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What's one thing SPENCE EL gets right about preparing students for what comes next?
Community prompt from u/allk12. Replies below.
Enrollment
686
Elementary
DISTRICT 569 · STATE 519
SCHOOL COMMUNITY·ALDINE ISD·NCES 480771010724
Spence Elementary School
1300 GEARS RD, HOUSTON, TX 77067 · (281) 539-4050 · Harris County
GRADES 01–05ELEMENTARY21-SUBURBTITLE IREGULAR SCHOOL686 STUDENTS
Student : Teacher
15.9:1
43 FTE teachers
DISTRICT 15.3:1 · STATE 15.1:1
Free / Reduced Lunch
89%
608 students
DISTRICT 87% · 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 1 | 124 | 18% |
| Grade 2 | 155 | 23% |
| Grade 3 | 152 | 22% |
| Grade 4 | 133 | 19% |
| Grade 5 | 122 | 18% |
This year's 1st grade class (124) is about the same size as its 5th grade class (122).
Student demographics
45%Diversity index
The chance that two students picked at random belong to different racial or ethnic groups.
DISTRICT 39% · 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
45.0%
TX avg 54.5% . +32.0pp since 2020
Mathematics
33.0%
TX avg 45.3% . +27.0pp since 2020
What this means: On the STAAR, Texas's statewide test, about 45 of every 100 students at this school read at grade level and about 33 of 100 do math at grade level. Across all Texas schools, those numbers are about 55 and 45. Reading scores are up about 32 points since 2020, while math scores are up about 27 points.
Performance levels, 2025-26
| Subject | Masters Grade Level | Meets Grade Level | Approaches Grade Level | Did Not Meet Grade Level |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Reading | 16.0% | 29.0% | 24.0% | 31.0% |
| Mathematics | 12.0% | 21.0% | 27.0% | 40.0% |
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 | 45.0% | 33.0% |
| 2024-25 | 43.0% | 35.0% |
| 2023-24 | 27.0% | 16.0% |
| 2022-23 | 19.0% | 19.0% |
| 2021-22 | 27.0% | 13.0% |
| 2020-21 | 13.0% | 6.0% |
% 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
26.4%
composite math + reading, all grades
Predicted
35.8%
based on TX schools with similar FRL share
Beats by
-9.4pp
below demographic expectation
What this means: About 26% of students here test proficient in math and reading, compared with the roughly 36% 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 Spence Elementary School
Spence Elementary School's state test result (26.4% proficient) is higher than 0 of the 5 schools below with a result.
| School | Students | Low-income | Proficient |
|---|---|---|---|
| Spence Elementary School this school | 686 | 88.6% | 26.4% |
| Carolee Booker Elementary School HOUSTON | 726 | 87.2% | 27.8% |
| Nitsch Elementary School KLEIN | 612 | 87.7% | 62.6% |
| Jerry R Junkins Elementary School CARROLLTON | 702 | 86.3% | 43.5% |
| Uplift White Rock Hills Prep PS DALLAS | 640 | 85.9% | 42.5% |
| Holbrook Elementary School HOUSTON | 757 | 89.3% | 48.7% |
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 Spence Elementary School ranks
Among elementary schools| Measure | This school | In Texas | In Harris County |
|---|---|---|---|
| State test proficiency ranked highest first | 26.4% | #3,966 of 4,401 | #580 of 624 |
| Math proficiency ranked highest first | 33.0% | #3,617 of 4,466 ▼ 394 | #536 of 625 ▼ 77 |
| Reading proficiency ranked highest first | 45.0% | #3,091 of 4,466 ▲ 78 | #431 of 625 ▲ 6 |
| 3-year test score change ranked biggest gain first | +20.0pp | #481 of 3,998 | #56 of 603 |
| Enrollment ranked largest first | 686 | #1,006 of 4,938 | #252 of 682 |
| Students per teacher ranked fewest first | 15.9:1 | #3,215 of 4,622 | #426 of 657 |
| Diversity index ranked most diverse first | 44.9% | #2,798 of 4,628 | #386 of 657 |
| Free and reduced lunch ranked highest share first | 88.6% | #1,216 of 4,789 | #295 of 671 |
| Enrollment change since 2017-18 ranked fastest growth first | +15.7% | #533 of 1,307 | #55 of 148 |
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
686
+34 (+5%) vs 2020
-22% since 2010-11, when it was 874
Student : Teacher
15.9:1
was 17.6:1
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 | 686 | 43.1 | 15.9:1 | 89% (608) |
| 2023-24 | 663 | 35.7 | 18.6:1 | 95% (633) |
| 2022-23 | 609 | 29.4 | 20.7:1 | 95% (580) |
| 2020-21 | 652 | 37 | 17.6:1 | 95% (621) |
| 2017-18 | 593 | 41.7 | 14.2:1 | 90% (534) |
| 2015-16 | 1,018 | 53 | 19.2:1 | 86% (880) |
| 2010-11 | 874 | 49 | 17.8:1 | 89% (775) |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data. Rows are the federal collections on file for Spence Elementary School.
