
3817 SANTA MARIA, LAREDO, TX 78041 · (956) 273-4600 · Webb County
GRADES PK–05ELEMENTARY11-CITYTITLE IREGULAR SCHOOL465 STUDENTS
A-
allk12 Grade
Scored higher than 82% of Texas public elementary schools
- BTest 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.
- B+Three-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
13.6:1
34 FTE teachers
DISTRICT 15.0:1 · STATE 15.1:1
Free / Reduced Lunch
99%
462 students
DISTRICT 97% · 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 | 58 | 12% |
| Kindergarten | 67 | 14% |
| Grade 1 | 63 | 14% |
| Grade 2 | 71 | 15% |
| Grade 3 | 78 | 17% |
| Grade 4 | 63 | 14% |
| Grade 5 | 65 | 14% |
This year's kindergarten class (67) is about the same size as its 5th grade class (65).
Student demographics
1%Diversity index
The chance that two students picked at random belong to different racial or ethnic groups.
DISTRICT 1% · 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
62.0%
TX avg 54.5% . +30.0pp since 2020
Mathematics
45.0%
TX avg 45.3% . +26.0pp since 2020
What this means: On the STAAR, Texas's statewide test, about 62 of every 100 students at this school read at grade level and about 45 of 100 do math at grade level. Across all Texas schools, those numbers are about 55 and 45. Reading scores are up about 30 points since 2020, while math scores are up about 26 points.
Performance levels, 2025-26
| Subject | Masters Grade Level | Meets Grade Level | Approaches Grade Level | Did Not Meet Grade Level |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Reading | 28.0% | 34.0% | 16.0% | 22.0% |
| Mathematics | 18.0% | 27.0% | 25.0% | 30.0% |
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 | 62.0% | 45.0% |
| 2024-25 | 63.0% | 46.0% |
| 2023-24 | 56.0% | 48.0% |
| 2022-23 | 46.0% | 38.0% |
| 2021-22 | 39.0% | 33.0% |
| 2020-21 | 32.0% | 19.0% |
% 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
48.1%
composite math + reading, all grades
Predicted
31.3%
based on TX schools with similar FRL share
Beats by
+16.8pp
above demographic expectation
What this means: About 48% of students here test proficient in math and reading, well above the roughly 31% 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 17 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 Santa Maria Elementary School
Santa Maria Elementary School's state test result (48.1% proficient) is higher than 2 of the 4 schools below with a result.
| School | Students | Low-income | Proficient |
|---|---|---|---|
| Santa Maria Elementary School this school | 465 | 99.4% | 48.1% |
| Berta S Palacios Elementary School PHARR | 470 | 99.6% | 56.6% |
| John & Olive Hinojosa Elementary School RIO GRANDE CITY | 441 | 99.1% | 30.2% |
| Jorge R Gutierrez Early Childhood Center EDCOUCH | 454 | 97.8% | N/A |
| Bruni Elementary School LAREDO | 441 | 98.4% | 47.4% |
| J C Martin Jr Elementary School LAREDO | 435 | 99.5% | 70.3% |
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 Santa Maria Elementary School ranks
Among elementary schools| Measure | This school | In Texas | In Webb County |
|---|---|---|---|
| State test proficiency ranked highest first | 48.1% | #1,619 of 4,401 | #30 of 52 |
| Math proficiency ranked highest first | 45.0% | #2,317 of 4,466 ▼ 283 | #41 of 52 ▼ 5 |
| Reading proficiency ranked highest first | 62.0% | #1,272 of 4,466 ▼ 69 | #25 of 52 ▼ 2 |
| 3-year test score change ranked biggest gain first | +11.5pp | #1,264 of 3,998 | #19 of 52 |
| Enrollment ranked largest first | 465 | #2,863 of 4,938 | #34 of 52 |
| Students per teacher ranked fewest first | 13.6:1 | #1,192 of 4,622 | #10 of 51 |
| Diversity index ranked most diverse first | 1.3% | #4,510 of 4,628 | #25 of 51 |
| Free and reduced lunch ranked highest share first | 99.4% | #62 of 4,789 | #6 of 52 |
| Enrollment change since 2017-18 ranked steepest decline first | -30.2% | #494 of 2,838 | #7 of 43 |
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
465
-78 (-14%) vs 2020
+99% since 1990-91, when it was 234
Student : Teacher
13.6:1
was 14.7:1
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 | 465 | 34.3 | 13.6:1 | 99% (462) |
| 2023-24 | 522 | 36.8 | 14.2:1 | 100% (520) |
| 2022-23 | 519 | 36.9 | 14.1:1 | 100% (517) |
| 2020-21 | 543 | 37 | 14.7:1 | 99% (540) |
| 2017-18 | 666 | 37.5 | 17.8:1 | 99% (662) |
| 2015-16 | 663 | 38 | 17.4:1 | 98% (648) |
| 2010-11 | 705 | 39 | 18.1:1 | 0% (0) |
| 2000-01 | 326 | 16 | 20.4:1 | 68% (222) |
| 1990-91 | 234 | 11 | 21.3:1 | N/A |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data. Rows are the federal collections on file for Santa Maria Elementary School.
