The top reported proficiency rate is 83% in Math. The lowest is 67% in Science.
Original Research by School Decision on Roel a & Celia R Saenz El
Roel A & Celia R Saenz Elementary sits in Roma, a small bicultural border city on the Rio Grande in Starr County, directly across from its Mexican sister city. The school serves a tight-knit community of mostly longtime families and retirees, many of whom are homeowners; it operates within Roma ISD, which spans ten campuses across the city and western Starr County.
The school enrolls a small cohort of about five hundred students in pre-kindergarten through fifth grade. Nearly all students are Hispanic and economically disadvantaged; a substantial share of students qualify for free or reduced-price lunch. The enrollment is drawn from the surrounding residential neighborhoods and colonias rather than a commercial district.
On recent state assessments, the school shows uneven proficiency by grade. In fourth-grade math and English language arts, proficiency runs solidly in the three-quarter to four-fifth range. Fifth-grade math proficiency reaches quite high, while fifth-grade English language arts proficiency and science scores fall to about two-thirds. Third-grade results are sparse, with very few students taking Spanish-language assessments. Across all tested subjects and grades, roughly four in five students meet the proficiency threshold, and about half reach the advanced mastery level. The school positions itself above the midpoint among school-by-school proficiency in Starr County, placing it in the stronger-performing tier for its local context.
Roma ISD itself is investing durably in academic pathways and facilities. The district recently gained state funding to train students as licensed practical nurses through a career-and-technical partnership with South Texas College, embedding an industry credential pathway at the secondary level. Separately, a Gates Foundation grant starting in 2025 expands free early-college and dual-credit options, aiming to help high school students earn at least fifteen college credits before graduation. These initiatives address a district population in which most families qualify for economic assistance and broaden access to post-secondary credentials without family cost. A 2023 school bond funded lasting facility upgrades across the district, including outdoor learning spaces at all elementary schools and a new multipurpose facility with a Black Box Theater and career-technical classrooms.
Roma itself is on a gradual growth path, with new residential subdivisions and industrial development emerging along the highway spine and in surrounding areas, though employment has been uneven. The historic downtown core, a National Historic Landmark District on the river bluff, remains the pedestrian-scaled civic center, while schools operate on dispersed campuses across the city. A parent considering this school should ask the district for recent cohort data on third-grade performance and for detail on what curriculum approaches are driving the stronger fourth and fifth-grade results, particularly the sharp jump in fifth-grade math proficiency.
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