The top reported proficiency rate is 54% in English language arts. The lowest is 21% in Science.
Original Research by School Decision on William C Herrera El
William C. Herrera Elementary sits on Coates Drive in the far northwest portion of El Paso, part of El Paso ISD and serving students from pre-kindergarten through fifth grade. It is a mid-sized elementary school for its grade band, with enrollment spread fairly evenly across its seven grade levels. The student body is predominantly Hispanic, reflecting both the neighborhood and the city's broader binational character. A substantial share of students qualify for free or reduced-price lunch, making this a community-serving campus in the economic sense. Data on English learner and special education populations were not available in what was provided.
On the Texas STAAR assessment, Herrera's results place it in the top quartile for overall proficiency relative to districts in El Paso County. That positioning is worth noting in a county where several districts serve high-poverty populations, and it reflects a pattern in the school's subject-level results. In reading and language arts, proficiency climbs steadily from third through fifth grade, with fifth graders clearing proficiency at a noticeably higher rate than third graders. Math results are similar: around half of fourth graders meet or exceed grade level, and the school's aggregate math performance is in roughly the same range as ELA. The "approaches grade level" threshold, which Texas sets as a floor, is cleared by a large majority of students in both reading and math, a sign that most students are keeping up with the curriculum. The share reaching "masters" level, the highest performance tier, is modest across all subjects.
Science is the area that warrants closer attention. Fifth-grade science proficiency came in well below the school's reading and math results, with only about one in five students meeting the standard. A parent curious about how the school is addressing this gap would be reasonable to ask about it directly.
Herrera is part of a district navigating real turbulence. El Paso ISD publicly announced in late 2024 that it would close eight elementary schools, driven by declining enrollment and a large projected budget shortfall. The first wave of closures took effect for the 2025-26 school year, with two more schools following in 2026-27. Herrera itself is not among the schools named for closure in what was provided, but families should confirm the campus's status and verify attendance zone boundaries, since consolidation can shift which campus a child is assigned to. Separately, EPISD has been using the redesign process to expand specialized programs across campuses, including Montessori, STEM and fine arts academies, and extended-day care at select sites. Whether any of these programs are available at Herrera specifically was not indicated in the data.
On the property side, EPISD lowered its tax rate for 2024-25, the only El Paso County district publicly reported to have adopted a rate below its voter-approval ceiling, though rising property values still pushed the average homeowner's monthly bill upward. The district is also moving toward a possible bond election as soon as late 2026, aimed at facility upgrades including replacing evaporative coolers with refrigerated air and improving security at aging campuses.
Housing near the school, in its northwest El Paso zip code, sits above the Texas statewide median home value and modestly below national median values, with rents running at a rent-to-income ratio that suggests reasonable, if not low, affordability. The area reflects the suburban, car-dependent character of El Paso's newer residential expansions, quieter and more spread out than the downtown core or the older south-side neighborhoods closer to the border. Franklin Mountains State Park is a short drive away, and the broader city offers civic amenities ranging from the Sun Metro transit system to an extensive parks network, though daily life in this part of the metro relies heavily on personal vehicles.
For a family zoned to Herrera, the academic picture is encouraging relative to the local comparison set, with reading and math proficiency in reasonable shape and a clear top-quartile standing among El Paso County districts. Science at fifth grade is a gap worth tracking. The larger question for any family evaluating EPISD right now is institutional stability, and the district's ongoing redesign makes it worth engaging the school directly about what's ahead.
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