The top reported proficiency rate is 58% in Math. The lowest is 0% in Science.
Original Research by School Decision on Poe El
Poe Elementary serves grades pre-K through five in Houston with an enrollment of about seven hundred students. The school's demographics are diverse: roughly a third of the enrollment is Hispanic, roughly a third is white, roughly a fifth is Black, and smaller shares are Asian or multiracial. About a third of students qualify for free or reduced-price lunch. The school is located on Hazard Street in the heart of Houston, which as a sprawling, zoning-free city offers mixed-use neighborhoods where residential, commercial, and industrial uses coexist. The immediate Houston market shows median home values in the low hundreds of thousands, with modest recent appreciation, and rents in the range of seventeen hundred dollars monthly; housing affordability sits above the state benchmark.
In reading the academic data, a parent should understand the mixed profile. The school reported STAAR results only for grades three through five in the most recent school year, as lower grades are not tested in Texas. In English language arts, fifth graders performed well, with a strong share of students meeting or exceeding proficiency. Third graders also showed solid performance in ELA. Fourth graders tested in Spanish showed much lower results, though the tested group was very small. In mathematics, fifth graders showed modest performance at roughly the midpoint of the proficiency bar, while third graders tested in Spanish came in above that. The school did report science results for a small fifth-grade group tested in Spanish with no proficiency, though again the sample was tiny. Overall, the school's proficiency profile sits above the median for Harris County districts when looking across all tested subjects and grades combined, which is a strength worth noting. ELA emerges as the stronger subject area, while math and science show more variable and sometimes weak results depending on the grade and testing language.
One thing to parse: the school reports results in both English and Spanish versions of STAAR in different grades. This reflects a dual-language or bilingual program structure, though the data itself does not detail the program design or how students are placed into English or Spanish assessments. A parent considering the school would want to ask directly about language pathway options, how the program works, and whether it aligns with their family's goals.
The school is part of Houston ISD, a district under state takeover since June 2023. This is a significant governance fact for any family. The state dissolved the elected school board and replaced it with a state-appointed board of managers. That takeover has been extended through at least June 2027, meaning families have no elected local school board representation. Control returns to elected leadership only after the district meets state criteria including eliminating failing campuses, fixing special education compliance, and improving governance. Additionally, the district has implemented a New Education System instructional model featuring standardized curriculum, scripted lessons, longer school days, and frequent timed assessments at roughly a hundred schools, with elements spreading into most campuses. Per-student funding is substantially higher at NES schools than at non-NES campuses. The district also converted libraries at many reformed schools into spaces partly used for students with disciplinary issues, eliminating traditional librarian roles. In November 2024, voters rejected a massive bond package for facility upgrades, leaving aging facility needs unaddressed. Most recently, in February 2026, the board voted to close or consolidate a dozen campuses after the school year due to declining enrollment and aging infrastructure, which will trigger school reassignments and transportation changes for affected families.
Housing in the area is stable and reasonably affordable by metro standards. The neighborhood supports a mix of uses typical of Houston, and the school sits in an active part of the city near residential, commercial, and institutional anchors including the Museum District and Texas Medical Center to the south.
See more original research from School Decision →