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What's something SOUTHSIDE EL does better than most schools?
Community prompt from u/allk12. Replies below.
Enrollment
442
Elementary
DISTRICT 352 · STATE 519
SCHOOL COMMUNITY·PALESTINE ISD·NCES 483405003790
Southside Elementary School
201 GILLESPIE RD, PALESTINE, TX 75801 · (903) 731-8023 · Anderson County
GRADES 02–03ELEMENTARY32-TOWNTITLE IREGULAR SCHOOL442 STUDENTS
Student : Teacher
14.5:1
31 FTE teachers
DISTRICT 16.5:1 · STATE 15.1:1
Free / Reduced Lunch
82%
361 students
DISTRICT 82% · 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 |
|---|---|---|
| Grade 2 | 208 | 47% |
| Grade 3 | 234 | 53% |
Student demographics
69%Diversity index
The chance that two students picked at random belong to different racial or ethnic groups.
DISTRICT 68% · 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
Southside Elementary School→Story Intermediate School→Palestine Junior High School→Palestine High School
Feeds from
Based on grade levels within PALESTINE ISD. Attendance zones can vary; confirm enrollment with the district.
Test scores
STAAR 2025-26 . % Meets Grade Level or AboveReading
32.0%
TX avg 54.5% . +9.0pp since 2020
Mathematics
28.0%
TX avg 45.3% . -2.0pp since 2020
What this means: On the STAAR, Texas's statewide test, about 32 of every 100 students at this school read at grade level and about 28 of 100 do math at grade level. Across all Texas schools, those numbers are about 55 and 45. Reading scores are up about 9 points since 2020, while math scores are down about 2 points.
Performance levels, 2025-26
| Subject | Masters Grade Level | Meets Grade Level | Approaches Grade Level | Did Not Meet Grade Level |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Reading | 16.0% | 16.0% | 29.0% | 39.0% |
| Mathematics | 13.0% | 15.0% | 25.0% | 47.0% |
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 | 32.0% | 28.0% |
| 2024-25 | 42.0% | 43.0% |
| 2023-24 | 42.0% | 41.0% |
| 2022-23 | 33.0% | 40.0% |
| 2021-22 | 31.0% | 29.0% |
| 2020-21 | 23.0% | 30.0% |
% 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
42.0%
composite math + reading, all grades
Predicted
38.8%
based on TX schools with similar FRL share
Beats by
+3.2pp
above demographic expectation
What this means: About 42% 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 Southside Elementary School
| School | Students | Low-income | Proficient |
|---|---|---|---|
| Southside Elementary School this school | 442 | 81.7% | 42.0% |
| Pine Tree Primary School LONGVIEW | 498 | 79.7% | N/A |
| Northside Primary School PALESTINE | 400 | 83.5% | N/A |
| Pittsburg Primary School PITTSBURG | 426 | 81.0% | N/A |
| Harrison Lane Elementary School HURST | 528 | 80.7% | 49.4% |
| Avondale Elementary School AMARILLO | 475 | 81.3% | 45.0% |
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 Southside Elementary School ranks
Among elementary schools| Measure | This school | In Texas | In Anderson County |
|---|---|---|---|
| State test proficiency ranked highest first | 42.0% | #2,334 of 4,401 | #6 of 7 |
| Math proficiency ranked highest first | 28.0% | #4,070 of 4,466 ▼ 1,691 | #7 of 7 ▼ 1 |
| Reading proficiency ranked highest first | 32.0% | #4,226 of 4,466 ▼ 876 | #7 of 7 ▼ 1 |
| 3-year test score change ranked biggest drop first | -6.5pp | #572 of 3,998 | N/A |
| Enrollment ranked largest first | 442 | #3,103 of 4,938 | #1 of 11 |
| Students per teacher ranked fewest first | 14.5:1 | #1,957 of 4,622 | #4 of 10 |
| Diversity index ranked most diverse first | 69.5% | #575 of 4,628 | #1 of 10 |
| Free and reduced lunch ranked highest share first | 81.7% | #1,816 of 4,789 | #4 of 11 |
| Enrollment change since 2017-18 ranked steepest decline first | -9.4% | #2,075 of 2,838 | #6 of 7 |
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
442
+3 (+1%) vs 2020
+34% since 1990-91, when it was 329
Student : Teacher
14.5:1
was 13.7:1
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 | 442 | 30.6 | 14.5:1 | 82% (361) |
| 2023-24 | 460 | 29.4 | 15.7:1 | 85% (390) |
| 2022-23 | 447 | 33 | 13.6:1 | 85% (379) |
| 2020-21 | 439 | 32 | 13.7:1 | 81% (355) |
| 2017-18 | 488 | 35.7 | 13.7:1 | 75% (367) |
| 2015-16 | 545 | 37 | 14.7:1 | 74% (406) |
| 2010-11 | 562 | 36 | 15.6:1 | 79% (442) |
| 2000-01 | 361 | 29 | 12.4:1 | 68% (247) |
| 1990-91 | 329 | 24 | 13.7:1 | N/A |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data. Rows are the federal collections on file for Southside Elementary School.
