La Union El, Garciasville TX - Test Scores & Data

Original Research by School Decision on La Union El

La Union Elementary serves pre-K through fifth grade in Garciasville, a small, predominantly Hispanic rural community in southern Starr County that functions primarily as a bedroom community for Rio Grande City, Mission, and McAllen. The school enrolls about three hundred fifty students, nearly all of whom qualify for free or reduced-price lunch. The population is overwhelmingly Hispanic, with a tiny number of white students; data on special education and English learner rates were not available.

On state testing, La Union's results show a clear pattern: stronger performance in reading and language arts, markedly weaker performance in math and science. In third grade, just over half of students in reading reach proficiency, while about a third do in math. Fourth grade reading stays around half, while math drops further. By fifth grade, reading dips to about a third proficient and math remains low; science proficiency in fifth grade is particularly low. Across all tested grades and subjects combined, the school's overall proficiency sits below the midpoint among districts in Starr County. Only a small share of students meet advanced performance levels in any subject.

The profile suggests a school where foundational literacy instruction is gaining traction but where mathematical reasoning and science understanding lag. For a parent considering this school, the question is whether the school and district have plans to strengthen math specifically. The district recently adopted high-quality mathematics curriculum across its middle schools starting in 2021, a multi-year improvement effort involving partnerships with the UT Dana Center; whether those strategies have begun to affect elementary math instruction is worth asking directly.

Garciasville itself is unincorporated and very small, with civic and commercial life centered in Rio Grande City, about a short drive away. The school sits on a campus along the highway and is one of several elementary buildings the district operates across the area. Public transit in the community is limited to flex-route demand-response service, so most families rely on cars. The housing market in the wider Starr County area shows modest activity, with regional growth anticipated to accelerate along a planned highway loop; housing in the region remains affordable. Starr County employment centers on healthcare, education, and construction, with the school district itself a major employer and anchor.

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Academic performance

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

Math

Grade 334%

School 34% · District 48% · ▼ 14 pts below district

▼ 6 pts below state median · ▼ 12 pts below county median

Grade 424%

School 24% · District 53% · ▼ 29 pts below district

▼ 17 pts below state median · ▼ 35 pts below county median

Grade 529%

School 29% · District 50% · ▼ 21 pts below district

▼ 12 pts below state median · ▼ 29 pts below county median

English language arts

Grade 355%

School 55% · district not reported

▲ 9 pts above state median · ▼ 6 pts below county median

Grade 451%

School 51% · District 50% · ▲ 1 pts above district

▲ 2 pts above state median · ▼ 5 pts below county median

Grade 532%

School 32% · District 83% · ▼ 51 pts below district

▼ 22 pts below state median · ▼ 30 pts below county median

Science

Grade 511%

School 11% · District 26% · ▼ 15 pts below district

▼ 12 pts below state median · ▼ 28 pts below county median

This schoolRIO GRANDE CITY GRULLA 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 4Lower-income47%Higher-income80%33 pp gap

Grade 5Lower-income28%Higher-income60%32 pp gap

Mathematics

Grade 4Lower-income19%Higher-income60%41 pp gap

Grade 5Lower-income26%Higher-income50%24 pp gap