The top reported proficiency rate is 84% in English language arts. The lowest is 64% in Science.
Original Research by School Decision on Kazen El
Kazen Elementary is a small primary school serving prekindergarten through fifth grade in Laredo. The school's enrollment is modest, clustering around mid-sized for its grade band, with the student body almost entirely Hispanic and a substantial majority qualifying for free or reduced-price lunch, reflecting the economic baseline of the neighborhood and the broader Laredo community.
On state assessments in math and English language arts for the most recently available year, Kazen shows solid proficiency. In third-grade math and ELA, the school's results are in the mid-range, with about three-quarters meeting or exceeding state standards in math and most students hitting that mark in reading. Fourth-grade ELA also sits comfortably above the three-quarter mark. Fifth grade math is the standout, with proficiency near or above the high end for elementary schools. Science, tested only in fifth grade, shows more modest results, closer to one in two students meeting or above proficiency. The school's ELA performance across tested grades is notably stronger than its science showing, and math at the upper grades is a clear area of relative strength.
The assessment data available spans only one year, so trend information and year-to-year change are not yet available. Data on chronic absenteeism, in-school discipline, or detailed staffing composition were not provided.
When placed against other districts in Webb County, Kazen's proficiency index—a mean of reported proficiency rates across all tested subjects and grades—places the school in the top group among the county's school populations, a meaningful position given that county performance varies substantially.
United ISD, the district operating the school, has recently introduced a district-wide literacy focus aimed at ensuring students read at grade level, signaling that reading instruction is a central priority moving forward. The district also cut its property tax rate for the upcoming year, a measurable reduction in the cost of homeownership for families in the district. Additionally, United ISD opened a new early childhood education program accepting children as young as pre-kindergarten age, expanding district-provided options for families with younger children.
Kazen's location in northwest Laredo sits in an area where home values are modest relative to national benchmarks and considerably below Texas state medians, keeping housing costs a manageable share of household budgets for buyers in the area. The broader Laredo economy is anchored in logistics and trade tied to the Port of Laredo and is marked by steady residential expansion northward and eastward, with new subdivisions continuing to grow. The city itself is predominantly Hispanic with deep binational and cultural ties to Mexico, and daily life centers on family-oriented neighborhoods, small retail corridors, and downtown plazas.
For a family considering this school, Kazen offers a small, community-rooted elementary setting with solid recent performance in reading and math at the primary grades, grounded in an economically working neighborhood where housing remains affordable. The school's strength in upper-elementary math and the district's explicit attention to literacy suggest consistent baseline instruction, though science performance data suggests that area may warrant attention. A parent may want to look into the school's current staffing, classroom composition by grade, and how the new district literacy initiative is playing out in individual buildings to get a fuller picture of teaching approach and classroom environment.
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