The top reported proficiency rate is 45% in Math. The lowest is 12% in Science.
Original Research by School Decision on Marshall El
Marshall Elementary serves kindergarten through fifth grade in south Houston as a regular public school within Houston ISD. The school sits in a neighborhood where nearly all students qualify for free or reduced-price lunch, reflecting a low-income community, and the student body is predominantly Hispanic with a substantial Black population and very few white or Asian students. The school serves a solid-sized enrollment for its grade band.
Academically, Marshall's performance in 2024-25 shows proficiency rates across tested grades in math and English language arts running in the lower ranges. In third-grade math, fewer than half of students tested reached proficiency, and the pattern holds across fourth grade, where the proficiency rate was even lower. Third-grade reading results were similarly constrained. By fifth grade, reading proficiency fell to only one in five students. In science, which fifth graders take, the proficiency rate dropped to about one in eight. When the data is aggregated across all tested content, Marshall sits below the midpoint for overall proficiency when compared to other districts in Harris County. The school's struggles appear especially acute in science and the higher grades.
A parent may want to look into further with the school how it supports students arriving with gaps, what classroom support structures exist for English learners (the data did not specify the English learner population), and what remedial or intervention programs run in reading and math. Understanding the school's literacy approach and whether any dual-language or bilingual programming exists would also be useful, given the large Hispanic enrollment.
The housing area around the school reflects affordable, older communities. Properties in the school's zip code sit well below the state average and national average for home values, and the neighborhood shows signs of economic constraint consistent with the student demographics.
Houston ISD itself is operating under state takeover, with control held by state appointees until at least June 2027. That governance change means families have no elected local school board. The district has introduced a standardized instructional model called the New Education System at a growing number of schools, with longer days, timed daily quizzes, and scripted lessons, along with significantly higher per-student funding at those campuses. The district has also converted libraries into spaces partly for students with behavioral issues and eliminated traditional librarian roles. In November 2024 voters rejected a large bond package for facility upgrades and repairs. Recently, in February 2026, the state-appointed board voted to close twelve schools district-wide after accelerated enrollment losses in recent years. Parents should confirm whether Marshall itself is affected by any planned closures and understand the school's current instructional model—whether it operates under the New Education System framework or a different approach.
See more original research from School Decision →