Since 2017-18: students down 30% (666 to 465); teachers down 9% (37.5 to 34.3).
About Santa Maria Elementary School
Santa Maria Elementary School is a medium-sized elementary school for students in LAREDO, Texas. The school counts 465 students across pre-K through 5.
Santa Maria Elementary School sits within LAREDO ISD, which has 30 schools and 20,271 students.
Federal enrollment data show Santa Maria Elementary School is 99% Hispanic. Santa Maria Elementary School's diversity index is 1%, against a US figure of 70%.
Federal data list 34.3 full-time-equivalent teachers at Santa Maria Elementary School in 2024-25, for a ratio of 13.6:1. That is lower than the 15.1:1 average for elementary schools in Texas. The lunch program counts 99% of students at Santa Maria Elementary School as eligible for free or reduced-price meals. Public schools in Webb County average 83%.
Santa Maria Elementary School is graded A- by allk12, scoring above 82% of Texas public elementary schools once test results, poverty-adjusted performance, and the recent trend are combined.
On a poverty-adjusted basis, Santa Maria Elementary School is in the top 10% of Texas schools: 48.1% actual against 31.3% predicted.
Webb County has about 269,294 residents, and the median household income is $63,058, a bachelor's degree or higher is held by about 21% of adults, and the share of residents below the poverty line is 19%. In all, Webb County has 95 public schools and roughly 63,717 students.
The school nearest to Santa Maria Elementary School is Farias Elementary School, at a distance of about 0.3 miles. Other public schools within five miles number at least 8. Santa Maria Elementary School is 6th of 9 nearby schools by average proficiency rate.
Locale: City: Large. In NCES terms, the school is inside a principal city with a population of 250,000 or more.
The school enrolled 465 students in 2024-25, 78 fewer than the 543 it had in 2020-21. The student-to-teacher ratio went down from 14.7:1 to 13.6:1.
Discussions about Santa Maria Elementary School may include science fairs, picture day, and bus routes. Alumni can share how the school prepared them.
Webb County at a glance
View full county profilePopulation
269,294
Census ACS
Median income
$63,058
Household, ACS
Bachelor's+
21%
Adults 25+
Poverty rate
19%
Below federal line
Schools in county
95
63,717 students
Quick facts
Related schools
Other schools in LAREDO ISD
- Nixon High SchoolHigh · 2,124 students
- Martin High SchoolHigh · 1,975 students
- Dr Leo Cigarroa High SchoolHigh · 1,379 students
- Lamar Middle SchoolMiddle · 1,204 students
- Christen Middle SchoolMiddle · 1,115 students
- Joaquin Cigarroa Middle SchoolMiddle · 1,053 students
Other schools in LAREDO
- United High SchoolHigh · 3,463 students
- United South High SchoolHigh · 3,252 students
- Lyndon B JohnsonHigh · 3,240 students
- John B Alexander High SchoolHigh · 3,171 students
- Nixon High SchoolHigh · 2,124 students
- Martin High SchoolHigh · 1,975 students
Nearby schools
- Farias Elementary School0.3 mi · 597
- Harmony School of Excellence - Laredo0.6 mi · 671
- Harmony Science Academy - Laredo0.7 mi · 659
- Leyendecker Elementary School1.0 mi · 406
- T Sanchez El / H Ochoa Elementary School1.1 mi · 569
- Clark Elementary School1.1 mi · 354
Frequently asked questions
About Santa Maria Elementary SchoolHow many students attend Santa Maria Elementary School?
Santa Maria Elementary School enrolls approximately 465 students in grades PK-05.
Is Santa Maria Elementary School an elementary, middle, or high school?
Santa Maria Elementary School is an elementary school covering grades PK-05.
How many students per teacher at Santa Maria Elementary School?
Approximately 13.6:1 students per teacher at Santa Maria Elementary School.
What is the racial breakdown of students at Santa Maria Elementary School?
At Santa Maria Elementary School, the student body is approximately 0% White, 99% Hispanic, 0% Asian.
Who oversees Santa Maria Elementary School?
Santa Maria Elementary School is overseen by LAREDO ISD in Webb County.
Data sourceSchool profile facts are sourced from the NCES. Community content is posted by allk12 members.