The top reported proficiency rate is 62% in English language arts. The lowest is 35% in Science.
Original Research by School Decision on Cleckler/heald El
Cleckler/Heald Elementary serves pre-kindergarten through fifth grade in Weslaco, a mid-sized Rio Grande Valley city with a mixed-use downtown and growing residential and commercial sectors. The school sits on a suburban campus as part of Weslaco ISD, which in late 2023 passed a major bond to fund facility improvements across its campuses including HVAC upgrades, roofing work, fine arts expansions, athletic facilities, and school safety vestibules. Voters approved a modest property tax increase to support this multi-year facilities transformation, with a new tax rate that took effect in 2024.
The school enrolls a small to mid-sized cohort of students across its grade bands. About a very substantial share of students qualify for free or reduced-price lunch, reflecting the economic profile of the families the school serves. The student body is demographically concentrated: the vast majority identify as Hispanic, with small populations of white students and even smaller numbers of students from other backgrounds. Data on English learner enrollment and special education enrollment were not available.
Academically, the school shows mixed performance. In third grade, math and ELA proficiency both reach the higher end of the school's range, with moderate proficiency rates that suggest most students are progressing but a meaningful minority need additional support. Fourth and fifth grade results in both subjects decline noticeably, with proficiency dropping further as students advance. Science proficiency in fifth grade is the weakest area of the school's reported assessments, at a notably lower rate than either math or ELA. The school's proficiency index, which averages performance across tested subjects and grades, places it in the top quartile among the county's other districts, a genuine strength in comparison to peer schools across Hidalgo County.
Trend data on the full student body across all performance levels show that a majority of students are meeting or approaching proficiency in both ELA and math. However, the share of students who have mastered content is considerably smaller, sitting around a quarter of the school. This gap between "meets" and "masters" is typical of schools with this enrollment profile, but it points to a classroom where instruction spans a wide range of skill levels.
The school's setting and resources reflect broader district investment priorities. The nearby Weslaco community offers mixed-use downtown civic life, including a library and community theater, alongside growing suburban residential development with new single-family and apartment options. Local economic activity spans healthcare, retail, education, and agriculture, anchored partly by Weslaco ISD itself, one of the city's largest employers. Housing in the area is modestly priced by national standards, with median values well below state benchmarks, and rents correspondingly moderate. This affordability, combined with the bond-funded campus improvements underway, makes the school part of a district undergoing visible infrastructure change.
Parents considering Cleckler/Heald should expect a school serving a largely Hispanic, economically modest population with substantial academic support needs concentrated in upper elementary grades, particularly in science. The school's strong comparative position within the county suggests effective instruction for many, but the widening proficiency gap from grade three onward may warrant direct conversation with school staff about intervention and support structures for students who are not yet proficient. The recent bond funding and ensuing facility upgrades are concrete signs of district investment, though the associated tax increase is a permanent cost to consider.
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