Normandy Crossing El, Houston TX

Original Research by School Decision on Normandy Crossing El

Normandy Crossing Elementary is a pre-K through fifth-grade public school in Houston's Galena Park Independent School District, serving a student population that is just over three-fifths Hispanic and just over one-third Black. A substantial share of students qualify for free or reduced-price lunch, reflecting the neighborhood's lower-income character. The school sits in an area where home values are modest, with rents reflecting affordability pressures typical of working-class Houston neighborhoods. The housing market in the broader county remains active, with inventory available and prices stable over the past year.

The school's academic performance reflects learning gains that follow a familiar pattern: proficiency is weaker in the early tested grades and improves as students move through elementary school. In grade three, where many children are still developing foundational skills, proficiency in math and reading both fall below where the school would want them. By grade five, where students have had more time to consolidate learning, reading proficiency shows noticeable improvement, while math strengthens more gradually. Science proficiency in grade five is notably low, suggesting this is an area where instruction or resources may warrant attention.

Across all subjects at the school level, about two-thirds of students reach the "approaches" level, meaning they have grasped some core content but have not yet met grade-level standard. About one-third meet the standard, and a small fraction master it. This distribution indicates that the school is serving students who arrive with varied preparation and that instruction is reaching many but leaving a substantial portion still working toward proficiency. The school's overall performance sits above the midpoint among districts across Harris County, a positioning that reflects mixed but not basement-level results in a large and diverse county.

The school's context is worth understanding. Galena Park ISD has committed to a significant facilities transformation, with voters approving a major bond package in 2024 to rebuild several elementary schools and replace the aging high school. Normandy Crossing is one of the schools slated for renovation, meaning families should expect construction activity and eventual campus improvements over the next two to three years. At the same time, the district has raised property tax rates, an increase that is direct and permanent for homeowners. These are material factors families weigh when deciding to stay or move into a neighborhood.

Houston itself is growing rapidly, ranking first in the nation for population gains, with housing construction heavy and choices plentiful. Within that context, this school serves a stable, working-class community where affordability and neighborhood continuity are central. Parents should expect a school that is adequately performing but not excelling, where reading growth is visible as students age but math and science lag, and where coming improvements will reshape the physical environment. The school is appropriate for families seeking an accessible public elementary option in a diverse neighborhood, though a parent concerned about academic intensity or resource abundance may want to look further.

See more original research from School Decision →

Academic performance

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

Math

Grade 331%

School 31% · District 45% · ▼ 14 pts below district

▼ 9 pts below state median · ▼ 8 pts below county median

Grade 434%

School 34% · District 25% · ▲ 9 pts above district

▼ 7 pts below state median · ▼ 6 pts below county median

Grade 539%

School 39% · District 14% · ▲ 25 pts above district

▼ 2 pts below state median · ▼ 1 pts below county median

English language arts

Grade 335%

School 35% · District 49% · ▼ 14 pts below district

▼ 11 pts below state median · ▼ 7 pts below county median

Grade 440%

School 40% · District 55% · ▼ 15 pts below district

▼ 9 pts below state median · ▼ 8 pts below county median

Grade 547%

School 47% · District 27% · ▲ 20 pts above district

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

Science

Grade 513%

School 13% · District 26% · ▼ 13 pts below district

▼ 10 pts below state median · ▼ 8 pts below county median

This schoolGALENA PARK 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-income32%Higher-income58%26 pp gap

Grade 4Lower-income39%Higher-income45%6 pp gap

Grade 5Lower-income45%Higher-income64%19 pp gap

Mathematics

Grade 3Lower-income31%Higher-income33%2 pp gap

Grade 4Lower-income35%Higher-income27%8 pp gap

Grade 5Lower-income38%Higher-income45%7 pp gap