Since 2017-18: students down 9% (488 to 442); teachers down 14% (35.7 to 30.6).
About Southside Elementary School
Southside Elementary School is a medium-sized elementary school serving families in PALESTINE, Texas. It covers grades 2 through 3, with a total enrollment of 442 students.
PALESTINE ISD is the local district for Southside Elementary School. It runs 6 schools with 3,186 students.
By race and ethnicity, the largest group at Southside Elementary School is Hispanic (41%). Next come 29% White, 22% Black, and 6% multiracial. That compares with about 20% Hispanic among all Anderson County residents. The chance that two students picked at random at Southside Elementary School belong to different racial or ethnic groups, known as the diversity index, is 69%.
Southside Elementary School employs 30.6 full-time-equivalent teachers. That gives a ratio of about 14.5:1. Across elementary schools in Texas, the average ratio is about 15.1:1. Southside Elementary School's free or reduced-price lunch eligibility rate is 82%. The 68% average for public schools in Anderson County is 14 points lower.
After adjusting for student poverty, Southside Elementary School lands between the top and bottom 10% of Texas schools. Its average proficiency rate on state tests is 42.0%; the prediction is 38.8%.
Southside Elementary School is located in Anderson County, where median household income is about $62,068, about 15% of adults have at least a bachelor's degree, and roughly 14% of residents are in poverty. Southside Elementary School is one of 26 public schools in Anderson County, which together enroll about 8,071 students.
The closest public school, Palestine High School, is about 1.2 miles from Southside Elementary School. Within five miles are at least 8 other public schools. The average proficiency across nearby scored schools is 40.0%; Southside Elementary School's is 42.0%, ranking 2nd of 6.
The school's setting, by NCES definition, is Town: Distant: in a town some distance from an urbanized area.
Southside Elementary School had 439 students in 2020-21 and 442 in 2024-25, nearly the same.
Parents and students can post about school events, clubs, and volunteer needs at Southside Elementary School. Alumni can share how the school prepared them.
Anderson County at a glance
View full county profilePopulation
58,439
Census ACS
Median income
$62,068
Household, ACS
Bachelor's+
15%
Adults 25+
Poverty rate
14%
Below federal line
Schools in county
26
8,071 students
Quick facts
Related schools
Other schools in PALESTINE ISD
- Palestine High SchoolHigh · 1,003 students
- Story Intermediate SchoolMiddle · 670 students
- Palestine Junior High SchoolMiddle · 456 students
- Northside Primary SchoolElementary · 400 students
- Washington Early Childhood CenterElementary · 215 students
Other schools in PALESTINE
- Palestine High SchoolHigh · 1,003 students
- Story Intermediate SchoolMiddle · 670 students
- Palestine Junior High SchoolMiddle · 456 students
- Westwood High SchoolHigh · 405 students
- Westwood Elementary SchoolElementary · 404 students
- Northside Primary SchoolElementary · 400 students
Other Southside Elementary schools
32 other US public schools in 20 states are named Southside Elementary. Southside Elementary School is the 20th largest of the 33.
- Southside Elementary SchoolCLEVELAND, TX · 1,016 students
- Southside Elementary SchoolHOUSTON, TX · 675 students
- Southside Elementary SchoolMABANK, TX · 459 students
- Southside Elementary SchoolANGLETON, TX · 304 students
- Southside Elementary SchoolColumbus, IN · 891 students
Nearby schools
- Palestine High School1.2 mi · 1,003
- Palestine Junior High School1.3 mi · 456
- Washington Early Childhood Center2.0 mi · 215
- Story Intermediate School2.6 mi · 670
- Ut Tyler University Academy at Palestine2.7 mi · 263
- Westwood Elementary School3.3 mi · 404
Frequently asked questions
About Southside Elementary SchoolHow many students attend Southside Elementary School?
Southside Elementary School enrolls approximately 442 students in grades 02-03.
What grades does Southside Elementary School serve?
Southside Elementary School serves grades 02-03.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Southside Elementary School?
The student-to-teacher ratio at Southside Elementary School is approximately 14.5:1 (31 FTE teachers).
What is the racial breakdown of students at Southside Elementary School?
At Southside Elementary School, the student body is approximately 29% White, 41% Hispanic, 22% Black, 1% Asian, 6% Two or more.
Is Southside Elementary School public or private?
Southside Elementary School is a public K-12 school, overseen by PALESTINE ISD.
Data sourceSchool profile facts are sourced from the NCES. Community content is posted by allk12 members.