East Cliff El, Portland TX - Test Scores & Data

Original Research by School Decision on East Cliff El

East Cliff Elementary serves pre-K through fifth grade in Portland, Texas, as part of Gregory-Portland ISD. The school enrolls a mixed population with roughly equal shares of Hispanic and white students, and a substantial portion of students qualify for free or reduced-price lunch. The neighborhood around the school is a residential suburb tied to the broader Corpus Christi area; housing values and rents in the zip code are below state and national medians, making it a relatively affordable market.

The school's state test results show mixed performance. In English language arts, students trend stronger in upper grades: third graders score near the midpoint for proficiency, but by fourth and fifth grade, the school shows clear strength, with a majority of students meeting or exceeding grade-level standards. Mathematics tells a similar story of improvement across grades, starting around the midpoint in third grade and rising into the mid-to-upper range by fourth and fifth. Science, tested only in fifth grade, presents a softer spot: proficiency rates dip noticeably below the ELA and math results. Across all subjects and grades, East Cliff's overall proficiency index places it in the top quartile among districts in San Patricio County.

The broader grade band shows strength in approaches-level performance (the foundation tier), with most students meeting or approaching standards across subjects. Mastery-level attainment is more modest: roughly one-third of all students and more than one-third in math reach the highest performance tier. Social studies proficiency is also below ELA and math, with only a minority reaching mastery. A parent may want to look into the school's approach to science and social studies instruction to understand whether the gaps reflect curriculum emphasis, assessment difficulty, or instructional focus.

The district has recently pursued substantive facility and program expansion. A new, purpose-built Early Childhood Center opened in fall 2024 with an experiential learning model for pre-K and kindergarten, where young students rotate through hands-on learning pods rather than sit in a single classroom; this is a deliberate pedagogical choice that families with early learners should understand. Two successful bond elections in 2023 and 2025, both passed without residential tax increases due to industrial funding, brought hands-on learning facilities to elementary campuses and funded broader upgrades to technology, security, arts, and athletics. A new T.M. Clark Elementary School is also planned under the 2025 bond. This signals a district in growth mode with active investment in modern learning environments and expanded opportunities.

East Cliff reflects this trajectory: it sits in a community positioning itself as family-focused and growing, in a school system that is tangibly modernizing facilities while holding the residential tax line. The school's profile is a modestly resourced elementary with solid upward trends in reading and math proficiency as students progress through the grades, a weaker performance in science, and a setting where recent bond approvals have begun to reshape the physical learning environment.

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Academic performance

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

Math

Grade 358%

School 58% · District 17% · ▲ 41 pts above district

▲ 18 pts above state median · ▲ 21 pts above county median

Grade 465%

School 65% · District 54% · ▲ 11 pts above district

▲ 24 pts above state median

Grade 566%

School 66% · District 53% · ▲ 13 pts above district

▲ 25 pts above state median · ▲ 23 pts above county median

English language arts

Grade 360%

School 60% · District 17% · ▲ 43 pts above district

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

Grade 473%

School 73% · District 60% · ▲ 13 pts above district

▲ 24 pts above state median

Grade 575%

School 75% · District 22% · ▲ 53 pts above district

▲ 21 pts above state median · ▲ 25 pts above county median

Science

Grade 549%

School 49% · District 41% · ▲ 8 pts above district

▲ 26 pts above state median · ▲ 23 pts above county median

This schoolGREGORY-PORTLAND 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-income49%Higher-income67%18 pp gap

Grade 4Lower-income54%Higher-income84%30 pp gap

Grade 5Lower-income58%Higher-income87%29 pp gap

Mathematics

Grade 3Lower-income46%Higher-income66%20 pp gap

Grade 4Lower-income51%Higher-income73%22 pp gap

Grade 5Lower-income53%Higher-income76%23 pp gap