The top reported proficiency rate is 75% in English language arts. The lowest is 33% in Science.
Original Research by School Decision on Cage El
Cage Elementary is a small school serving prekindergarten through fifth grade in an urban Houston neighborhood on Leeland Street. The enrollment is modest, distributed evenly across grade levels, with a substantial majority of students qualifying for free or reduced-price lunch and the vast majority identifying as Hispanic. A small number of Asian, Black, and White students round out the population; specific counts of English learners and students with IEPs were not available.
The school's academic profile shows uneven performance across subjects and grades. In English language arts, third-grade proficiency sits solidly in the mid-range, while fifth-grade reading achieves at a stronger rate. Fourth-grade ELA had too few Spanish-assessed students to report. In mathematics, third-grade shows solid proficiency, but fourth-grade dips notably before recovering somewhat in fifth grade. Science proficiency at the fifth-grade level is quite low. Overall proficiency across tested subjects and grades places Cage in the top quartile among Harris County schools, a meaningful strength relative to its peer district set.
The data captures only the most recent school year, so trend lines are not available to show whether results are improving, stable, or declining. This is typical for elementary schools that serve grades not tested annually.
Cage sits within Houston ISD, which is under state takeover as of June 2023. This means the district has no elected school board; instead a state-appointed board of managers and superintendent govern, with control scheduled to return to elected leadership no earlier than June 2027 once the district meets state improvement criteria. During the takeover, the district has rolled out the New Education System, a standardized instructional model featuring prescribed lesson plans, daily timed quizzes, longer school days, and tighter classroom oversight, now present at scores of campuses district-wide. NES schools receive substantially more per-student funding than non-NES schools. Families should check with the school directly to learn whether Cage operates under the NES model or what instructional approach it uses.
The takeover context also includes facility changes: libraries at dozens of reformed schools have been converted into spaces used partly for students with disciplinary issues, eliminating traditional librarian roles. A bond package meant to address aging facilities and planned renovations was rejected by voters in November 2024, leaving aging facility needs unaddressed across the district. Additionally, the district voted in February 2026 to close or consolidate twelve schools, citing declining enrollment. The school reassignments and transportation shifts this creates have touched many families; a parent may want to confirm directly whether Cage is affected by consolidation plans.
The neighborhood around the school reflects Houston's character as a car-dependent sprawl with pockets of walkability and mixed-use life. Housing in the school's zip code has declined modestly in value year-over-year, and rental costs are below the county median, making it a more affordable area than Houston's overall market. The broader city continues to grow rapidly, though much recent growth has shifted outward to suburban and exurban counties rather than the urban core where Cage sits.
For families considering Cage, the combination of strong relative academic standing, a small and diverse student body, and low-income demographics are key attributes. The district takeover, instructional reforms, facility constraints, and ongoing consolidation plans are significant contextual factors that would merit direct conversation with school leadership.
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