The reported proficiency rate for Math is 23%.
Original Research by School Decision on Carrizo Springs El
Carrizo Springs Elementary is a small, early-grades school serving prekindergarten through third grade in a rural South Texas town anchored by ranching, oil and gas, and growing renewable energy activity. The school sits on North 9th Street near the downtown core, a few blocks from the Dimmit County Public Library, in a community of about a few thousand where families often drive to San Antonio, Laredo, or the border for larger shopping and services.
The enrollment is small, with roughly equal cohorts across the five grade bands from pre-K through third grade. About a substantial majority of students qualify for free or reduced-price lunch, a direct reflection of household income in the area. The student body is overwhelmingly Hispanic, with a handful of white, Asian, and other students; demographic composition is a plain characteristic of the town and district.
Academic performance on state testing (STAAR) shows a mixed picture. In reading, about one third of third graders meet or exceed proficiency, and roughly two thirds reach the "approaches" level, the lowest performance band. In math, proficiency is lower: about one quarter of third graders meet the standard, and half reach approaches. A very small share of students score at the "masters" level in either subject. Only one student was tested in Spanish-language reading, so no meaningful proficiency rate is available for that assessment. A parent may want to ask the school directly about its instructional strategies in literacy and numeracy, given these numbers, and about what support systems exist for students working below grade level.
The school is part of Carrizo Springs Consolidated Independent School District, which serves all of Dimmit County. That district has just passed a substantial bond package in 2023, funded to construct two entirely new school buildings—a new elementary and a new intermediate school—both scheduled to open in August 2027. The current elementary building will likely be replaced or repurposed, so families should expect significant facility changes within the next two years. That same bond carries a property-tax implication for homeowners in the district through an increase to the interest and sinking rate.
Housing in the Carrizo Springs area is relatively affordable by national standards. The median home value is well below state and national benchmarks, and estimated monthly mortgage payments for a typical home are modest. That affordability has roots in the town's economic boom-and-bust history: the Eagle Ford Shale discovery in the early 2010s brought rapid growth and an influx of oilfield workers, but caution about permanent housing development (memory of the 1980s oil bust) meant much of that boom was absorbed by temporary lodges and extended-stay housing rather than permanent single-family homes. The area has since diversified with solar construction and other energy sectors, but the permanent population remains small.
For families considering this school, the key trade-offs are straightforward: the setting is quiet and rural, with deep community ties and low housing costs, but test results show students starting behind grade-level expectations, and the school operates in a district with limited resources spread across a large geographic area. The coming facility investment suggests the district and community see value in improvement. Whether this school is the right fit depends on how a family weighs small-town stability, affordability, and walkable proximity to civic life against the need for strong early academic intervention and support.
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