Westlawn El, Texarkana TX - Test Scores & Data

Original Research by School Decision on Westlawn El

Westlawn Elementary serves students in grades three through five in Texarkana, Texas. The school has a small enrollment reflective of early-elementary population levels and sits within Texarkana ISD, the main district serving the city and its surrounding areas.

The most pressing characteristic is the school's academic performance. State test results show proficiency rates well below what the field expects. In math, the proficiency rate for third grade is very low, fourth grade is even lower, and while fifth grade shows a modest uptick, it remains minimal. English language arts proficiency is similarly constrained, with third and fourth grades reporting single-digit rates and fifth grade reaching only around one in ten students meeting the standard. The one fifth-grade science result available shows proficiency in the low single digits. Across all tested subjects and grade levels combined, fewer than one in ten students achieve proficiency. When compared against other districts in Bowie County, Westlawn's overall proficiency index places it in the bottom quartile among county schools. Parents looking at this school should expect that the student body as a whole is not meeting grade-level standards in core academics, and would benefit from a direct conversation with the school and district about current interventions, root causes, and any changes underway.

The student population is predominantly African American, with smaller shares of Hispanic, multiracial, and white students, and a very large majority qualify for free or reduced-price lunch, reflecting high economic need. This profile aligns with Texarkana's demographics and with the city's position as an affordable regional center anchored by healthcare, manufacturing, retail, and logistics. Housing is below the state and national median, which helps explain the school's socioeconomic composition.

The district itself has undertaken significant capital investment. In 2022, voters approved a bond package to replace aging school buildings, upgrade security, and add career-and-technical facilities, with bond-funded construction of a new Parks Elementary campus and a Texas High School CTE building underway. The district has also launched a P-TECH academy at Texas High School, allowing students to earn a high school diploma and associate degree tuition-free through dual enrollment at Texarkana College, with a transfer path to Texas A&M University-Texarkana. These are structural assets that may benefit students as they progress through the system, though they sit at the secondary level and do not directly address elementary performance.

Westlawn serves a neighborhood school role within a district investing in new infrastructure and expanded pathway options. The gap between the school's current proficiency profile and district-level opportunities suggests this is a school and community where family engagement with the school, understanding of available supports, and advocacy may play an outsized role.

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Academic performance

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

Math

Grade 36%

School 6% · District 9% · ▼ 3 pts below district

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

Grade 44%

School 4% · District 27% · ▼ 23 pts below district

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

Grade 512%

School 12% · District 40% · ▼ 28 pts below district

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

English language arts

Grade 38%

School 8% · District 5% · ▲ 3 pts above district

▼ 38 pts below state median · ▼ 39 pts below county median

Grade 45%

School 5% · District 37% · ▼ 32 pts below district

▼ 44 pts below state median · ▼ 45 pts below county median

Grade 512%

School 12% · District 46% · ▼ 34 pts below district

▼ 42 pts below state median · ▼ 43 pts below county median

Science

Grade 52%

School 2% · District 0% · ▲ 2 pts above district

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

This schoolTEXARKANA 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 3Lower-income8%Higher-income6%2 pp gap

Grade 4Lower-income5%Higher-income0%5 pp gap

Grade 5Lower-income10%Higher-income27%17 pp gap

Mathematics

Grade 3Lower-income6%Higher-income6%0 pp gap

Grade 4Lower-income4%Higher-income0%4 pp gap

Grade 5Lower-income7%Higher-income56%49 pp gap