Pleasant Run El, Lancaster TX - Test Scores & Data

Original Research by School Decision on Pleasant Run El

Pleasant Run Elementary serves students from pre-K through fifth grade in Lancaster, a city positioned south of Dallas along Interstate 35E. The school draws enrollment across the early grades, with its largest grade level at fifth.

The student body is predominantly Black, with a substantial Hispanic population and smaller representation from other groups. A very high share of students qualify for free or reduced-price lunch, reflecting significant economic need in the school's community.

State test results show a pattern of low proficiency across subjects and grades. In mathematics, proficiency rates are lowest in the lower elementary grades, rising somewhat by fifth grade. English language arts performance is stronger than math, with the highest results in fifth grade. Science proficiency, tested only in fifth grade, is low. Across all tested subjects, a majority of students score at the "approaches" level, meaning they show some competency but have not yet met grade-level standards. The share reaching the "meets" or "masters" levels is small. When placed against other districts in Dallas County, the school's overall proficiency index sits below the midpoint. A parent may want to look into how the school is addressing these gaps, what intervention structures exist for students not meeting grade-level standards, and what specific support is available in early grades when foundational skills in reading and math are critical.

The larger district context includes recent investment in facilities and instructional technology through a voter-approved bond in 2026 that does not raise the local property tax rate. More relevant to families with older students, the district has established dual-credit and early-college pathways that allow students to earn associate degrees before high school graduation through partnerships with Dallas College and other institutions. Those options do not affect a pre-K through five school directly, but they signal the district's commitment to college readiness at the secondary level.

Lancaster itself is an industrial and logistics hub, anchored by major employers in freight, distribution, and manufacturing, supported by its location at the convergence of three interstate highways and Union Pacific's intermodal terminal. The city frames itself as positioned for economic growth. Housing values have declined modestly year over year, and the cost of housing relative to regional and national benchmarks is moderate. For families already in the area or drawn by job opportunities in Lancaster's industrial base, Pleasant Run offers a small elementary school serving a predominantly low-income and majority-Black student population with proficiency results that reflect significant academic challenges, particularly in math.

See more original research from School Decision →

Academic performance

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

Math

Grade 38%

School 8% · District 26% · ▼ 18 pts below district

▼ 32 pts below state median · ▼ 27 pts below county median

Grade 415%

School 15% · District 0% · ▲ 15 pts above district

▼ 26 pts below state median · ▼ 22 pts below county median

Grade 530%

School 30% · District 38% · ▼ 8 pts below district

▼ 11 pts below state median · ▼ 8 pts below county median

English language arts

Grade 331%

School 31% · District 24% · ▲ 7 pts above district

▼ 15 pts below state median · ▼ 6 pts below county median

Grade 430%

School 30% · District 14% · ▲ 16 pts above district

▼ 19 pts below state median · ▼ 16 pts below county median

Grade 544%

School 44% · District 18% · ▲ 26 pts above district

▼ 10 pts below state median · ▼ 6 pts below county median

Science

Grade 514%

School 14% · District 18% · ▼ 4 pts below district

▼ 9 pts below state median · ▼ 5 pts below county median

This schoolLANCASTER 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 3Lower-income29%Higher-income42%13 pp gap

Grade 4Lower-income26%Higher-income50%24 pp gap

Grade 5Lower-income43%Higher-income50%7 pp gap

Mathematics

Grade 3Lower-income8%Higher-income8%0 pp gap

Grade 4Lower-income15%Higher-income14%1 pp gap

Grade 5Lower-income31%Higher-income29%2 pp gap