Van Buren El, Groves TX - Test Scores & Data

Original Research by School Decision on Van Buren El

Van Buren Elementary is closed. The school, which served middle grades in Groves, Texas, and was operated by Port Neches-Groves ISD, is no longer in operation.

The school's final state assessment data on file comes from the 2022-23 school year, when third-grade students took the STAAR exam. In English language arts, proficiency rates stood at a majority, while math proficiency was lower, around one-third of tested students. The proficiency bars that year reflect broader patterns often seen in small rural schools serving grades in the early-to-middle range.

Port Neches-Groves ISD, the district that operated Van Buren, consolidated its elementary schools in recent years through a bond-funded modernization. Multiple elementary campuses were merged into four new primary and intermediate schools built on existing sites. Van Buren was among the schools closed during this restructuring, with demolition of older campuses beginning in 2023.

Groves itself is a residential city in Southeast Texas, about forty minutes from the major refineries at Port Arthur and Beaumont. The town is built on 1970s ranch-style homes mixed with newer construction, with pecan trees lining the streets. Housing values are below the state average, and most residents own their homes and drive to work locally or in the petrochemical sector. The community holds strong ties to local institutions, with the annual Pecan Festival and the public library as anchors, and the school district remains a major local employer.

Since Van Buren is no longer operating, families in Groves seeking elementary education through Port Neches-Groves ISD would attend one of the district's newer consolidated primary or intermediate campuses. Anyone seeking enrollment history, closure information, or records from the former school should contact the district directly.

See more original research from School Decision →

Academic performance

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

Math

Grade 337%

School 37% · District 47% · ▼ 10 pts below district

▼ 3 pts below state median

English language arts

Grade 359%

School 59% · District 59%

▲ 13 pts above state median

This schoolPORT NECHES-GROVES 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-income53%Higher-income66%13 pp gap

Mathematics

Grade 3Lower-income32%Higher-income43%11 pp gap