Since 2017-18: students up 16% (593 to 686); teachers up 3% (41.7 to 43.1).
About Spence Elementary School
As a medium-sized elementary school, Spence Elementary School serves students in HOUSTON, Texas. Students in grades 1 through 5 attend the school, which enrolls 686 students. The average among elementary schools in Texas is roughly 519 students; this school is 32% bigger than that.
Spence Elementary School reports to ALDINE ISD, which has 76 schools and 56,419 students.
By race and ethnicity, Spence Elementary School is 69% Hispanic. The rest of enrollment is 26% Black. Census estimates put the Hispanic share of Harris County's population at about 44%. The chance that two students picked at random at Spence Elementary School belong to different racial or ethnic groups, known as the diversity index, is 45%.
Its 43.1 full-time-equivalent teachers give the school a ratio of 15.9:1. The average ratio among elementary schools in Texas is 15.1:1, lower than at this school. The school's lunch program data list 89% of students as eligible for free or reduced-price meals. That is 19 points above the 70% average for public schools in Harris County.
On the allk12 BeatsExpectations measure, Spence Elementary School is 9.4 points below the average proficiency rate on state tests predicted for its free or reduced-price lunch share: 26.4% actual, 35.8% predicted. That is outside both the top and bottom 10% in Texas.
Census Bureau estimates for Harris County show that median household income is about $74,983, the share of adults with a bachelor's degree or higher is 34%, and about 13% of people live in poverty. A total of 1,205 public schools operate in Harris County, serving about 886,911 students.
Plummer Middle School is the public school closest to Spence Elementary School, about 0.1 miles away. Spence Elementary School has at least 8 other public schools within five miles. Local comparison: Spence Elementary School ranks 4th of 9 nearby schools, at 26.4% versus a 31.0% average.
Spence Elementary School is in a suburban area outside a principal city, within an urbanized area with a population of 250,000 or more, a location NCES labels Suburb: Large.
Between 2020-21 and 2024-25, the student count climbed from 652 to 686. There were fewer students per teacher in 2024-25 (15.9:1) than in 2020-21 (17.6:1).
Questions about science fairs, picture day, and bus routes can be posted here. Reviews and ratings from people who know the school are welcome.
Harris County at a glance
View full county profilePopulation
4,838,303
Census ACS
Median income
$74,983
Household, ACS
Bachelor's+
34%
Adults 25+
Poverty rate
13%
Below federal line
Schools in county
1,205
886,911 students
Quick facts
Related schools
Other schools in ALDINE ISD
- Macarthur High SchoolHigh · 3,501 students
- Davis H S AldineHigh · 3,184 students
- Nimitz High SchoolHigh · 2,651 students
- Aldine High SchoolHigh · 2,481 students
- Eisenhower High SchoolHigh · 2,262 students
- Blanson CTE High SchoolHigh · 1,258 students
Other schools in HOUSTON
- Texas Connections Academy at HoustonCombined · 8,641 students
- North Shore Senior HighHigh · 4,284 students
- Elsik High SchoolHigh · 4,057 students
- Summer Creek High SchoolHigh · 3,972 students
- Hastings High SchoolHigh · 3,786 students
- C E King High SchoolHigh · 3,716 students
Other Spence Elementary schools
One other US public school is named Spence Elementary. Spence Elementary School is the largest of the 2.
- Spence ElementaryLa Crosse, WI · 329 students
Nearby schools
- Plummer Middle School0.1 mi · 894
- Davis H S Aldine0.6 mi · 3,184
- IDEA Spears Academy1.4 mi · 728
- IDEA Spears College Preparatory1.4 mi · 617
- Heritage Elementary School1.5 mi · 807
- Joan Link Elementary School1.5 mi · 556
Frequently asked questions
About Spence Elementary SchoolHow many students attend Spence Elementary School?
Spence Elementary School enrolls approximately 686 students in grades 01-05.
What age range does Spence Elementary School serve?
Spence Elementary School serves students from grade 01 through grade 05.
How many teachers does Spence Elementary School have?
Spence Elementary School employs 43 FTE teachers, for a student-to-teacher ratio of 15.9:1.
How diverse is Spence Elementary School?
Spence Elementary School reports a student body of 1% White, 69% Hispanic, 26% Black, 1% Asian, 2% Two or more.
Who oversees Spence Elementary School?
Spence Elementary School is overseen by ALDINE ISD in Harris County.
Data sourceSchool profile facts are sourced from the NCES. Community content is posted by allk12 members.