The top reported proficiency rate is 69% in English language arts. The lowest is 33% in Science.
Original Research by School Decision on Bill Burden El
Bill Burden Elementary sits in Liberty Hill, a fast-growing Hill Country town northwest of Austin that has transformed from a sleepy residential enclave into one of Williamson County's fastest-expanding communities. The school is part of Liberty Hill ISD, which has been caught between explosive growth and financial strain—a district dynamic that shapes what families encounter here.
The school itself serves prekindergarten through fifth grade, with a student body that is predominantly White, with meaningful populations of Hispanic and Asian students as well. About a quarter of students qualify for free or reduced-price lunch. The enrollment sits in the mid-range for an elementary school of this grade band, with roughly similar numbers across grades K through 5, suggesting stable feeder patterns from the prek cohort.
On academics, the clearest picture comes from reading and language arts, where Bill Burden's fourth and fifth graders show solid proficiency—with the fifth-grade cohort performing more strongly. Math proficiency runs lower, sitting in the mid-range for both tested grades. Science at fifth grade presents a softer spot: fewer than half of fifth graders met proficiency on the state science test. The school's performance across all tested subjects lands it in the top quartile of schools across Williamson County districts, a position that reflects strength relative to its neighbors even where individual measures dip. Testing data for third grade was too sparse to report.
The state testing results available cover only the most recent year, so trend data was not available to assess whether this school is moving up, holding steady, or sliding. That said, the current snapshot shows a school performing above the county median overall, with particular strength in language arts.
Bill Burden opened as part of the district's response to rapid enrollment growth. The district passed a major bond in 2021 to build new schools and expand capacity, then another in 2023 as families continued to arrive. That building spree has brought newer facilities and renovated campuses, but it has also strained the budget. The district faced a failed tax election in 2024 and had to cut millions in spending over two fiscal years, including laying off staff and reducing positions. In November 2025, voters narrowly approved a property tax increase to restore programs and fund salaries, meaning homeowners now pay more in property taxes than they did before. Additionally, the district tried a four-day school week for the 2025-26 school year to save money and ease staff burden, then reversed that for 2026-27 after state education officials denied a waiver, so families who enroll now will see a shift back to mostly five-day weeks with shorter days.
Liberty Hill itself is affluent relative to the Austin metro and has experienced intense residential construction, with hundreds of new-home communities in various stages of planning or development. The median home value in the area runs substantially higher than state benchmarks. The town has long been car-dependent and residential-focused, with residents historically driving to Cedar Park or Georgetown for shopping and dining, though retail development is now catching up along the Highway 29 corridor—a Walmart-anchored shopping center, Target, and other big-box retailers are coming or under construction. The public library sits in the small historic downtown, which serves as a community hub. Master-planned neighborhoods add their own parks and walking trails. The area remains a car-oriented place overall, though newer construction is bringing more on-site amenities.
Bill Burden's location on Stonewall Parkway places it in one of the older sections of Liberty Hill, not in the newest master-planned communities but in the established residential core where much of the town's initial growth settled. For families choosing between schools in the district, this positioning matters: it is a established neighborhood school rather than a brand-new campus in a subdivision.
A parent considering this school should note that the district's recent financial volatility and the schedule changes from 2025 to 2026 reflect real pressures that affect family planning. The narrow tax election victory signals ongoing community debate about funding. On the positive side, the school's county-level ranking and strength in language arts suggest solid instructional execution, and the newer facilities and security upgrades funded by recent bonds mean physical plant and safety infrastructure are current. The softer science proficiency warrants a conversation with the school about how science instruction is resourced and approached, particularly as students move toward middle school. For families in Liberty Hill, Bill Burden offers a neighborhood elementary with above-average performance, but the wider district context of recent budget turbulence and program fluctuation is part of the picture any family should understand before committing.
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