Muriel Forbes El, San Antonio TX

Original Research by School Decision on Muriel Forbes El

Muriel Forbes Elementary serves pre-K through fifth grade on the east side of San Antonio within the San Antonio Independent School District. The school is small, with an enrollment skewed toward younger grades, with the largest cohorts in pre-K and second grade. Nearly all students qualify for free or reduced-price lunch, and the student body is predominantly Hispanic, with a smaller share of Black and white students. The school's Title I status and demographic composition reflect a neighborhood of significant economic need.

Academic performance across the school is weak by state standards. In the most recent tested year, proficiency rates in math ranged from roughly one in five in third and fourth grades to about one in four in fifth grade. Reading proficiency was somewhat stronger, at roughly three in ten for third graders and about one in four for older students. Science results in fifth grade showed no students at proficiency. An available social studies result from an earlier year showed proficiency at about one in eight. These figures place the school in the bottom quartile of proficiency among districts in Bexar County. A parent may want to look into this further with the school to understand what support structures are in place and how the school is responding to these results.

San Antonio ISD has been undergoing substantial change. In November 2023, the district voted to close fifteen schools and merge others as part of a right-sizing effort driven by long-term enrollment decline, a decision that affected many students and families. More relevant to instruction, the district has moved to align and standardize curriculum across campuses after missed academic targets, replacing campus variation with district-wide approaches in math and reading and adopting a phonics-based literacy model. The school operates under these new district expectations.

The surrounding community is diverse urban San Antonio, with deep roots in the east side. Housing in the 78223 zip code is modestly valued relative to state and national benchmarks, and rental costs are similarly below state and national averages, making the neighborhood relatively affordable by regional standards. San Antonio overall is one of the nation's fastest-growing cities, anchored by healthcare and bioscience employers, military installations, and a developing IT sector downtown. The city has invested heavily in its River Walk and civic infrastructure, though day-to-day life outside downtown remains car-dependent.

Muriel Forbes is a straightforward neighborhood elementary serving a low-income, mostly Hispanic population in a part of the city experiencing steady growth and economic transition. The test results show a school where most students are not yet meeting grade-level standards in core subjects, a condition that warrants direct conversation with school leadership about classroom support, intervention strategies, and the school's trajectory under new district initiatives.

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Academic performance

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

Math

Grade 319%

School 19% · District 30% · ▼ 11 pts below district

▼ 21 pts below state median · ▼ 15 pts below county median

Grade 420%

School 20% · District 29% · ▼ 9 pts below district

▼ 21 pts below state median · ▼ 13 pts below county median

Grade 525%

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

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

English language arts

Grade 329%

School 29% · District 35% · ▼ 6 pts below district

▼ 17 pts below state median · ▼ 9 pts below county median

Grade 425%

School 25% · District 32% · ▼ 7 pts below district

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

Grade 531%

School 31% · District 44% · ▼ 13 pts below district

▼ 23 pts below state median · ▼ 18 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

Social studies

Grade 813%

School 13% · District 10% · ▲ 3 pts above district

▼ 11 pts below state median · ▼ 5 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.