The top reported proficiency rate is 33% in English language arts. The lowest is 19% in Science.
Original Research by School Decision on Brooks-quinn-jones El
Brooks-Quinn-Jones Elementary serves kindergarten through fifth grade in Nacogdoches, a historic town in East Texas anchored by Stephen F. Austin State University and a major poultry processing facility. The school sits in a community with steady development activity concentrated in commercial corridors and a revitalized downtown, though housing affordability remains a consideration for families entering the market.
The school enrolls about six hundred students, with a student body that is roughly evenly split between Hispanic and Black enrollment, and a small share of white students. More than nine in ten students qualify for free or reduced-price lunch, reflecting substantial economic need across the enrollment. Grade-level cohorts are fairly consistent in size, ranging from roughly ninety to just over one hundred students per grade.
Academic performance at Brooks-Quinn-Jones lags significantly behind the broader county context. State testing data was available only for grade five in math, English language arts, and science. In grade five math, approximately one in five students met or exceeded proficiency. In grade five ELA, about one in three students met or exceeded proficiency. In science, proficiency again fell to about one in five students. Results for grades three and four on the Spanish-language STAAR assessment could not be reported because of small tested populations in those grades.
When all available STAAR results across the school are averaged together, the proficiency index falls into the bottom quartile relative to the other eight districts in Nacogdoches County. Among the school's five tested subjects and grade bands, math meets-standard performance is particularly low, with only about one in four students reaching that level. Even in ELA, where the school performs somewhat better, only about one in three students meet or exceed proficiency. Across all subjects, the share of students at the highest mastery level ("masters") is small, hovering around five to eight percent depending on the subject.
The Nacogdoches ISD district itself has held a state accountability rating of D for the past two school years, with Brooks-Quinn-Jones contributing to that profile. Within the district, Thomas J. Rusk Elementary has earned a B rating, and Margie Chumbley Academy for Success has also achieved a B, so performance does vary across campuses.
From a school climate and support perspective, the data available was limited. No information about special education enrollment, English learner populations, discipline rates, chronic absenteeism, or staffing levels was provided. A parent considering this school may want to ask directly about these areas, as well as about interventions the school is using to address the significant achievement gaps evident in state test results.
The district has approved a long-term bond to rebuild and renovate facilities, including the replacement of Carpenter Elementary, funded through a debt service tax rate that is at the maximum voters approved. This reflects ongoing investment in physical infrastructure, though it represents a property tax commitment families inherit when moving into the district. The district has also lowered its overall property tax rate in recent years and restructured debt to reduce interest costs over the coming years.
Nacogdoches itself offers a compact downtown with walkable historic districts, parks, trails, and a public library. Families with young children at Brooks-Quinn-Jones would be choosing a school in an economically challenged district with well-documented performance gaps, in a town with modest housing costs but limited upward academic momentum at the elementary level.
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