The top reported proficiency rate is 27% in Math. The lowest is 19% in English language arts.
Original Research by School Decision on Genoa El
Genoa Elementary is a regular public school serving early grades in south Houston, operated by Pasadena ISD. The school sits in a zip code where home values are moderate and housing supply is steady, though the broader Harris County market is seeing mixed signals: active listings have ticked up slightly while new listings have declined, and median home values have edged down slightly year over year.
The school enrolls a small student body for its grade band, with substantial economic need. Nearly all students qualify for free or reduced-price lunch, and the enrollment is predominantly Hispanic, with smaller shares of Black, Asian, and white students. The school's testing data from 2024-25 shows proficiency rates that fall well below the median among Harris County districts. In English language arts, proficiency is low across both tested grades. In mathematics, proficiency is also limited, though it runs somewhat higher than in ELA. The data captures only one year, so trends are not visible, but the current performance sits in the bottom quartile when compared with other district schools across the county.
The school serves pre-kindergarten through fourth grade, meaning no state-tested secondary outcomes apply. Students progress through the early elementary years here before moving forward; parents should recognize that fourth grade is the last year at this school, so a change of campus is built into the pathway.
Pasadena ISD itself is navigating structural changes. In May 2026 the district voted to close McMasters Elementary and consolidate its students into Parks Elementary. The district also restructured Tegeler Community School into two school-within-a-school programs at the high school level. These closures and realignments reflect declining enrollment and budget pressure district-wide. The district approved a substantial bond package in 2022 for campus replacements and improvements, though four aging elementary schools remain in the replacement pipeline. For 2024-25, the district set its property tax rate using disaster pennies tied to a January 2023 tornado, which pushed the rate above the voter-approval threshold without requiring an election; families considering this area should factor in that tax obligation.
Houston itself is growing rapidly and sprawling outward, with energy, healthcare, aerospace, and logistics anchoring the economy. The city is car-dependent overall, though some neighborhoods and the downtown core offer walkable options and transit access via METRO. Housing construction remains heavy, though growth is increasingly shifting to suburban and exurban counties beyond Harris County. The school's neighborhood sits on the south side of the city, along a corridor that reflects Houston's characteristic mix of residential, commercial, and light industrial uses.
A parent weighing this school may want to look into the current academic support structure and any intervention programs in place, given the proficiency numbers, as well as clarify which elementary school students feed into after fourth grade in the context of the district's ongoing consolidations.
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