Vista Hills El, El Paso TX - Test Scores & Data

Original Research by School Decision on Vista Hills El

Vista Hills Elementary serves the far-east neighborhoods of El Paso through Ysleta ISD, a district that is navigating both enrollment decline and a deliberate effort to lower its property tax burden. The school sits in the 79935 zip code, part of the suburban expansion corridor that has grown outward as newer, spacious homes with larger lots have filled the eastern and western edges of the city.

The school enrolls an early-elementary cohort from pre-K through fifth grade, with a student body that is heavily Hispanic and faces substantial economic need. About three-quarters of students qualify for free or reduced-price lunch, reflecting both the demographics of the area and the economic context of El Paso's working families. Spanish-language instruction or bilingual offerings are part of the school's academic pathway, as evidenced by testing in Spanish on the state assessment alongside English testing.

Performance on state testing shows strengths in math across third, fourth, and fifth grades, where proficiency rates across grade levels run in the mid-to-high seventies. The school's overall proficiency index places it in the top quartile among districts in El Paso County, a meaningful signal that the school is outperforming many of its county peers despite serving a high-poverty enrollment. Reading and language arts results in English track similarly. On the Spanish language arts assessment, however, proficiency rates are notably lower, in the low-to-mid thirties, a pattern that a parent may want to look into further with the school to understand whether Spanish literacy is a priority, whether students are recent arrivals to the country, or what the trajectory looks like. Fifth-grade science proficiency sits at about midpoint, suggesting a gap that warrants attention as the cohort moves into middle grades.

The school is small to moderate in size for its grade band, with enrollment distributed across the early grades. About a third of students at the upper end (fifth grade) are reaching the "masters" level on state assessments, the highest proficiency tier, while a larger share approach proficiency. Most students meet grade-level expectations, a finding that reflects the school's overall strength relative to its county context.

The broader context for Vista Hills and all Ysleta ISD schools involves significant financial pressure. The district has cut its property tax rate for four consecutive years and now levies the lowest rate in nearly a decade, but it is running deficit budgets and has lost a substantial number of students in recent years. Leadership has named specific schools, including elementary campuses, as candidates for closure, and the district is pursuing a tax ratification election in November 2026 aimed at stabilizing revenue. Families choosing a home in this attendance zone should be aware that staffing, programs, or even the viability of individual schools may be subject to reorganization in the coming years, depending on enrollment trends and the outcome of that election.

Housing in the 79935 zip code is affordable relative to state and national benchmarks, with home values well below the Texas median and monthly rents that remain within reach for working families. The area reflects the character of newer suburban El Paso: quieter, family-oriented, and centered on single-family residential life rather than dense urban settings.

For families seeking a neighborhood school with solid math performance, a bilingual or Spanish-language component, and an affordable housing footprint, Vista Hills fits that profile. The school's position in the county's top proficiency quartile is a strength. Families should confirm with the school what bilingual and English literacy outcomes look like, since the Spanish-language proficiency data appears weak, and should plan to stay informed about district financial developments that could reshape programming or staffing.

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Academic performance

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

Math

Grade 376%

School 76% · District 57% · ▲ 19 pts above district

▲ 36 pts above state median · ▲ 37 pts above county median

Grade 478%

School 78% · District 59% · ▲ 19 pts above district

▲ 37 pts above state median · ▲ 33 pts above county median

Grade 574%

School 74% · District 26% · ▲ 48 pts above district

▲ 33 pts above state median · ▲ 28 pts above county median

English language arts

Grade 333%

School 33% · District 30% · ▲ 3 pts above district

▼ 13 pts below state median · ▼ 12 pts below county median

Grade 433%

School 33% · District 63% · ▼ 30 pts below district

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

Science

Grade 544%

School 44% · District 21% · ▲ 23 pts above district

▲ 21 pts above state median · ▲ 19 pts above county median

This schoolYSLETA 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-income62%Higher-income88%26 pp gap

Grade 4Lower-income71%Higher-income82%11 pp gap

Grade 5Lower-income75%Higher-income83%8 pp gap

Grade 6Lower-income43%Higher-income79%36 pp gap

Mathematics

Grade 3Lower-income69%Higher-income95%26 pp gap

Grade 4Lower-income73%Higher-income86%13 pp gap

Grade 5Lower-income73%Higher-income75%2 pp gap

Grade 6Lower-income48%Higher-income71%23 pp gap