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.
When we compared Hightower Elementary School, which is a part of PLANO ISD, with Shepard Elementary School, which is a part of PLANO ISD, we noted a slight difference in ratings.
Hightower Elementary School has a regular student population of 439 with a 11.5 students/teacher ratio while Shepard Elementary School has 400 students and a student-teacher ratio of 11.7 students/teacher ratio.
Hightower 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 93 in student achievement, 92 in school progress and 94 in closing performance gaps. It scored 93 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, Shepard Elementary School earned a State accountability rating of B. The school posted 88 in student achievement, 70 in school progress, 73 in closing performance gaps and 84 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.
Hightower Elementary School's four out of seven distinctions are in Reading/English Language Arts (ELA), Mathematics, Science and post-secondary. Shepard Elementary School did not earn any distinction.
Based on Racial/Ethnic Groups, Whites or Caucasians comprise the biggest group at Hightower Elementary School. They make up for 40.09% of student population, followed by Asians (24.15%), Hispanics (18.91%), African Americans (10.02%), Two or More Races (6.61%) and Native Americans (0.23%).
At Shepard Elementary School, Whites or Caucasians are the biggest group, comprising 63.00% of student population, followed by Hispanics (13.75%), Asians (9.25%), Two or More Races (7.50%), African Americans (6.25%) and Native Americans (0.25%).
Based on household incomes, Hightower Elementary School’s economically disadvantaged students is higher at 25.74% compared to 23.75% at Shepard 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, Hightower Elementary School has a significantly higher number of English Language Learners comprising 18.00% of its student population compared to 7.00% at Shepard Elementary School.
In addition, Hightower Elementary School has 17.31% bilingual students, 7.74% are in the gifted and talented program, while 15.03% are in the special education program. This stacks up against Shepard Elementary School with 7.25% bilingual students, 10.75% gifted and talented students and 12.00% students in the special education program.
38 teachers employed at Hightower Elementary School have been teaching in the school for an average of about 7.7 years with individual teaching experience averaging 10.4 years. The 34 teachers at Shepard Elementary School have been serving the school for an average of 8 years with individual teaching experience averaging 12.4 years.
Of its teaching staff, 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. Shepard Elementary School has one teacher only serving the school for over 30 years, has six teachers serving the school for 20-30 years, eight teachers have worked for 11-20 years, ten teachers have worked for 6-10 years, while seven teachers have been serving the school for over 1-5 years, including two beginning teachers.
In both schools, female teachers outnumber the male teachers. 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.
At Shepard Elementary School there are 30 female teachers and four male teachers. Of its teaching staff, six special education teachers are being assisted by five 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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