Tabasco El, La Joya TX - Test Scores & Data

Original Research by School Decision on Tabasco El

Tabasco Elementary is a small school serving early grades (pre-kindergarten through fifth) in La Joya, a growing border town in western Hidalgo County, Texas. The school sits in a community anchored by farming and tied economically to education, health care, and nearby job centers. With an enrollment of about six hundred students, the school is predominantly Hispanic, and a very substantial majority of families qualify for free or reduced-price lunch.

The school's most recent state assessment results show a mixed profile. In English language arts, proficiency generally strengthens across the grades: third grade shows about four in ten students at proficient levels, fourth grade holds steady there, and fifth grade reaches roughly two-thirds proficiency. In mathematics, the trend is less stable. Third-grade data was too sparse to report, but fourth grade shows proficiency around forty percent, while fifth grade climbs to roughly mid-range proficiency. Science proficiency in fifth grade is notably lower, at about one-third of students meeting the standard. Across all tested subjects and grades, about half of students score at the proficient level. A parent may want to look further into how the school's instructional programs in mathematics and science are equipped to support growth, especially in the upper elementary grades.

The broader context matters. La Joya ISD is one of the fastest-growing districts in Texas and has been undergoing significant change. In February 2024 the Texas Education Agency removed the district's elected school board and installed a state-appointed board of managers after an investigation substantiated fraud and conflicts of interest; the state extended this control through early 2028. More recently, in January 2026, the board voted to close four schools (three elementary schools including Leo James Leo, and Ann Richards Middle School) and temporarily close another middle school for repurposing, driven by a decline in overall enrollment over the past decade. Tabasco was not listed among those closures, but the consolidation means reassignment of students across the district, modified zoning boundaries, and ongoing shifts in resource allocation.

The community itself is laid-back and car-dependent, with most residents driving and many commuting to nearby McAllen or farther west for work. Housing costs are modest, with typical home values well below the state and national benchmarks. Parks, municipal services, and youth sports leagues anchor civic life. The recent opening of the U.S. 83 Relief Route just north of La Joya signals growth and investment in the area.

Families considering this school should understand that test results show solid progress in reading by fifth grade but softer results in math and science, that the district is navigating state oversight and consolidation, and that both La Joya and its schools are in transition as enrollment patterns shift and governance is reset.

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Academic performance

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

Math

Grade 443%

School 43% · District 40% · ▲ 3 pts above district

▲ 2 pts above state median · ▼ 3 pts below county median

Grade 556%

School 56% · District 39% · ▲ 17 pts above district

▲ 15 pts above state median · ▲ 16 pts above county median

English language arts

Grade 343%

School 43% · District 45% · ▼ 2 pts below district

▼ 3 pts below state median · ▲ 1 pts above county median

Grade 450%

School 50% · District 30% · ▲ 20 pts above district

▲ 1 pts above state median · ▼ 1 pts below county median

Grade 567%

School 67% · District 56% · ▲ 11 pts above district

▲ 13 pts above state median · ▲ 13 pts above county median

Science

Grade 534%

School 34% · District 9% · ▲ 25 pts above district

▲ 11 pts above state median · ▲ 8 pts above county median

This schoolLA JOYA 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 4Lower-income43%Higher-income86%43 pp gap

Mathematics

Grade 3Lower-income32%Higher-income40%8 pp gap

Grade 4Lower-income36%Higher-income100%64 pp gap