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What's the best and worst thing about the food at SOUR LAKE EL?
Community prompt from u/allk12. Replies below.
Enrollment
720
Elementary
DISTRICT 660 · STATE 519
SCHOOL COMMUNITY·HARDIN-JEFFERSON ISD·NCES 482241002250
Sour Lake Elementary School
1055 HWY 326 S, SOUR LAKE, TX 77659 · (409) 981-6440 · Hardin County
GRADES PK–05ELEMENTARY42-RURALREGULAR SCHOOL720 STUDENTS
B-
allk12 Grade
Scored higher than 48% 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.
- DBeats expectations How far test scores land above or below what the share of low-income students predicts for a school in this state.
- A+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
13.8:1
52 FTE teachers
DISTRICT 14.0:1 · STATE 15.1:1
Free / Reduced Lunch
37%
263 students
DISTRICT 40% · 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 | 44 | 6% |
| Kindergarten | 103 | 14% |
| Grade 1 | 127 | 18% |
| Grade 2 | 97 | 13% |
| Grade 3 | 120 | 17% |
| Grade 4 | 113 | 16% |
| Grade 5 | 116 | 16% |
This year's kindergarten class (103) is 11% smaller than its 5th grade class (116).
Student demographics
34%Diversity index
The chance that two students picked at random belong to different racial or ethnic groups.
DISTRICT 51% · 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
School pathway
Students here typically continue to
Based on grade levels within HARDIN-JEFFERSON ISD. Attendance zones can vary; confirm enrollment with the district.
Test scores
STAAR 2025-26 . % Meets Grade Level or AboveReading
64.0%
TX avg 54.5% . +24.0pp since 2020
Mathematics
62.0%
TX avg 45.3% . +2.0pp since 2020
What this means: On the STAAR, Texas's statewide test, about 64 of every 100 students at this school read at grade level and about 62 of 100 do math at grade level. Across all Texas schools, those numbers are about 55 and 45. Reading scores are up about 24 points since 2020, while math scores are up about 2 points.
Performance levels, 2025-26
| Subject | Masters Grade Level | Meets Grade Level | Approaches Grade Level | Did Not Meet Grade Level |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Reading | 34.0% | 30.0% | 24.0% | 12.0% |
| Mathematics | 28.0% | 34.0% | 23.0% | 15.0% |
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 | 64.0% | 62.0% |
| 2024-25 | 57.0% | 52.0% |
| 2023-24 | 50.0% | 46.0% |
| 2022-23 | 29.0% | 29.0% |
| 2021-22 | 43.0% | 29.0% |
| 2020-21 | 40.0% | 60.0% |
% 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
46.6%
composite math + reading, all grades
Predicted
58.1%
based on TX schools with similar FRL share
Beats by
-11.4pp
below demographic expectation
What this means: About 47% of students here test proficient in math and reading, compared with the roughly 58% 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 Sour Lake Elementary School
Sour Lake Elementary School's state test result (46.6% proficient) is higher than 0 of the 4 schools below with a result.
| School | Students | Low-income | Proficient |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sour Lake Elementary School this school | 720 | 36.5% | 46.6% |
| Orangefield Elementary School ORANGEFIELD | 828 | 32.9% | 50.6% |
| West Elementary School WEST | 645 | 39.2% | 62.9% |
| Chisum Elementary School PARIS | 584 | 41.4% | 52.2% |
| Lumberton Primary School LUMBERTON | 574 | 37.5% | N/A |
| Pottsboro Elementary School POTTSBORO | 552 | 36.6% | 53.6% |
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 Sour Lake Elementary School ranks
Among elementary schools| Measure | This school | In Texas | In Hardin County |
|---|---|---|---|
| State test proficiency ranked highest first | 46.6% | #1,778 of 4,401 | N/A |
| Math proficiency ranked highest first | 62.0% | #813 of 4,466 ▲ 638 | #1 of 6 ▲ 1 |
| Reading proficiency ranked highest first | 64.0% | #1,110 of 4,466 ▲ 591 | #1 of 6 ▲ 1 |
| 3-year test score change ranked biggest gain first | +34.0pp | #92 of 3,998 | N/A |
| Enrollment ranked largest first | 720 | #791 of 4,938 | #3 of 9 |
| Students per teacher ranked fewest first | 13.8:1 | #1,350 of 4,622 | #2 of 9 |
| Diversity index ranked most diverse first | 33.8% | #3,297 of 4,628 | #6 of 9 |
| Free and reduced lunch ranked highest share first | 36.5% | #4,052 of 4,789 | #9 of 9 |
| Enrollment change since 2017-18 ranked fastest growth first | +13.4% | #613 of 1,307 | N/A |
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
720
+7 (+1%) vs 2020
-12% since 1990-91, when it was 815
Student : Teacher
13.8:1
was 15.8:1
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 | 720 | 52.2 | 13.8:1 | 37% (263) |
| 2023-24 | 760 | 50.5 | 15.1:1 | 41% (308) |
| 2022-23 | 767 | 48 | 16.0:1 | 42% (319) |
| 2020-21 | 713 | 45 | 15.8:1 | 40% (283) |
| 2017-18 | 635 | 39.5 | 16.1:1 | 45% (288) |
| 2015-16 | 635 | 40 | 15.9:1 | 44% (278) |
| 2010-11 | 582 | 44 | 13.2:1 | 39% (227) |
| 2000-01 | 655 | 43 | 15.2:1 | 32% (212) |
| 1990-91 | 815 | 1 | 815.0:1 | N/A |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data. Rows are the federal collections on file for Sour Lake Elementary School.
