The top reported proficiency rate is 37% in English language arts. The lowest is 13% in Science.
Original Research by School Decision on Devine Intermediate School
Devine Intermediate School serves third through fifth grade within Devine ISD, a small traditional public district in southeastern Medina County, roughly a half-hour southwest of downtown San Antonio. The school sits on an in-town campus along Atkins Avenue and draws from a community that has remained largely stable and agricultural in character even as San Antonio's growth slowly pushes outward. Devine ISD is the largest employer in the city, and the district runs four campuses from pre-K through high school, so families who start here are likely to stay within the same system for the full K-12 run.
The student body is a majority-Hispanic enrollment with a substantial White minority and very small shares of other groups. A clear majority of students qualify for free or reduced-price lunch, which places this school in the company of many rural and small-town Texas schools serving economically mixed households. Data on English learner enrollment and special education rates were not available in what was provided.
On the Texas STAAR assessment, the academic picture is a genuine concern that a parent should look into further with the school. Proficiency rates, measured here as reaching Levels 3-4 on STAAR, are low across all tested subjects and grades. Reading and writing scores are stronger than math and science, but even there a minority of students are meeting or mastering grade-level expectations. Math scores across all three grades sit well below what Texas as a whole typically reports, and fifth-grade science proficiency is particularly low. The "approaches grade level" threshold, which is the floor of passing, is met by a larger share of students, suggesting many children are reaching the minimum bar but not demonstrating strong command of the material. The share reaching the masters level in any subject is very small. Trend data covers only the most recent year available, so it is not possible to say from this data whether the school is improving, declining, or holding steady. That history would be worth asking the school about directly.
Placed against other districts in Medina County, Devine Intermediate's overall proficiency index sits in the bottom quartile of that comparison set. That is a concrete positioning fact, not a verdict, but it does mean families who have choices among Medina County schools will find stronger tested outcomes elsewhere in the county.
The district took two steps publicly reported as community priorities. Voters in late 2023 approved both a bond for safety and security capital improvements across district campuses and a tax ratification measure, structured so the overall tax rate would remain below its prior-year level. That means funded security upgrades are in the pipeline without a tax increase, which matters both for campus safety and for the cost of owning property in the district. The district also adopted a lower property tax rate for 2023 compared to the year before.
Devine itself is a car-dependent, slow-growing small town with a genuinely rural feel despite its proximity to San Antonio. Housing prices run meaningfully below the Texas state median and well below national figures, and values have dipped modestly over the past year. The monthly carrying cost of a typical local home is comparatively accessible by national standards, which is part of why some families moving out of San Antonio settle here. The town offers a public library, city parks, a golf course, a public pool, and local healthcare anchored by rural health clinics, but daily errands and commutes are car trips. Publicly reported local descriptions characterize it as a place with strong multigenerational roots, informal neighborly culture, and resistance to rapid change.
Families considering this school are essentially considering a small, community-embedded elementary experience in an affordable and stable small town, with the tradeoff being STAAR outcomes that are currently well below state norms. A parent prioritizing tested academic performance will want to have a direct conversation with the school about what interventions and supports are in place for students who are not yet at grade level, and what trajectory the school is on.
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