The top reported proficiency rate is 35% in English language arts. The lowest is 28% in Math.
Original Research by School Decision on South El
South Elementary in Levelland serves students in second, third, and fourth grades at a school-sized enrollment of about three-hundred students, distributed evenly across those three grades. The student body is predominantly Hispanic, with a substantial share of students from low-income households. Nearly all students qualify for free or reduced-price lunch, indicating an economically disadvantaged population.
Academically, South El faces headwinds across both English language arts and mathematics. In third grade, proficiency in math stands at a low level, while English language arts shows somewhat higher proficiency. By fourth grade, both subjects register proficiency rates that, while slightly improved from third grade, remain well below what students typically achieve in Texas schools at these grade levels. When viewed against the six districts in Hockley County, South El's overall proficiency index sits below the midpoint, a position that reflects genuine gaps in foundational skill development. Within grade level data, third-graders show lower average scale scores than fourth-graders, which is expected, but the absolute levels across both grades suggest many students are not yet meeting grade-level standards.
The school does show some students reaching mastery and approaching levels in both subjects. About a quarter of students overall reach the "meets" proficiency level, and a similar minority reach "masters." In English language arts specifically, around three-quarters of students reach at least the "approaches" level, suggesting oral comprehension or partial grasp of reading and writing; in math, about half reach that threshold. These figures indicate a wide spread of skill levels in the classroom and suggest classroom instruction may need differentiation to address the variety of learning needs.
Levelland itself is the county seat of Hockley County on the Texas High Plains, west of Lubbock. The town is economically rooted in agriculture, oil and gas, and small manufacturing, with a slowly declining population. Housing is affordable, with median values well below the state average and rents modest. The community is organized around a historic courthouse square downtown and has civic anchors including parks, a library, and the Wallace Theater. South Plains College is the largest employer and serves the region's higher-education needs. The Levelland Independent School District has undergone a structural change: it closed its intermediate school campus in 2023-24 due to enrollment decline and building maintenance costs, redistributing those students to elementary and middle school campuses. For the 2025-26 budget year, the district restructured its tax rate to direct more revenue to day-to-day operations while keeping total tax burden flat.
South Elementary is one school within Levelland ISD's configuration. Parents considering this school will want to understand that proficiency levels are low relative to state benchmarks and that the student population carries high economic need. The school's challenge appears to be supporting students who enter with significant foundational gaps. A parent may want to look into further with the school what interventions or support systems are in place for struggling readers and math learners, whether tutoring, small-group work, or other targeted help are available, and what the school's trajectory has been in recent years.
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