Smith El, Richmond TX - Test Scores & Data

Original Research by School Decision on Smith El

Smith Elementary is a small school serving prekindergarten through fifth grade in Richmond, a historic Fort Bend County seat on the Brazos River about thirty miles southwest of downtown Houston. The school sits within a community experiencing rapid suburban growth, anchored by the county courthouse downtown but increasingly shaped by master-planned residential developments like Harvest Green and Candela that have brought thousands of new families to the area.

The school's enrollment is modest, around three hundred students, with a substantial majority qualifying for free or reduced-price lunch. The student body is predominantly Hispanic, with smaller populations of Black and white students. More than most Texas elementary schools, Smith enrolls a high proportion of Spanish-language learners; the state assessment data shows that the school administers both Spanish-language and English-language versions of the STAAR test, reflecting the composition of its grades.

State test results from 2024-25 show proficiency across all tested subjects, but the numbers warrant careful attention. In reading (English Language Arts), about half the students tested met or exceeded proficiency in grades three and five, and about one-third of fourth graders did so. Math proficiency was comparable: about two-thirds of third graders, less than half of fourth graders, and fewer than the tested number could be reported for fifth grade. Science proficiency in fifth grade was zero. These are notably lower proficiency rates than the midpoint among Fort Bend County's school districts. A parent may want to look into this further with the school, particularly asking what grade-by-grade support is in place for reading and math, whether the bilingual or English learner programs have adequate staffing, and how the school is addressing the science gap.

The school's aggregated performance data shows that across all subjects, a modest share of students reached the "meets" or "masters" level, though more than three-quarters "approached" proficiency. This pattern suggests the school serves a student population that is engaged but may benefit from more intensive instruction in core academics.

Lamar Consolidated ISD, the parent district, is in active growth mode. Voters approved a very large bond in 2022 for eight new campuses and a career and technical education center, then again in 2025 for more schools and technology infrastructure, without raising the property tax rate. The district has held its rate flat for three years, among the lowest in the Houston area. Families should expect boundary changes as new schools open; the district provides an online address-lookup tool for enrollment zoning. New elementary schools are opening in Fulshear and Rosenberg, which will affect attendance boundaries in coming years.

Smith Elementary serves a community in transition. It is small, heavily Hispanic, and bilingual in program and language, with a strong majority of economically disadvantaged students. Academic performance, as measured by state testing, is below the county median and suggests the school's student population may benefit from additional resources, instructional consistency, or both. Parents considering this school should ask directly about class sizes, staff experience with bilingual instruction, intervention programs, and how the school is working to narrow proficiency gaps.

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Academic performance

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

Math

Grade 367%

School 67% · District 27% · ▲ 40 pts above district

▲ 27 pts above state median · ▲ 9 pts above county median

Grade 442%

School 42% · District 24% · ▲ 18 pts above district

▲ 1 pts above state median · ▼ 16 pts below county median

English language arts

Grade 345%

School 45% · District 31% · ▲ 14 pts above district

▼ 1 pts below state median · ▼ 19 pts below county median

Grade 436%

School 36% · District 43% · ▼ 7 pts below district

▼ 13 pts below state median · ▼ 28 pts below county median

Grade 543%

School 43% · District 33% · ▲ 10 pts above district

▼ 11 pts below state median · ▼ 26 pts below county median

Science

Grade 50%

School 0% · District 8% · ▼ 8 pts below district

▼ 23 pts below state median · ▼ 35 pts below county median

This schoolLAMAR CISD, 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 3Lower-income29%Higher-income92%63 pp gap

Grade 4Lower-income33%Higher-income29%4 pp gap

Grade 5Lower-income48%Higher-income73%25 pp gap

Mathematics

Grade 5Lower-income52%Higher-income67%15 pp gap