Hancock El, Houston TX - Test Scores & Data

Original Research by School Decision on Hancock El

Hancock Elementary is a pre-K through grade-5 school in northwest Houston, part of the Cypress-Fairbanks ISD, serving a student body that is predominantly low-income and students of color. A substantial share of the enrollment qualifies for free or reduced-price lunch. The racial composition is roughly balanced between Black and Hispanic students, with smaller shares of Asian, white, and other groups represented. The school serves a stable enrollment across its grade band, with roughly equal numbers of students in each elementary grade.

On state assessments, Hancock's results show a mixed picture that warrants close attention. Reading proficiency is stronger than math: across third through fifth grade, a moderate share of students score at proficient level or above in English language arts, with fifth-grade performance notably higher than third grade. In math, proficiency is lower across all grades, and the gap between third and fifth grade is even steeper, with only a small portion of fifth graders reaching proficiency in math, and third-graders performing in the lowest range. Science proficiency at fifth grade sits at a modest level. When averaged across all tested subjects and grades, Hancock's overall proficiency sits above the midpoint among the schools in its county, a position that reflects strength in reading but continued work needed in math. A parent may want to look further into the school's math support and intervention strategies, particularly in the lower grades where gaps appear widest.

The housing market in the school's Houston zip code is mid-range: home values sit modestly below the state benchmark, and rental costs are proportional to what median household income in the region supports. The area has seen slight home value movement, with an uptick in housing inventory in recent months, reflecting the broader Houston market trend of steady growth with moderate price adjustments. Homeowners should note that Cypress-Fairbanks recently adopted one of its lowest property tax rates in decades, a direct savings on school tax bills.

The district faces budget constraints that have reshaped school operations. Staffing cuts for 2024-25 reduced campus librarians across the system, meaning each library is now overseen by one of a much smaller group of district librarians rather than having a dedicated librarian on campus. This is a structural change that affects daily library access and services at Hancock and every other school in the district. Additionally, the district has navigated curriculum and textbook challenges over the past two years; while some of those changes were reversed after a November 2025 board election, the shifts themselves reflect an active conversation about content and materials. Families who hold strong views on curriculum and library decision-making may want to engage directly with the school and district to understand current policies.

The school sits in northwest Houston, a part of the region that has experienced steady residential growth. The broader Houston area is among the nation's fastest-growing metros, though growth is increasingly shifting to outer suburban counties; the northwest corridor where Hancock is located remains an active residential zone with moderate development activity.

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Academic performance

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

Math

Grade 321%

School 21% · District 5% · ▲ 16 pts above district

▼ 19 pts below state median · ▼ 18 pts below county median

Grade 425%

School 25% · District 5% · ▲ 20 pts above district

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

Grade 543%

School 43% · District 0% · ▲ 43 pts above district

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

English language arts

Grade 347%

School 47% · District 0% · ▲ 47 pts above district

▲ 1 pts above state median · ▲ 5 pts above county median

Grade 444%

School 44% · District 10% · ▲ 34 pts above district

▼ 5 pts below state median · ▼ 4 pts below county median

Grade 549%

School 49% · District 63% · ▼ 14 pts below district

▼ 5 pts below state median · ▼ 3 pts below county median

Science

Grade 535%

School 35% · District 42% · ▼ 7 pts below district

▲ 12 pts above state median · ▲ 14 pts above county median

This schoolCYPRESS-FAIRBANKS 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-income45%Higher-income57%12 pp gap

Grade 4Lower-income33%Higher-income80%47 pp gap

Grade 5Lower-income47%Higher-income53%6 pp gap

Mathematics

Grade 3Lower-income18%Higher-income35%17 pp gap

Grade 4Lower-income15%Higher-income60%45 pp gap

Grade 5Lower-income38%Higher-income57%19 pp gap