The top reported proficiency rate is 46% in Math. The lowest is 39% in English language arts.
Original Research by School Decision on Williams El
Williams Elementary serves a Pre-K through fourth-grade cohort in Pasadena, a large, established industrial and residential suburb of Houston. The school sits on Scarborough Lane in the southern, more residential part of the city, which mixes family subdivisions with strip-mall retail corridors along major thoroughfares.
The student body is overwhelmingly Hispanic, with a substantial majority of students qualifying for free or reduced-price lunch. The enrollment is small to mid-sized for its grade band, split roughly evenly across the grades served. The school building itself is relatively new: it was one of four aging elementary campuses replaced under a bond package voters approved in 2022, making Williams one of the district's more recently constructed elementary sites.
On state testing, Williams shows mixed academic performance. In fourth-grade math, about half of students reached the proficient level. Fourth-grade English language arts proficiency ran slightly lower. Third-grade results were weaker across both subjects, with fewer students meeting the proficiency threshold in reading and math. The school tests in both English and Spanish; the Spanish-language cohorts in third grade were smaller and showed lower proficiency rates than their English-tested peers. Overall proficiency across all tested grades and subjects sits above the midpoint among Harris County's districts, which positions the school within an acceptable range for its district context, though the spread between third and fourth grade and between subjects suggests uneven mastery in the foundational skills.
Pasadena ISD is navigating significant enrollment decline and budget constraints. In May 2026, the district board voted to close and consolidate McMasters Elementary, directing its students to nearby Parks Elementary. The board also restructured Tegeler Community School into two programs embedded within high schools. These moves reflect a district-wide contraction that families should understand when weighing enrollment or residence in the area. Additionally, the district adopted a fiscal 2024-25 tax rate that used full available "disaster pennies" tied to tornado damage from January 2023, allowing the board to exceed the voter-approval rate without holding an election; this affects property tax obligations for homeowners.
Housing in Pasadena is dominated by detached single-family homes in older subdivisions. Home values in the 77502 zip code where Williams sits have declined modestly in recent months, and rents have remained relatively stable. The area is car-dependent, with a Walk Score of 43, meaning most errands require a car. Shopping and dining concentrate along major roads rather than walkable corridors. Civic life includes the Pasadena Public Library with two branches, a parks system anchored by the 50-acre Strawberry Park with a water park and trail system, and Harris County Transit service. San Jacinto College, headquartered in Pasadena, offers local community college access.
Williams Elementary is a straightforward, regular public elementary school without special magnet or charter designation. It offers early grades instruction in both Spanish and English. For families seeking a recently built campus in a stable, long-established neighborhood with strong Hispanic community ties and access to affordable single-family housing, Williams provides that setting. Parents should be aware that the school's academic results, while not weak, show room for strengthening across the board, and the broader district context of enrollment and budget pressures may affect future programming or school configurations.
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