Onalaska El, Onalaska TX - Test Scores & Data

Original Research by School Decision on Onalaska El

Onalaska Elementary serves a small enrollment in a school district situated in a lake-based retirement and recreation community in western Polk County. The school spans preK through sixth grade and draws from a town organized around Lake Livingston, about eighty to ninety miles north of Houston.

The student body is predominantly white, with a substantial share of students qualifying for free or reduced-price lunch. The school sits within a district that is also undergoing growth. In the spring of 2024, the community approved a bond measure, and the district broke ground on a new high school expected to be completed in late 2026, signaling ongoing infrastructure investment and student-population planning.

On state testing, the school's performance is mixed and varies notably by grade. In English language arts, grades three through five show solid ground, with a majority of students meeting or exceeding proficiency in grades three, four, and five. Grade six performs similarly. In mathematics, results are more volatile. Third graders show modest proficiency; fourth graders significantly weaker results; fifth graders show a majority at or above proficiency; and sixth graders drop sharply. Science results, available only for fifth grade, show a weaker picture. Across all subjects combined, about half the student body meets grade-level standards, while a smaller share reaches the highest achievement level.

English language arts is a relative strength for the school. Mathematics proficiency is uneven across grades, with a marked dip in fourth grade and again in sixth grade. A parent may want to look into what instructional approaches are in place in those grades and whether the school has identified specific supports for students transitioning or advancing through those year-to-year drops.

Relative to other districts in Polk County, Onalaska Elementary's overall proficiency sits in the top quartile, a positioning that reflects solid performance within the county context though not extraordinarily high absolute attainment. The school's enrollment is small to moderate for its grade band, which typically affords closer student-teacher contact but may constrain breadth of elective or enrichment offerings.

The housing market in the broader Onalaska area shows modest home values, considerably below state and national benchmarks, and rent is similarly affordable. The town itself is largely built-out, with new development concentrated in a few subdivisions on hilly, constrained terrain. This is a place where families tend to settle for lake living, retirement, or a slower small-town pace rather than for rapid growth or urban employment. The school's context reflects that: a stable, somewhat economically modest community with a lake-centered quality of life.

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Academic performance

How students perform on state tests, by grade, set against the district.

Math

Grade 347%

School 47% · District 47%

▲ 7 pts above state median

Grade 437%

School 37% · District 37%

▼ 4 pts below state median

Grade 566%

School 66% · District 66%

▲ 25 pts above state median

Grade 625%

School 25% · District 25%

▼ 9 pts below state median

English language arts

Grade 353%

School 53% · District 53%

▲ 7 pts above state median

Grade 453%

School 53% · District 53%

▲ 4 pts above state median

Grade 558%

School 58% · District 58%

▲ 4 pts above state median

Grade 657%

School 57% · District 57%

▲ 5 pts above state median

Science

Grade 529%

School 29% · District 29%

▲ 6 pts above state median

This schoolONALASKA ISD, same grade

Graduation rate (ACGR) reflects the federally published Adjusted Cohort Graduation Rate for the most recent year available. We refresh this data annually at the close of each academic year in June. The federal source publishes a banded rate (for example, "90-94%") instead of an exact number for cohorts small enough to risk identifying individual students. The state distribution chart, where shown, plots every school in the state with a published rate or band; schools whose rate is federally suppressed are excluded. Where the federal source publishes a band rather than an exact rate, the school is placed within its band using a stable, ID-derived offset, so its position is consistent across visits.

Proficiency by household income

English language arts

Grade 3Lower-income46%Higher-income71%25 pp gap

Grade 4Lower-income48%Higher-income68%20 pp gap

Grade 5Lower-income51%Higher-income76%25 pp gap

Grade 6Lower-income48%Higher-income76%28 pp gap

Mathematics

Grade 3Lower-income44%Higher-income54%10 pp gap

Grade 4Lower-income35%Higher-income45%10 pp gap

Grade 5Lower-income62%Higher-income76%14 pp gap

Grade 6Lower-income19%Higher-income36%17 pp gap