The top reported proficiency rate is 59% in Science. The lowest is 55% in Math.
Original Research by School Decision on J C Martin Jr El
J C Martin Jr Elementary sits in Laredo, a border city anchored in logistics and international trade, where the housing market is considerably more affordable than the Texas and national averages. The school serves grades pre-K through fifth grade and draws a student body that is overwhelmingly Hispanic, with nearly all students qualifying for free or reduced-price lunch, a composition reflective of Laredo's economic and demographic profile.
The school's test results show a mixed picture across grade levels and subjects. In English language arts, third-grade students performed strongly, with a majority meeting or exceeding proficiency. Fourth-grade ELA data from the Spanish assessment version came from only a handful of students and was not released publicly. Fifth-grade ELA proficiency was notably lower, with fewer than a third of students proficient. In mathematics, fourth-grade students achieved solid proficiency on the English assessment, but fifth-grade math results were substantially weaker, again with fewer than a third of tested students proficient. Science testing occurs only in fifth grade at this school; roughly three-fifths of fifth graders met or exceeded proficiency there. Across all tested subjects at the school, roughly speaking, students mostly reached the approaching-standard level, with fewer reaching the "meets" threshold and still fewer achieving mastery.
Several factors shape how to read these results. The school administers both English and Spanish versions of the state assessment, a practice tied to Laredo's bilingual program and student composition. This means proficiency is not uniform across all students in a single grade, and the number of students taking each language version is often small, which can make year-to-year comparisons less stable. Additionally, when only a handful of students take a particular assessment, the resulting percentages are less reliable indicators of overall school performance. A parent may want to look into further with the school how instruction is differentiated across the two assessment languages and what supports exist for students transitioning between them.
Compared with other districts in Webb County, J C Martin Jr Elementary's overall proficiency index places it in the stronger bracket, outperforming the county median. This suggests the school is delivering measurably better results than most of its county peers, a meaningful strength given the resource constraints the district faces.
Laredo ISD itself is navigating significant headwinds. The district has experienced sustained enrollment decline over recent years and publicly reported forecasts suggest this trend will continue, a pattern that directly squeezes the district's budget since Texas ties school funding to attendance. Per-pupil state funding has risen only modestly while costs climb, raising the real possibility of future program cuts or consolidations. Families considering a move to Laredo should weigh this context: the district's financial pressures could shape the range and depth of programs, staffing, and resources available in coming years. At the same time, Laredo ISD operates seven specialty and early-college high schools spanning twenty-nine programs of study, a robust choice-driven structure that offers pathways to college credit and associate degrees alongside traditional high school diplomas. This distinctive system represents a lasting commitment to career and college readiness, though how enrollment decline will affect it over time remains uncertain.
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