Choosing the best possible elementary school is critical to a child’s foundational development. In Texas, public school districts adopt curriculum standards set by the State Board of Education. The current standards, called Texas Essential Knowledge and Skills, outline what students should be able to learn and do in each course or grade. The curriculum is structured around the fundamentals of mathematics, science, social studies, language arts, music and reading.
We are making this task easier for you by comparing two excellent elementary schools: Barksdale Elementary School and Hightower Elementary School. We compiled relevant data for you to be able to make an informed decision. Both schools are under the jurisdiction of the PLANO ISD.
Barksdale Elementary School has a regular student population of 542 with a 13.4 students/teacher ratio while Hightower Elementary School has 439 students and a student-teacher ratio of 11.5 students/teacher ratio.
Barksdale Elementary School performed excellent to earn a State accountability rating of A (90-100) based on three domains: student achievement, school progress and closing the gaps. Scores are scaled from 0 to 100 to align with letter grades. The school scored 95 in student achievement, 95 in school progress and an impressive100 in closing performance gaps. It scored 97 overall in post-secondary readiness, a broad term that refers to student preparedness to undertake multiple pathways after graduation, or specifically, their preparedness for college education.
On the other hand, Hightower Elementary School also performed excellent to earn a State accountability rating of A. The school posted 93 in student achievement, 92 in school progress, 94 in closing performance gaps and 93 overall in post-secondary readiness.
A distinction designation acknowledges districts and campuses for outstanding achievement based on the outcomes of several performance indicators. Distinction designations are awarded for achievement in several areas and are based on performance relative to a group of campuses of similar type, size, grade span, and student demographics.
It is in this area where the two schools differ. Barksdale Elementary School's six out of seven distinctions are in Reading/English Language Arts (ELA), Mathematics, Science, post-secondary, with 25% student progress and 25% closing performance gaps. Hightower Elementary School’s four out of seven distinctions are in Reading/English Language Arts (ELA), Mathematics, Science and post-secondary.
Based on Racial/Ethnic Groups, Whites or Caucasians comprise the biggest group at Barksdale Elementary School. They make up for 36.90% of student population, followed by Asians (30.63%), Hispanics (15.31%), African Americans (11.81%), Two or More Races (4.61%) and Native Americans (0.74%).
The student population at Hightower Elementary School is also predominantly by Whites or Caucasians at 40.09%, followed by Asians (24.15%), Hispanics (18.91%), African Americans (10.02%), Two or More Races (6.61%) and Native Americans (0.23%).
Based on household incomes, the Barksdale Elementary School’s economically disadvantaged students is slightly lower at 17.53% compared to 25.74% at Hightower Elementary School.
In terms of Limited English Proficiency (LEP), a term used in the United States that refers to a person who is not fluent in the English Language, mainly because it is not their native language, Barksdale Elementary School has 78 English Language Learners or ELLS or about 14.39% of student population. Hightower Elementary School has more ELLs at 79 or about 18.00% of student population.
Barksdale Elementary School’s bilingual students comprise 13.84%, gifted and talented students, 11.44%, while 6.64% are in the special education program. Hightower Elementary School bilingual students comprise 17.31%, gifted and talented students, 7.74%, and 15.03% are in the special education program.
40 teachers employed at Barksdale Elementary School have been teaching in the school for an average of about 9.6 years with individual teaching experience averaging 11.3 years. The 38 teachers at Hightower Elementary School have been serving the school for an average of 7.7 years with individual teaching experience averaging 10.4 years.
Of its teaching staff, Barksdale Elementary School has two teachers serving the school for over 30 years, has four teachers serving the school for 20-30 years, 14 teachers have worked for 11-20 years, nine teachers have worked for 6-10 years, while nine teachers have been serving the school for over 1-5 years, including three beginning teachers. Hightower Elementary School has one teacher only serving the school for over 30 years, has three teachers serving the school for 20-30 years, 12 teachers have worked for 11-20 years, eight teachers have worked for 6-10 years, while 11 teachers have been serving the school for over 1-5 years, including three beginning teachers.
In both schools, female teachers outnumber the male teachers. At Barksdale Elementary School there are 39 female teachers and zero male teacher. Of its teaching staff, four special education teachers are being assisted by six teachers aides or paraprofessionals. In addition to its teaching staff, the school has two staff members in the school administration department and four more working as school support staff.
At Hightower Elementary School there are 36 female teachers and one male teacher only. Of its teaching staff, seven special education teachers are being assisted by seven teachers aides or paraprofessionals. In addition to its teaching staff, the school has two staff members in the school administration department and three more working as school support staff.
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