Northside El, Waxahachie TX - Test Scores & Data

Original Research by School Decision on Northside El

Northside Elementary serves pre-K through fifth grade in Waxahachie, a rapidly growing suburb south of Dallas. The school has an enrollment typical for its grade band, split roughly evenly across grades, with a strong majority of students qualifying for free or reduced-price lunch. The student body is racially and ethnically mixed, with white and Hispanic students each representing a substantial share, and a notable black student population.

The school's state assessment data shows mixed results. In reading, performance is below what might be hoped, particularly in third grade where proficiency is low. By fifth grade, reading reaches about half of students meeting proficiency. Math tracks similarly: third grade math proficiency is quite low, then improves noticeably in fourth and fifth grades, though it remains modest overall. Science performance at fifth grade is notably weak. Across all subjects, only about one in three students meet the "meets" proficiency level, and very few reach the "masters" level. Among the county's districts, Northside's overall proficiency index falls below the midpoint, a position that suggests the school faces more academic headwinds than some of its peers.

The pattern of improvement from third to fifth grade in both reading and math is worth noting. It suggests students may be gaining ground as they move through the school, though starting points in third grade are steep. A parent may want to look into further detail with the school about what supports exist for students entering third grade and whether the school has identified specific strategies driving gains in the upper grades.

Waxahachie itself is experiencing rapid growth. The city is adding residents at a brisk pace and is home to major employers in manufacturing, health care, and distribution. The historic downtown courthouse square remains a civic anchor, but residential expansion is happening in subdivisions on the town's edges. Housing values in the zip code are moderate for the region, and the district has kept its property tax rate declining for five consecutive years. A large new master-planned development approved in 2026 will substantially expand housing stock and likely push enrollment even higher across the district.

The Waxahachie ISD itself is managing significant growth. Voters approved a major bond in 2023 to fund new and expanded facilities, including a second comprehensive high school opening in 2027-2028. This expansion is underway and will reshape where students attend school. For families considering Northside, the context is one of active investment and growth, but also the real academic performance gaps that appear in the current data, particularly in early grades and in science.

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Academic performance

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

Math

Grade 322%

School 22% · District 10% · ▲ 12 pts above district

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

Grade 436%

School 36% · District 35% · ▲ 1 pts above district

▼ 5 pts below state median · ▼ 2 pts below county median

Grade 544%

School 44% · District 42% · ▲ 2 pts above district

▲ 3 pts above state median · ▼ 1 pts below county median

English language arts

Grade 328%

School 28% · District 18% · ▲ 10 pts above district

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

Grade 447%

School 47% · District 46% · ▲ 1 pts above district

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

Grade 553%

School 53% · District 55% · ▼ 2 pts below district

▼ 1 pts below state median · ▼ 1 pts below county median

Science

Grade 518%

School 18% · District 0% · ▲ 18 pts above district

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

This schoolWAXAHACHIE 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-income23%Higher-income39%16 pp gap

Grade 4Lower-income42%Higher-income58%16 pp gap

Grade 5Lower-income51%Higher-income57%6 pp gap

Mathematics

Grade 3Lower-income20%Higher-income26%6 pp gap

Grade 4Lower-income37%Higher-income36%1 pp gap

Grade 5Lower-income37%Higher-income57%20 pp gap