1
What do students at ZEFERINO FARIAS EL actually talk about outside of class?
Community prompt from u/allk12. Replies below.
Enrollment
520
Elementary
DISTRICT 526 · STATE 519
SCHOOL COMMUNITY·PHARR-SAN JUAN-ALAMO ISD·NCES 483486003925
Zeferino Farias Elementary School
1100 W ACACIA ST, ALAMO, TX 78516 · (956) 354-2760 · Hidalgo County
GRADES PK–05ELEMENTARY21-SUBURBTITLE IREGULAR SCHOOL520 STUDENTS
B-
allk12 Grade
Scored higher than 45% 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.
- BBeats expectations How far test scores land above or below what the share of low-income students predicts for a school in this state.
- AThree-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
16.2:1
32 FTE teachers
DISTRICT 16.3:1 · STATE 15.1:1
Free / Reduced Lunch
97%
505 students
DISTRICT 94% · 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 | 120 | 23% |
| Kindergarten | 62 | 12% |
| Grade 1 | 56 | 11% |
| Grade 2 | 56 | 11% |
| Grade 3 | 68 | 13% |
| Grade 4 | 75 | 14% |
| Grade 5 | 83 | 16% |
This year's kindergarten class (62) is 25% smaller than its 5th grade class (83).
Student demographics
3%Diversity index
The chance that two students picked at random belong to different racial or ethnic groups.
DISTRICT 2% · 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
60.0%
TX avg 54.5% . +34.0pp since 2020
Mathematics
50.0%
TX avg 45.3% . +41.0pp 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 50 of 100 do math at grade level. Across all Texas schools, those numbers are about 55 and 45. Reading scores are up about 34 points since 2020, while math scores are up about 41 points.
Performance levels, 2025-26
| Subject | Masters Grade Level | Meets Grade Level | Approaches Grade Level | Did Not Meet Grade Level |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Reading | 29.0% | 31.0% | 21.0% | 19.0% |
| Mathematics | 21.0% | 29.0% | 23.0% | 27.0% |
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% | 50.0% |
| 2024-25 | 46.0% | 34.0% |
| 2023-24 | 38.0% | 34.0% |
| 2022-23 | 27.0% | 30.0% |
| 2021-22 | 31.0% | 29.0% |
| 2020-21 | 26.0% | 9.0% |
% 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
33.7%
composite math + reading, all grades
Predicted
32.2%
based on TX schools with similar FRL share
Beats by
+1.5pp
above demographic expectation
What this means: About 34% of students here test proficient in math and reading, compared with the roughly 32% 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 Zeferino Farias Elementary School
Zeferino Farias Elementary School's state test result (33.7% proficient) is higher than 1 of the 5 schools below with a result.
| School | Students | Low-income | Proficient |
|---|---|---|---|
| Zeferino Farias Elementary School this school | 520 | 97.1% | 33.7% |
| Corina Pena Elementary School PENITAS | 523 | 96.6% | 30.2% |
| Amigos Por Vida-Friends for Life Charter School HOUSTON | 524 | 97.5% | 55.0% |
| Drs Reed - Mock Elementary School SAN JUAN | 509 | 98.2% | 46.6% |
| Heights Elementary School LAREDO | 508 | 98.2% | 78.3% |
| Santo Nino Elementary School LAREDO | 542 | 98.0% | 56.2% |
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 Zeferino Farias Elementary School ranks
Among elementary schools| Measure | This school | In Texas | In Hidalgo County |
|---|---|---|---|
| State test proficiency ranked highest first | 33.7% | #3,292 of 4,401 | #155 of 181 |
| Math proficiency ranked highest first | 50.0% | #1,795 of 4,466 ▲ 1,597 | #86 of 183 ▲ 72 |
| Reading proficiency ranked highest first | 60.0% | #1,463 of 4,466 ▲ 1,487 | #48 of 183 ▲ 92 |
| 3-year test score change ranked biggest gain first | +26.5pp | #245 of 3,998 | #5 of 180 |
| Enrollment ranked largest first | 520 | #2,339 of 4,938 | #95 of 192 |
| Students per teacher ranked fewest first | 16.2:1 | #3,446 of 4,622 | #102 of 185 |
| Diversity index ranked most diverse first | 3.0% | #4,412 of 4,628 | #88 of 185 |
| Free and reduced lunch ranked highest share first | 97.1% | #269 of 4,789 | #25 of 190 |
| Enrollment change since 2017-18 ranked steepest decline first | -14.6% | #1,634 of 2,838 | #84 of 128 |
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
520
-79 (-13%) vs 2020
-30% since 1990-91, when it was 744
Student : Teacher
16.2:1
was 16.6:1
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 | 520 | 32.1 | 16.2:1 | 97% (505) |
| 2023-24 | 546 | 32.8 | 16.6:1 | 97% (527) |
| 2022-23 | 563 | 31.9 | 17.6:1 | 96% (543) |
| 2020-21 | 599 | 36 | 16.6:1 | 94% (561) |
| 2017-18 | 609 | 36.2 | 16.8:1 | 95% (579) |
| 2015-16 | 600 | 34 | 17.6:1 | 93% (555) |
| 2010-11 | 601 | 37 | 16.2:1 | 0% (0) |
| 2000-01 | 658 | 36 | 18.3:1 | 12% (78) |
| 1990-91 | 744 | 38 | 19.6:1 | N/A |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data. Rows are the federal collections on file for Zeferino Farias Elementary School.
