Jc Kelly El, Pharr TX - Test Scores & Data

Original Research by School Decision on Jc Kelly El

JC Kelly Elementary serves students from pre-kindergarten through fifth grade in Pharr, a city in Hidalgo County in the lower Rio Grande Valley. The school enrolled a small student body, the vast majority of whom are Hispanic. Nearly all students qualify for free or reduced-price lunch, placing the school in a community with substantial economic need.

On state assessments, the school shows uneven performance by grade level. In third grade, reading and math proficiency rates are strong across the board. By fourth grade, proficiency drops noticeably in math, sitting at a middling level, while reading holds at a solid share. By fifth grade, both subjects rebound: reading reaches a high level of proficiency, and math rises to a strong level. Science proficiency in fifth grade lands at a moderate-to-strong rate. Across all subjects and grades combined, the school's overall proficiency index places it in the top quartile among districts in Hidalgo County, a meaningful distinction. The data reflect a school where many students meet grade-level standards but fewer advance to mastery, suggesting foundational skills are in place but deeper command of material is uneven.

The fourth-grade math dip warrants attention. A parent considering this school may want to ask the staff directly what instructional approaches or supports are in place for students in that grade, whether the dip reflects a cohort-specific pattern or a consistent transition point, and how the school addresses students who are not yet proficient by that stage.

Early grades (pre-K through second) are not assessed under state testing, so no performance data exist for those spans. The school's pre-K and kindergarten enrollments are small, suggesting the school functions primarily as an elementary provider for third through fifth.

The community context shows housing prices and rents both modest by state and national measures. The area's economic indicators reflect working families and some underemployment typical of the region. Hidalgo ISD, the district housing this school, held successful bond elections, including one in 2025, signaling voter support for capital improvements and facility upgrades across the district. This signals community commitment to public education infrastructure, though individual school-level facility details were not available.

The school is a regular public elementary, not a magnet or charter, and operates within a single-district enrollment area. Beyond state test results, no data on school climate, discipline, specialized programs, staffing stability, or other day-to-day environment measures were available. A parent would benefit from visiting the school and speaking with classroom teachers and the principal to understand how the school supports students between assessments and what daily instruction and support look like, particularly as students move from the strong third-grade results into the fourth-grade transition period.

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Academic performance

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

Math

Grade 394%

School 94% · District 75% · ▲ 19 pts above district

▲ 54 pts above state median · ▲ 57 pts above county median

Grade 453%

School 53% · District 67% · ▼ 14 pts below district

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

Grade 583%

School 83% · District 31% · ▲ 52 pts above district

▲ 42 pts above state median · ▲ 43 pts above county median

English language arts

Grade 374%

School 74% · District 39% · ▲ 35 pts above district

▲ 28 pts above state median · ▲ 32 pts above county median

Grade 466%

School 66% · District 60% · ▲ 6 pts above district

▲ 17 pts above state median · ▲ 15 pts above county median

Grade 591%

School 91% · District 48% · ▲ 43 pts above district

▲ 37 pts above state median · ▲ 37 pts above county median

Science

Grade 574%

School 74% · District 75% · ▼ 1 pts below district

▲ 51 pts above state median · ▲ 48 pts above county median

This schoolHIDALGO 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-income89%Higher-income100%11 pp gap

Mathematics

Grade 4Lower-income52%Higher-income57%5 pp gap

Grade 5Lower-income80%Higher-income100%20 pp gap