Bob and Betty Nelson El, Alvin TX

Original Research by School Decision on Bob and Betty Nelson El

Bob and Betty Nelson Elementary serves early learners across pre-kindergarten through fifth grade in Alvin, a small city about half an hour southeast of Houston in Brazoria County. The school enrolls a mid-sized student body with roughly equal shares of White and Hispanic students, plus a smaller Asian population. A substantial share of students qualify for free or reduced-price lunch, reflecting moderate-income family composition across the service area.

The neighborhood around the school sits in Alvin's mix of newer residential subdivisions, rural acreage, and industrial corridors that define much of the territory beyond the historic downtown. Families choosing this school are navigating an area experiencing steady residential growth, with new single-family homes being built and subdivisions expanding westward. Housing in the Alvin area is priced modestly below state and national benchmarks, making it accessible to working families. Property tax rates in Alvin ISD have been declining for multiple consecutive years, which directly lowers annual school costs for homeowners.

On state testing, the school shows uneven results across grade levels and subjects. In reading, performance is stronger in the early grades, with roughly two-thirds of third graders meeting or exceeding proficiency, but this dips to about three-fifths by fourth grade and remains there in fifth. Mathematics performance is more volatile. Third graders achieve roughly two-thirds proficiency, but fourth grade drops sharply to two-fifths, and fifth grade falls further to roughly one-quarter. A notably strong result appears in sixth grade mathematics, where proficiency jumps to roughly four-fifths, though this sixth-grade cohort is much smaller and may reflect different curriculum or student population factors a parent may want to look into further with the school. In science, assessed only at fifth grade, proficiency sits below two-fifths. Reading proficiency across all grades is measurably stronger than mathematics, a pattern worth understanding as students advance.

State data does not yet capture trend across multiple years, so whether these results reflect recent progress, stability, or change is not visible in what has been reported. Participation rates were not available.

The school sits within Alvin ISD, a large district spanning multiple communities and covering a wide geographic area. The district has committed substantial resources to managing growth: voters approved a major bond in late 2024 funding new elementary and middle schools, campus renovations, and security upgrades, with the first new elementary scheduled to open in 2027. The district has also lowered its property tax rate repeatedly in recent years. These shifts suggest a district actively planning for expansion and addressing capacity constraints, and they shape the medium-term experience for families in schools like Nelson.

Enrollment across the district is projected to grow substantially over the next decade, driven by new subdivisions and Houston-area commuter migration. For families with young children, this means the school is likely to expand, new peers will continue enrolling, and classroom and facility resources are a strategic focus for the district. A parent may want to check with the school directly about current class sizes, recent staffing changes, and how growth is being managed at the building level.

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Academic performance

How students perform on state tests, by grade, set against the district.

Math

Grade 364%

School 64% · District 52% · ▲ 12 pts above district

▲ 24 pts above state median · ▲ 10 pts above county median

Grade 440%

School 40% · District 49% · ▼ 9 pts below district

▼ 1 pts below state median · ▼ 10 pts below county median

Grade 526%

School 26% · District 17% · ▲ 9 pts above district

▼ 15 pts below state median · ▼ 6 pts below county median

Grade 685%

School 85% · District 45% · ▲ 40 pts above district

▲ 51 pts above state median · ▲ 36 pts above county median

English language arts

Grade 371%

School 71% · District 25% · ▲ 46 pts above district

▲ 25 pts above state median · ▲ 17 pts above county median

Grade 462%

School 62% · District 29% · ▲ 33 pts above district

▲ 13 pts above state median · ▲ 4 pts above county median

Grade 561%

School 61% · District 66% · ▼ 5 pts below district

▲ 7 pts above state median · ▲ 3 pts above county median

Science

Grade 539%

School 39% · District 3% · ▲ 36 pts above district

▲ 16 pts above state median · ▲ 11 pts above county median

This schoolALVIN ISD, same grade

Graduation rate (ACGR) reflects the federally published Adjusted Cohort Graduation Rate for the most recent year available. We refresh this data annually at the close of each academic year in June. The federal source publishes a banded rate (for example, "90-94%") instead of an exact number for cohorts small enough to risk identifying individual students. The state distribution chart, where shown, plots every school in the state with a published rate or band; schools whose rate is federally suppressed are excluded. Where the federal source publishes a band rather than an exact rate, the school is placed within its band using a stable, ID-derived offset, so its position is consistent across visits.

Proficiency by household income

English language arts

Grade 3Lower-income67%Higher-income78%11 pp gap

Grade 4Lower-income52%Higher-income77%25 pp gap

Grade 5Lower-income50%Higher-income71%21 pp gap

Mathematics

Grade 3Lower-income58%Higher-income73%15 pp gap

Grade 4Lower-income32%Higher-income51%19 pp gap

Grade 5Lower-income20%Higher-income32%12 pp gap

Grade 6Lower-income74%Higher-income95%21 pp gap