Luella Merrett El, Fort Worth TX

Original Research by School Decision on Luella Merrett El

Luella Merrett Elementary serves pre-K through fifth grade in Fort Worth, a large, fast-growing city at the heart of North Texas. The school draws from a neighborhood where a substantial majority of students qualify for free or reduced-price lunch, reflecting an economically stretched community. The enrollment is modest for an urban elementary school, with roughly even distribution across grades.

The school's recent state testing results show performance that lags the midpoint among Fort Worth ISD's peer districts in Tarrant County. In fifth-grade English language arts, the school reaches proficiency at a rate that reflects real strength at that grade level, while third-grade math proficiency sits in the lower third. Fourth-grade mathematics performance, based on a small cohort, shows no proficiency. In English language arts at fourth grade, proficiency is similarly low. These gaps are steepest in grades where students are first tested under state accountability systems and where foundational skills matter most for later progress.

The school administers both English and Spanish versions of the state assessment. Some students are tested in Spanish, though the Spanish-language cohorts are small. On Spanish assessments for fourth-grade math and fifth-grade science, proficiency rates are zero, a pattern that a parent may want to look into further with the school to understand the composition and preparation of those cohorts.

Across all subjects, when Texas groups results by performance level, a substantial share of Merrett's students meet or approach state standards. In all subjects combined, roughly three-quarters of students reach the "approaches" level or better, suggesting the school is building foundational understanding. However, fewer than one in five students reach the "masters" level, the highest performance band. This pattern holds across math, English language arts, and social studies. The gap between approaching-standard and mastery-level proficiency indicates that while many students are building toward grade-level readiness, relatively few are exceeding expectations.

The school's neighborhood reflects Fort Worth's rapid growth and economic diversity. Housing in the area is moderately valued, with rents higher than they were in prior years as the city's population has surged. The school sits within a district serving most of Fort Worth plus several surrounding communities, and within a city that has become one of the nation's fastest-growing urban centers, driven by major employers in aerospace, defense, and healthcare. That growth context means stable enrollment and community investment but also competition for resources across a large system.

Special education and English learner population counts were not available in the data provided, so a parent would want to ask the school directly about the composition of support services and whether there are specialized programs for students learning English or receiving special education services. The school's website or a direct conversation with the principal can clarify staffing levels, after-school programs, and the school's approach to literacy and math instruction.

For families in the Fort Worth ISD area considering elementary schools, Merrett is a neighborhood school with access to the city's public transit network and civic anchors. The testing data suggests the school will need intentional work on reading and math proficiency, particularly in the critical early grades. Whether Merrett is the right fit depends on whether the family lives in the attendance zone, what other options exist nearby, and what level of academic support the child needs.

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Academic performance

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

Math

Grade 336%

School 36% · District 14% · ▲ 22 pts above district

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

Grade 40%

School 0% · District 8% · ▼ 8 pts below district

▼ 41 pts below state median · ▼ 38 pts below county median

Grade 549%

School 49% · District 34% · ▲ 15 pts above district

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

English language arts

Grade 317%

School 17% · District 16% · ▲ 1 pts above district

▼ 29 pts below state median · ▼ 28 pts below county median

Grade 428%

School 28% · District 41% · ▼ 13 pts below district

▼ 21 pts below state median · ▼ 17 pts below county median

Grade 561%

School 61% · District 46% · ▲ 15 pts above district

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

Science

Grade 50%

School 0% · District 2% · ▼ 2 pts below district

▼ 23 pts below state median · ▼ 17 pts below county median

This schoolFORT WORTH 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-income17%Higher-income20%3 pp gap

Grade 4Lower-income0%Higher-income71%71 pp gap

Mathematics

Grade 3Lower-income39%Higher-income0%39 pp gap

Grade 4Lower-income28%Higher-income43%15 pp gap