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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 Elementary School
500 DELMAR ST, ZAPATA, TX 78076 · (956) 765-4332 · Zapata County
GRADES PK–05ELEMENTARY33-TOWNTITLE IREGULAR SCHOOL428 STUDENTS
B
allk12 Grade
Scored higher than 58% of Texas public elementary schools
- C+Test scores Share of students meeting the state standard in reading, math, and other tested subjects, 2023-24 and 2024-25.
- B+Beats 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
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, 2024-25
| Grade | Students | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Pre-K | 57 | 13% |
| Kindergarten | 47 | 11% |
| Grade 1 | 57 | 13% |
| Grade 2 | 61 | 14% |
| Grade 3 | 48 | 11% |
| Grade 4 | 74 | 17% |
| Grade 5 | 84 | 20% |
This year's kindergarten class (47) is 44% smaller than its 5th grade class (84).
Student demographics
0%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
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 2025-26 . % Meets Grade Level or AboveReading
60.0%
TX avg 54.5% . +21.0pp since 2020
Mathematics
57.0%
TX avg 45.3% . +31.0pp since 2020
What this means: On the STAAR, Texas's statewide test, about 60 of every 100 students at this school read at grade level and about 57 of 100 do math at grade level. Across all Texas schools, those numbers are about 55 and 45. Reading scores are up about 21 points since 2020, while math scores are up about 31 points.
Performance levels, 2025-26
| Subject | Masters Grade Level | Meets Grade Level | Approaches Grade Level | Did Not Meet Grade Level |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Reading | 32.0% | 28.0% | 16.0% | 24.0% |
| Mathematics | 29.0% | 28.0% | 19.0% | 24.0% |
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 | 60.0% | 57.0% |
| 2024-25 | 57.0% | 40.0% |
| 2023-24 | 47.0% | 40.0% |
| 2022-23 | 44.0% | 36.0% |
| 2021-22 | 38.0% | 29.0% |
| 2020-21 | 39.0% | 26.0% |
% 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
40.5%
composite math + reading, all grades
Predicted
36.7%
based on TX schools with similar FRL share
Beats by
+3.9pp
above demographic expectation
What this means: About 41% of students here test proficient in math and reading, compared with the roughly 37% 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 Zapata South Elementary School
Zapata South Elementary School's state test result (40.5% proficient) is higher than 1 of the 3 schools below with a result.
| School | Students | Low-income | Proficient |
|---|---|---|---|
| Zapata South Elementary School this school | 428 | 86.7% | 40.5% |
| Language Development Center EAGLE PASS | 440 | 86.4% | N/A |
| M Rivas Pri Discovery Academy DONNA | 413 | 87.7% | N/A |
| Martin Elementary School BROWNSVILLE | 415 | 87.2% | 49.3% |
| Valley View Elementary School HIDALGO | 446 | 87.9% | 65.0% |
| Capt D Salinas II Elementary School ALAMO | 457 | 86.0% | 37.5% |
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 Zapata South Elementary School ranks
Among elementary schools| Measure | This school | In Texas |
|---|---|---|
| State test proficiency ranked highest first | 40.5% | #2,525 of 4,401 |
| Math proficiency ranked highest first | 57.0% | #1,193 of 4,466 ▲ 1,579 |
| Reading proficiency ranked highest first | 60.0% | #1,481 of 4,466 ▲ 276 |
| 3-year test score change ranked biggest gain first | +18.5pp | #632 of 3,998 |
| Enrollment ranked largest first | 428 | #3,251 of 4,938 |
| Students per teacher ranked fewest first | 13.8:1 | #1,366 of 4,622 |
| Diversity index ranked most diverse first | 0.0% | #4,628 of 4,628 |
| Free and reduced lunch ranked highest share first | 86.7% | #1,416 of 4,789 |
| Enrollment change since 2017-18 ranked steepest decline first | -28.1% | #604 of 2,838 |
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
428
-111 (-21%) vs 2020
-38% since 2010-11, when it was 693
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 | 428 | 31 | 13.8:1 | 87% (371) |
| 2023-24 | 442 | 34 | 13.0:1 | 87% (385) |
| 2022-23 | 467 | 34 | 13.7:1 | 86% (400) |
| 2020-21 | 539 | 34 | 15.8:1 | 81% (438) |
| 2017-18 | 595 | 34 | 17.5:1 | 79% (469) |
| 2015-16 | 624 | 33 | 18.9:1 | 82% (511) |
| 2010-11 | 693 | 39 | 17.8:1 | 77% (536) |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data. Rows are the federal collections on file for Zapata South Elementary School.
