The top reported proficiency rate is 60% in English language arts. The lowest is 33% in Math.
Original Research by School Decision on Tatom El
Tatom Elementary serves the earliest grades, covering first and second grade only within the Monahans-Wickett-Pyote ISD, a small district in West Texas oil and ranch country. The school sits in south Monahans, a car-dependent county seat of about mid-range population that centers its economy on Permian Basin oil and gas, with secondary roles for manufacturing and agriculture. The area is older residential, predominantly single-family homes, and reads as working-class and practical rather than affluent.
The student body at Tatom reflects the local demography. About two-thirds of students identify as Hispanic, with the remainder split between white and other groups. Roughly half of the enrollment qualifies for free or reduced-price lunch, an indicator of economic need. The school itself is modest in size for its grades. No data was available on the rate of English learners or students in special education, so a parent may want to check directly with the school on those populations and supports.
The school does not serve the grades tested under Texas state assessment, so standardized test results do not apply. What that means is Tatom is focused on foundational skills in reading, writing, and early numeracy during the ages when children are learning to read and compute, rather than preparing for state-level benchmarks. The pathway students follow next is into third grade, where state testing begins; the district serves grades 3 through 6 at a newer elementary building, Parkway Elementary, that recently opened under a bond-funded modernization. This signals intentional care in the pipeline: the district invested in new facilities as students progress.
The town of Monahans itself offers the context of a working oil and gas town with a public library, state park nearby, and basic recreation and civic services, but not a dense or particularly walkable downtown. Everything here runs on cars. The school district recently passed a substantial bond that funded facility upgrades across multiple schools, including the high school and the new Parkway Elementary building. That bond raised the local tax rate and carries debt that families who own property will see reflected in their tax bills. For renters, the effect is less direct but still affects the local economy.
Tatom is a regular public elementary school serving an economically mixed working-class community with a strong Hispanic population. It offers the early grades in a straightforward setting without charter, magnet, or Title I designation noted in the available data. For families with young children new to the district or area, the question is what comes after second grade—and the recent opening of Parkway Elementary suggests the district is investing in the trajectory forward. A parent considering this school would want to discuss with the district how reading and math support flows into third grade, what the pace of instruction is, and how the school approaches the transition to tested grades.
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