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What's the most underrated thing about ZAPATA SOUTH EL that outsiders don't know?
Community prompt from u/allk12. Replies below.
Enrollment
428
Elementary
DISTRICT 374 · STATE 519
SCHOOL COMMUNITY·ZAPATA COUNTY ISD·NCES 484671009447
ZAPATA SOUTH EL
500 DELMAR ST, ZAPATA, TX 78076 · (956) 765-4332 · Zapata County
GRADES PK–05ELEMENTARY33-TOWNTITLE IREGULAR SCHOOL428 STUDENTS
Student : Teacher
13.8:1
31 FTE teachers
DISTRICT 13.1:1 · STATE 15.1:1
Free / Reduced Lunch
87%
371 students
DISTRICT 89% · 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
Student demographics
Student head counts by race/ethnicity from federal NCES enrollment data. 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 ZAPATA COUNTY ISD. Attendance zones can vary; confirm enrollment with the district.
Test scores
STAAR 2023-24 . % Meets Grade Level or AboveReading
47.0%
TX avg 51.8% . +8.0pp since 2020
Mathematics
40.0%
TX avg 42.0% . +14.0pp since 2020
What this means: On the STAAR, Texas's statewide test, about 47 of every 100 students at this school read at grade level and about 40 of 100 do math at grade level. Across all Texas schools, those numbers are about 52 and 42. Reading scores are up about 8 points since 2020, while math scores are up about 14 points.
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
39.8%
composite math + reading, all grades
Predicted
36.0%
based on TX schools with similar FRL share
Beats by
+3.8pp
above demographic expectation
What this means: About 40% 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 →
7-year change
SY 2017-18 vs SY 2024-25Enrollment
428
-167 (-28%) vs 2017
Student : Teacher
13.8:1
was 17.5:1
% White
0%
was 1%
% Hispanic
100%
was 99%
% Black
0%
was 0%
% Asian
0%
was 0%
Source: NCES Common Core of Data
About ZAPATA SOUTH EL
ZAPATA SOUTH EL, a tight-knit K-5 school in ZAPATA, Texas, one of the schools within ZAPATA COUNTY ISD, works with 428 students, covering grades pre-K through 5.
ZAPATA SOUTH EL is one of 6 schools operated by ZAPATA COUNTY ISD, a district that caters to 3,290 students overall.
Demographically, ZAPATA SOUTH EL reports that nearly all students (100%) are Hispanic.
Looking at the economic backdrop, ZAPATA SOUTH EL logs 31 full-time-equivalent teachers, putting the student-to-teacher ratio at about 13.8:1. The state averages around 15.1:1, so this campus is tighter than the state norm typical. An estimated 87% of students are eligible for free or reduced-price lunch, a number frequently used as a low-income enrollment indicator.
On a demographically-adjusted basis, ZAPATA SOUTH EL performs roughly as the BeatsExpectations model predicts for a school with this FRL share. The predicted value is around 36.0%, the actual is 39.8%, a residual of +3.8 points.
In the broader community, community-level numbers for Zapata County indicate the typical household earns roughly $39,239 per year, 15% of adults hold a bachelor's degree or higher, and the poverty rate sits near 36%. In all, Zapata County runs 6 public schools (combined enrollment of about 3,290 students), of which ZAPATA SOUTH EL is one.
The closest other public school is ZAPATA NORTH EL, roughly 0.9 miles away. Within five miles, there are 4 other public schools. Among the 8 schools in that immediate cluster with test data (this one included), ZAPATA SOUTH EL ranks 6th on composite proficiency, below the local average of 41.9%.
The campus sits in a small-town setting.
Looking at the recent track record. Looking back 7 years, enrollment at ZAPATA SOUTH EL has edged down 28%, going from 595 students in 2018 to 428 in 2025. The student-to-teacher ratio fell from 17.5:1 in 2018 to 13.8:1 today.
On this page, the feed for ZAPATA SOUTH EL typically covers open house dates, ride-share offers, and field-trip permission slips. Contributors range from current parents to recent graduates and teachers.
Zapata County at a glance
View full county profilePopulation
13,841
Census ACS
Median income
$39,239
Household, ACS
Bachelor's+
15%
Adults 25+
Poverty rate
36%
Below federal line
Schools in county
6
3,290 students
Quick facts
Related schools
Other schools in ZAPATA COUNTY ISD
- ZAPATA H SHigh · 1,065 students
- ZAPATA MIDDLEMiddle · 730 students
- ZAPATA NORTH ELElementary · 571 students
- FIDEL AND ANDREA R VILLARREAL ELElementary · 445 students
- BENAVIDES ELElementary · 51 students
Other schools in ZAPATA
- ZAPATA H SHigh · 1,065 students
- ZAPATA MIDDLEMiddle · 730 students
- ZAPATA NORTH ELElementary · 571 students
- FIDEL AND ANDREA R VILLARREAL ELElementary · 445 students
Nearby schools
- ZAPATA NORTH EL0.9 mi · 571
- ZAPATA MIDDLE0.9 mi · 730
- FIDEL AND ANDREA R VILLARREAL EL1.4 mi · 445
- ZAPATA H S1.7 mi · 1,065
- BENAVIDES EL14.6 mi · 51
- KENNEDY ZAPATA EL32.7 mi · 336
Frequently asked questions
About ZAPATA SOUTH ELHow many students attend ZAPATA SOUTH EL?
ZAPATA SOUTH EL enrolls approximately 428 students in grades PK-05.
What grades does ZAPATA SOUTH EL serve?
ZAPATA SOUTH EL serves grades PK-05.
What is the student-teacher ratio at ZAPATA SOUTH EL?
The student-to-teacher ratio at ZAPATA SOUTH EL is approximately 13.8:1 (31 FTE teachers).
What is the racial breakdown of students at ZAPATA SOUTH EL?
At ZAPATA SOUTH EL, the student body is approximately 100% Hispanic.
What district is ZAPATA SOUTH EL in?
ZAPATA SOUTH EL is part of ZAPATA COUNTY ISD.
Data sourceSchool profile facts are sourced from the NCES. Community content is posted by allk12 members.