Since 2017-18: students down 15% (609 to 520); teachers down 11% (36.2 to 32.1).
About Zeferino Farias Elementary School
Zeferino Farias Elementary School is a mid-sized elementary school based in ALAMO, Texas. Its grade span covers pre-K through 5, with 520 students on the rolls.
PHARR-SAN JUAN-ALAMO ISD is the district for Zeferino Farias Elementary School. It has 44 schools and 29,749 students.
By race and ethnicity, Zeferino Farias Elementary School is 98% Hispanic. A diversity index of 3% means there is a 3% chance two randomly chosen students at Zeferino Farias Elementary School are from different groups.
Zeferino Farias Elementary School has 32.1 full-time-equivalent teachers on staff and a student-to-teacher ratio of 16.2:1. The school's 16.2:1 compares with an average of 15.1:1 for elementary schools in Texas. The school has 97% of students eligible for free or reduced-price lunch. That is higher than the 85% average for public schools in Hidalgo County.
Zeferino Farias Elementary School holds a B- allk12 Grade, placing it above 45% of Texas public elementary schools.
Given its share of students eligible for free or reduced-price lunch, Zeferino Farias Elementary School would be expected to post about 32.2%. Its actual average proficiency rate across its state test results is 33.7%.
Looking at the county, Hidalgo County, the median household earns about $54,338 a year, 21% of adults hold a bachelor's degree or higher, and about 23% of people live in poverty. Hidalgo County has 364 public schools with about 212,859 students, including Zeferino Farias Elementary School.
About 0.6 miles separate Zeferino Farias Elementary School from the closest public school, Jesus - Jesse - Vela Jr Middle School. A five-mile radius around the school includes at least 8 other public schools. Local comparison: Zeferino Farias Elementary School ranks 6th of 6 nearby schools, at 33.7% versus a 42.0% average.
Zeferino Farias Elementary School falls in the Suburb: Large locale category, used for schools in a suburban area outside a principal city, within an urbanized area with a population of 250,000 or more.
In 2020-21, Zeferino Farias Elementary School enrolled 599 students. By 2024-25, that number had fallen to 520.
The discussion board for Zeferino Farias Elementary School is open to topics like special education services, counseling, and support programs. Teachers and staff are welcome to share updates too.
Hidalgo County at a glance
View full county profilePopulation
891,977
Census ACS
Median income
$54,338
Household, ACS
Bachelor's+
21%
Adults 25+
Poverty rate
23%
Below federal line
Schools in county
364
212,859 students
Quick facts
Related schools
Other schools in PHARR-SAN JUAN-ALAMO ISD
- Psja Early College High SchoolHigh · 2,300 students
- Psja North Early College High SchoolHigh · 2,166 students
- Psja Memorial Early College High SchoolHigh · 1,997 students
- Psja Southwest Early College High SchoolHigh · 1,588 students
- Lyndon B Johnson Middle SchoolMiddle · 1,006 students
- Austin Middle SchoolMiddle · 833 students
Other schools in ALAMO
- Psja Memorial Early College High SchoolHigh · 1,997 students
- Vanguard MozartCombined · 1,236 students
- Audie Murphy Middle SchoolMiddle · 790 students
- IDEA College Preparatory AlamoHigh · 737 students
- Augusto Guerra Elementary SchoolElementary · 731 students
- John McKeever Elementary SchoolElementary · 699 students
Nearby schools
- Jesus - Jesse - Vela Jr Middle School0.6 mi · 654
- Santos Livas Elementary School0.6 mi · 515
- Psja Alamo Building Blocks Academy0.7 mi · 94
- Texasworks - San Juan0.8 mi · 9
- Premier H S of San Juan0.8 mi · 108
- Psja Memorial Early College High School0.9 mi · 1,997
Frequently asked questions
About Zeferino Farias Elementary SchoolHow large is Zeferino Farias Elementary School?
Zeferino Farias Elementary School enrolls approximately 520 students in grades PK-05.
What grades does Zeferino Farias Elementary School serve?
Zeferino Farias Elementary School serves grades PK-05.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Zeferino Farias Elementary School?
The student-to-teacher ratio at Zeferino Farias Elementary School is approximately 16.2:1 (32 FTE teachers).
What is the student diversity at Zeferino Farias Elementary School?
Student demographics at Zeferino Farias Elementary School are roughly 1% White, 98% Hispanic, 1% Asian.
What district is Zeferino Farias Elementary School in?
Zeferino Farias Elementary School is part of PHARR-SAN JUAN-ALAMO ISD.
Data sourceSchool profile facts are sourced from the NCES. Community content is posted by allk12 members.