Since 2017-18: students down 28% (595 to 428); teachers down 9% (34 to 31).
About Zapata South Elementary School
Zapata South Elementary School is a small elementary school with an address in ZAPATA, Texas. School enrollment was 428 students in 2024-25, in pre-K through 5.
The 6 schools of ZAPATA COUNTY ISD, including Zapata South Elementary School, enroll 3,290 students.
Zapata South Elementary School's enrollment is 100% Hispanic. Pick two students at random and there is a 0% chance they belong to different racial or ethnic groups; that figure is the school's diversity index.
Teachers at the school number 31 full-time equivalents, and the ratio is 13.8:1. This ratio sits 1.3 below the 15.1:1 average for elementary schools in Texas. Roughly 87% of the student body qualifies for free or reduced-price lunch. For comparison, public schools in Zapata County average 89%.
The allk12 Grade for Zapata South Elementary School is B. Compared with Texas public elementary schools, the school scored higher than 58% on a mix of test scores, poverty-adjusted results, and recent trend.
When test results are adjusted for free or reduced-price lunch eligibility, Zapata South Elementary School is 3.9 points above its prediction. Actual: 40.5%. Predicted: 36.7%.
Federal survey data for Zapata County show that the median household income is $39,239, roughly 15% of adults have a four-year degree or more, and about 36% of residents live below the federal poverty line. There are 6 public schools in Zapata County, enrolling about 3,290 students in all.
The next-closest public school is Zapata North Elementary School, about 0.9 miles away. The count of other public schools within five miles is 4. In a group of 8 nearby schools with scores, Zapata South Elementary School ranks 6th on average proficiency.
By NCES locale, the school is Town: Remote, or in a town far from an urbanized area.
Federal data show a 21% enrollment decrease, from 539 in 2020-21 to 428 in 2024-25. The student-to-teacher ratio fell from 15.8:1 in 2020-21 to 13.8:1 in 2024-25.
Topics for discussion here include school events, clubs, and volunteer needs. Alumni can share how the school prepared them.
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 High SchoolHigh · 1,065 students
- Zapata Middle SchoolMiddle · 730 students
- Zapata North Elementary SchoolElementary · 571 students
- Fidel and Andrea R Villarreal Elementary SchoolElementary · 445 students
- Benavides Elementary SchoolElementary · 51 students
Other schools in ZAPATA
- Zapata High SchoolHigh · 1,065 students
- Zapata Middle SchoolMiddle · 730 students
- Zapata North Elementary SchoolElementary · 571 students
- Fidel and Andrea R Villarreal Elementary SchoolElementary · 445 students
Nearby schools
- Zapata North Elementary School0.9 mi · 571
- Zapata Middle School0.9 mi · 730
- Fidel and Andrea R Villarreal Elementary School1.4 mi · 445
- Zapata High School1.7 mi · 1,065
- Benavides Elementary School14.6 mi · 51
- Kennedy Zapata Elementary School32.7 mi · 336
Frequently asked questions
About Zapata South Elementary SchoolHow many students attend Zapata South Elementary School?
Zapata South Elementary School enrolls approximately 428 students in grades PK-05.
What grades does Zapata South Elementary School serve?
Zapata South Elementary School serves grades PK-05.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Zapata South Elementary School?
The student-to-teacher ratio at Zapata South Elementary School is approximately 13.8:1 (31 FTE teachers).
What is the racial breakdown of students at Zapata South Elementary School?
At Zapata South Elementary School, the student body is approximately 100% Hispanic.
What district is Zapata South Elementary School in?
Zapata South Elementary School is part of ZAPATA COUNTY ISD.
Data sourceSchool profile facts are sourced from the NCES. Community content is posted by allk12 members.