Neil Armstrong El, San Antonio TX

Original Research by School Decision on Neil Armstrong El

Neil Armstrong Elementary is a small school serving early grades in an economically stressed neighborhood on San Antonio's south side. Almost the entirety of its enrollment qualifies for free or reduced-price lunch, and the student body is predominantly Hispanic, with very limited diversity otherwise. The school sits in a housing market where home values are well below county and state benchmarks, and rents are modest.

The school's state assessment results show significant academic challenges across tested grades. In math, proficiency rates climb from very low in third and fourth grade to moderate by fifth grade, though overall the school's math proficiency sits well below the midpoint of Bexar County's schools. English language arts shows somewhat more strength, particularly in fifth grade, where proficiency reaches roughly half of students; third and fourth grades lag notably. Science proficiency in fifth grade is strikingly weak. The school's overall proficiency index places it below the midpoint among county districts. These patterns suggest that while some students make progress as they advance through the grade levels, most are not meeting grade-level standards by the tested grades, and the foundation in early elementary may not be solid enough to ensure later success.

The broader context matters here. South San Antonio ISD, the district that operates Neil Armstrong, has faced major upheaval. In February 2025, the Texas Education Agency removed the elected board and superintendent and installed a state-appointed board of managers and new superintendent, citing decades of governance and administrative dysfunction, poor financial controls, and diminished outcomes. The district had earlier closed three schools and then closed West Campus High School, consolidating secondary students into a single comprehensive high school. These closures and the state takeover signal a district under strain, working through structural and fiscal pressures that affect school-level operations and stability.

The neighborhood around the school is part of fast-growing San Antonio, but this particular area has not experienced the same development momentum as newer suburban zones like Stone Oak or Alamo Ranch. The economic profile is one of very limited household resources; a parent may want to look into how the school's support systems and instructional approach are being adapted to serve a student population facing acute economic hardship and what resources are available to families through the district or community partners.

For families in this area, Neil Armstrong is a neighborhood school that enrolls almost exclusively from its immediate community. The early-grade focus means there is no high school pathway at this site. Whether this school's current trajectory and district context make it the right fit depends on what family resources and external educational support are available, and what the family's longer-term enrollment and neighborhood intentions are.

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Academic performance

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

Math

Grade 318%

School 18% · District 25% · ▼ 7 pts below district

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

Grade 423%

School 23% · District 32% · ▼ 9 pts below district

▼ 18 pts below state median · ▼ 10 pts below county median

Grade 539%

School 39% · District 31% · ▲ 8 pts above district

▼ 2 pts below state median · ▲ 3 pts above county median

English language arts

Grade 329%

School 29% · District 32% · ▼ 3 pts below district

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

Grade 423%

School 23% · District 32% · ▼ 9 pts below district

▼ 26 pts below state median · ▼ 19 pts below county median

Grade 554%

School 54% · District 27% · ▲ 27 pts above district

even with state median · ▲ 5 pts above county median

Science

Grade 52%

School 2% · District 11% · ▼ 9 pts below district

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

This schoolSOUTH SAN 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-income49%Higher-income83%34 pp gap

Mathematics

Grade 5Lower-income34%Higher-income67%33 pp gap