Since 2017-18: students up 13% (635 to 720); teachers up 32% (39.5 to 52.2).
About Sour Lake Elementary School
Sour Lake Elementary School is a medium-sized elementary school serving families in SOUR LAKE, Texas. The school reports 720 students in pre-K through 5. The typical figure for elementary schools in Texas is about 519 students.
HARDIN-JEFFERSON ISD has a total of 6 schools and 2,762 students, Sour Lake Elementary School among them.
Federal enrollment data show Sour Lake Elementary School is 81% White. Other groups include 9% Hispanic, 5% Black, and 5% multiracial. County-wide, about 84% of residents are White. Sour Lake Elementary School's diversity index is 34%, against a US figure of 70%.
Teachers at Sour Lake Elementary School total 52.2 full-time equivalents, and the ratio is 13.8:1. On average, elementary schools in Texas have 15.1:1, compared with 13.8:1 here. Sour Lake Elementary School's free or reduced-price lunch eligibility rate is 37%. The gap from the 49% average for public schools in Hardin County is 12 points.
allk12 grades Sour Lake Elementary School a B-. The grade compares the school only with Texas public elementary schools, because each state gives its own test.
Sour Lake Elementary School's actual average proficiency rate on state tests (46.6%) and its predicted rate (58.1%) put it outside the top and bottom 10% of Texas schools.
Recent Census Bureau figures for Hardin County show that the median household income is $75,808, the share of adults with a bachelor's degree or higher is 21%, and about 10% of people live in poverty. Besides Sour Lake Elementary School, Hardin County has 22 other public schools.
Nearest public school: Hardin-Jefferson Junior High School, about 1.8 miles away. Within five miles are 2 other public schools. On average proficiency, Sour Lake Elementary School is 3rd of 8 nearby schools with test data.
For locale, NCES codes Sour Lake Elementary School as Rural: Distant.
Enrollment has been fairly stable: 713 in 2020-21 and 720 in 2024-25. There were fewer students per teacher in 2024-25 (13.8:1) than in 2020-21 (15.8:1).
Discussions about Sour Lake Elementary School may include science fairs, picture day, and bus routes. Alumni can share how the school prepared them.
Hardin County at a glance
View full county profilePopulation
57,642
Census ACS
Median income
$75,808
Household, ACS
Bachelor's+
21%
Adults 25+
Poverty rate
10%
Below federal line
Schools in county
23
10,541 students
Quick facts
Related schools
Other schools in HARDIN-JEFFERSON ISD
- Hardin-Jefferson High SchoolHigh · 782 students
- Hardin-Jefferson Junior High SchoolMiddle · 656 students
- China Elementary SchoolElementary · 600 students
- New AeHigh · 3 students
- Hardin Co J J Alternative Education ProgramMiddle · 1 students
Nearby schools
- Hardin-Jefferson Junior High School1.8 mi · 656
- Hardin-Jefferson High School1.9 mi · 782
- New Ae6.6 mi · 3
- China Elementary School7.1 mi · 600
- West Brook Sr High School12.8 mi · 2,213
- West Hardin High School12.9 mi · 254
Frequently asked questions
About Sour Lake Elementary SchoolHow many students attend Sour Lake Elementary School?
Sour Lake Elementary School enrolls approximately 720 students in grades PK-05.
What grades does Sour Lake Elementary School serve?
Sour Lake Elementary School serves grades PK-05.
How many students per teacher at Sour Lake Elementary School?
Approximately 13.8:1 students per teacher at Sour Lake Elementary School.
How diverse is Sour Lake Elementary School?
Sour Lake Elementary School reports a student body of 81% White, 9% Hispanic, 5% Black, 0% Asian, 5% Two or more.
What district is Sour Lake Elementary School in?
Sour Lake Elementary School is part of HARDIN-JEFFERSON ISD.
Data sourceSchool profile facts are sourced from the NCES. Community content is posted by allk12 members.