Western Hills El, Fort Worth TX - Test Scores & Data

Original Research by School Decision on Western Hills El

Western Hills Elementary is a regular public school serving grades two through five in Fort Worth, with a student body concentrated in the lower elementary years. The school sits in a diverse, economically challenged neighborhood where a substantial majority of students qualify for free or reduced-price lunch. Racially and ethnically, enrollment is split between Black and Hispanic students, with very small populations of other groups.

The academic picture at Western Hills is one of genuine struggle. State assessment results from spring show proficiency rates well below what even a Fort Worth ISD school would typically expect. In English language arts, roughly a quarter of fourth-graders reached proficiency while third- and fifth-graders fell below that; in math, the trend is steeper, with third-grade proficiency in the low range and fourth and fifth grades much lower still. Science testing at fifth grade showed no students meeting proficiency. The school's overall proficiency index places it in the bottom quartile among Tarrant County school districts, a signal that academic support needs are substantial.

A few details warrant close attention. Some of the Spanish-language STAAR testing results are extremely thin, with only a handful of students tested and proficiency near zero. This pattern may reflect how the school designates which students take which assessment version, or it may indicate a bilingual program population. Parents may want to ask the school directly how language instruction works, how students are placed into Spanish versus English assessments, and what the actual English language learner enrollment looks like, since those figures are not available in the data. The same goes for special education enrollment, which is also not reported.

The school is part of Fort Worth ISD, a large urban district. Fort Worth itself is one of the nation's fastest-growing cities, with rapid housing construction and rising rents, though housing costs remain somewhat below national benchmarks. The neighborhood immediately around Western Hills appears economically stressed, and the school's demographic makeup reflects that.

For a parent considering this school, the key question is what academic support and intervention the school has in place, given the proficiency gaps. A parent should also ask what English language development looks like, how the bilingual or Spanish pathway works if one is present, and what the school does to help students who arrive below grade level. The low numbers suggest either a student population with substantial unmet needs or instruction that is not yet connecting with students, or both. This is a school where family engagement in homework and reading at home, plus a clear conversation with staff about your child's specific needs, would matter greatly.

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Academic performance

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

Math

Grade 319%

School 19% · District 14% · ▲ 5 pts above district

▼ 21 pts below state median · ▼ 20 pts below county median

Grade 47%

School 7% · District 8% · ▼ 1 pts below district

▼ 34 pts below state median · ▼ 31 pts below county median

Grade 50%

School 0% · District 34% · ▼ 34 pts below district

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

English language arts

Grade 320%

School 20% · District 16% · ▲ 4 pts above district

▼ 26 pts below state median · ▼ 25 pts below county median

Grade 429%

School 29% · District 41% · ▼ 12 pts below district

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

Grade 513%

School 13% · District 46% · ▼ 33 pts below district

▼ 41 pts below state median · ▼ 35 pts below 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 5Lower-income22%Higher-income0%22 pp gap