Charles Graebner El, San Antonio TX

Original Research by School Decision on Charles Graebner El

Charles Graebner Elementary is a charter school serving prekindergarten through fifth grade in south San Antonio, near Hoover Street. It sits within San Antonio ISD, which continues to reshape itself after significant school closures and a district-wide curriculum overhaul in recent years.

The school enrolled a small-to-moderate number of students across its grade band. The student body is predominantly Hispanic, and an overwhelming majority of families qualify for free or reduced-price lunch, a marker of economic strain. English learner enrollment data was not available in the records reviewed, and special education identification counts were also missing, so a parent may want to ask the school directly about how it supports those populations.

The school reports using a bilingual model, as shown by its STAAR assessment results in both Spanish and English across grades three through five. This is a consequential choice: families seeking bilingual instruction will find it here, while families with different language priorities should verify the program details directly with the school.

State test results for 2024-25 show weak proficiency across grades and subjects. In mathematics, the proficiency rate dropped sharply by grade level, ranging from low at grade three to minimal at grades four and five. In English language arts, grade five showed the strongest performance, but grades three and four remained low. Science testing in grade five showed no students meeting or mastering the standard. Across all tested subjects and all performance bands, the school's overall proficiency index places it in the bottom quartile among Bexar County's school districts.

These numbers reflect a real academic challenge that families need to understand clearly. A parent considering Graebner should ask the school about its response to these results, what instructional changes are underway, and what tutoring or intervention supports are available. The district itself has mandated standardized curriculum and is emphasizing phonics-based reading instruction across campuses as part of a broader push to raise achievement.

San Antonio's rapid population growth and the 2020 bond measure mean that facility improvements are underway at many campuses, though specific details about Graebner's renovation schedule were not available from the data provided. The broader district context includes significant enrollment decline that drove the closure of fifteen schools in 2023, touching nearly a quarter of the district's students and causing some families to leave the system entirely. Families relocating to the area should be aware that neighborhood school availability has contracted and that choice-based assignment is now how many families select their campus.

Housing in this part of south San Antonio is relatively affordable compared to state and national benchmarks, and mortgage costs remain moderate given regional mortgage rates. The neighborhood character is mixed urban and suburban, with the school located in an area that is part of San Antonio's ongoing growth southward.

For families drawn to bilingual instruction in an economically diverse setting, Graebner offers that pathway. For families prioritizing academic achievement metrics or seeking schools where testing proficiency is already strong, the data suggests looking elsewhere or engaging closely with the school about its improvement trajectory.

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Academic performance

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

Math

Grade 329%

School 29% · District 30% · ▼ 1 pts below district

▼ 11 pts below state median · ▼ 5 pts below county median

Grade 416%

School 16% · District 29% · ▼ 13 pts below district

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

Grade 54%

School 4% · District 29% · ▼ 25 pts below district

▼ 37 pts below state median · ▼ 32 pts below county median

English language arts

Grade 324%

School 24% · District 35% · ▼ 11 pts below district

▼ 22 pts below state median · ▼ 14 pts below county median

Grade 421%

School 21% · District 32% · ▼ 11 pts below district

▼ 28 pts below state median · ▼ 21 pts below county median

Grade 533%

School 33% · District 44% · ▼ 11 pts below district

▼ 21 pts below state median · ▼ 16 pts below county median

Science

Grade 50%

School 0% · District 5% · ▼ 5 pts below district

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

This schoolSAN ANTONIO 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 5Lower-income29%Higher-income71%42 pp gap

Mathematics

Grade 5Lower-income4%Higher-income29%25 pp gap