The top reported proficiency rate is 60% in English language arts. The lowest is 52% in Math.
Original Research by School Decision on Carol Holt El
Carol Holt Elementary sits in Arlington within Mansfield ISD, serving children in pre-K through fourth grade. The school enrolls a diverse student body of modest size, with roughly a quarter of students from each of the following groups: white, Black, and Hispanic students, along with a smaller share of Asian students and multiracial students. About half the enrollment qualifies for free or reduced-price lunch, indicating a working-class to lower-middle-income student population. About half the student body is learning English or comes from a home where English is not the primary language, though specific English learner counts were not available in the data.
In STAAR testing during the 2024-25 school year, the school's performance showed uneven results by grade. In grade three, math proficiency reached about four in ten students, with English language arts a little higher, at about one in two. Grade four performed noticeably stronger: about six in ten met math standards, and reading performance climbed to about seven in ten. When looking across all tested students and both subjects together, the school met standard at a rate in the top quartile among the county's districts, suggesting relative strength in a competitive county context, even as individual grade-level results highlight particular challenge in third-grade math.
Texas reports proficiency at multiple levels. Across all students and both tested subjects, roughly nine in ten students reached the "approaches" level, meaning they showed some understanding; about six in ten met standard; and about one in five mastered the material. In reading, the approaches rate was a little higher at nine in ten; in math, it was lower at about eight in ten. These patterns suggest the school is getting most students to a baseline but sees a meaningful gap between baseline and strong mastery, particularly in math.
The district has made substantial recent investments. Voters approved a major bond package in 2024 focused on facility upgrades, safety systems, instructional technology, and a new pre-K center, and the district did so without raising the tax rate. The district has also steadily reduced its overall tax rate over five consecutive years, though rising property appraisals mean homeowners' actual bills have still moved upward. In 2021, voters approved a shift in the tax rate structure that redirected funds toward instruction and student programs without changing the total tax rate a durable commitment to classroom spending.
Specific details about staffing, class size, special-education services, student discipline, or attendance were not in the available data. The school offers Spanish Club and STEAM Club, though the full menu of after-school and enrichment programs may extend beyond what was reported. For more granular information about academic support, intervention protocols, classroom practices, or the school's response to grade-level performance gaps, a family would want to connect directly with the school or review its website.
The surrounding zip code shows median home values slightly above the Texas state benchmark, with rents hovering around the midpoint for the region. The area's unemployment and household-income levels are stable, and the housing market has been relatively flat. Arlington itself is a large metropolitan suburb without pronounced downtown walkability; the town brief search did not return detailed neighborhood character or specific amenities, so understanding the day-to-day feel of the area would benefit from a visit.
Carol Holt is a small-to-mid-sized elementary with real academic progress in upper grades and reasonable standing countywide, alongside visible performance gaps in third-grade math that merit conversation with the school about how students move through the early curriculum and what support is in place for learners not yet meeting grade-level standards.
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