The top reported proficiency rate is 74% in Math. The lowest is 35% in Science.
Original Research by School Decision on Macdonell El
MacDonell Elementary serves students from pre-kindergarten through fifth grade in Laredo, a border city anchored in logistics and trade with a growing residential landscape. The school enrolls a small cohort concentrated in the early grades, with enrollment heaviest in the second-grade class and tapering slightly through fifth grade. Nearly the entire student body qualifies for free or reduced-price lunch, and the population is overwhelmingly Hispanic. Special-education enrollment data and English-learner identification rates were not available, so a parent may want to ask the school directly about those populations and their support systems.
State testing results are available for third, fourth, and fifth grades in math, English language arts, and fifth-grade science. In math, MacDonell shows strength at the upper end of the elementary range: fourth-graders attained a healthy proficiency rate, and fifth-graders landed just below that. Third-graders' math results fall at a noticeably lower mark, though still solidly at or above the midpoint for achievement. The school's math approach-standard—how well students can at least begin to grasp the material—sits well above proficiency across all tested grades.
English language arts tells a different story. Fourth-graders posted a strong proficiency rate that ranks above the midpoint for tested grades. Fifth-graders achieved a respectable but moderately lower proficiency. Third-graders, however, show a meaningful gap, with less than half meeting grade-level reading standards. This pattern of third-grade weakness concentrated in ELA is common in early elementary settings where decoding and fluency gaps still persist, though it is worth noting as parents evaluate school readiness and intervention capacity.
Science proficiency in fifth grade was notably below both the school's math and ELA results, with only a modest fraction of fifth-graders meeting the standard. Because science is tested only once in the elementary band, this represents one moment rather than a trajectory, but a parent may want to explore how the school structures science instruction and whether additional support is available in that domain.
When viewed across the district and county context, MacDonell's overall proficiency index—the mean of all tested results—places it well ahead of other Laredo ISD and Webb County elementary schools. Among the county's districts, the school ranks in the top tier on this measure. This is genuine strength in a district facing headwinds.
The broader Laredo ISD context carries weight for any family considering this school. The district is in a sustained, multi-year enrollment decline driven by falling birth rates and shifts to private and charter options. That decline squeezes the budget because Texas school funding follows attendance. While per-pupil funding has edged upward, it has barely kept pace with cost inflation. A parent relocating to the area should understand that future program cuts, consolidation, or resource constraints are real possibilities the district may face. At the same time, Laredo ISD operates a distinctive multi-campus system of specialty and early-college high schools spanning career and college-focused pathways—a feature that shapes the long-term trajectory for students who stay in the district through high school.
Laredo itself is a predominantly Hispanic city whose character blends Old World downtown fabric—compact blocks, plazas, and riverside parks—with newer residential subdivisions expanding north and east. The economy centers on international logistics tied to the Port of Laredo, with major employers in transportation, retail, healthcare, and education. Housing costs are well below state and national benchmarks, and the affordability metrics suggest homeownership is accessible for households earning median regional income. Walkability is uneven: the central business district and some neighborhoods are pedestrian-friendly, but much of the city remains car-dependent. Public transit via El Metro operates on a hub-and-spoke system with routes serving residential areas.
MacDonell's location on Benavides Street places it within Laredo's broader residential fabric. The school itself is small, which typically allows closer relationships between staff and families, though a parent should confirm what specialized services and program breadth are available on a campus of this size. The school's strength in math and early proficiency across subjects suggests effective foundational instruction, but the ELA softness in third grade and low science proficiency warrant direct conversation with school leadership about how those areas are supported.
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