Sparks Elementary

Summary:

Sparks Elementary is a public elementary school serving grades PK-4 in the Pasadena Independent School District (ISD) in Texas, with a student population of 362 and a predominantly Hispanic student body, over 92% of whom identify as Hispanic.

Sparks Elementary has seen fluctuations in its statewide ranking, ranging from a high of 1362 out of 4581 Texas elementary schools in 2021-2022 to a low of 3542 out of 4578 in 2020-2021. The school stands out for its significantly higher percentage of Hispanic students compared to nearby schools, which range from 79% to 93% Hispanic. While Sparks Elementary has outperformed the district and state in 3rd and 4th grade math in 2023-2024, it has underperformed in 3rd and 4th grade reading. The school also has a very high percentage of students receiving free or reduced-price lunch, ranging from 93.65% to 95.56%, significantly higher than the nearby schools, which range from 86.99% to 95.44%. Additionally, Sparks Elementary has a higher per-student spending amount and a lower student-teacher ratio compared to the nearby schools.

The data suggests that Sparks Elementary faces significant challenges, with its fluctuating performance and extremely high poverty rates. However, the school also has opportunities for improvement, particularly in reading. By understanding the school's unique characteristics and performance trends, educators and policymakers can work to develop targeted strategies to support the success of Sparks Elementary and its students.


Detail:

Public PK, KG-4

 2503 E Southmore Ave
       Pasadena, TX  77502-1429


(713) 740-0744

District: Pasadena Independent School District (Isd)

SchoolDigger Rank:
1639th of 4,675 Texas Elementary Schools

Per Pupil Expenditures:  $14,201 Help


Students who attend Sparks Elementary usually attend:

Middle:    Keller Middle
    San Jacinto Intermediate
High:    Sam Rayburn High School

Student/teacher ratio:  10.8 Help
Number of students:  362

Racial breakdown:

Hispanic:
92.3%
African American:
3.3%
White:
2.8%
more

Free/discounted lunch recipients:  93.6% Help


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Performance Trends
Help
Compare Details Sparks Elementary ranks better than 64.9% of elementary schools in Texas. It also ranks 10th among 36 ranked elementary schools in the Pasadena Independent School District (Isd). (See more...)
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Compare Details In 2024 the calculated Average Standard Score was 58.95. (See more...)
Student Body
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Compare Details Sparks Elementary has the smallest elementary school student body size in the Pasadena Independent School District (Isd). Racial makeup is: Hispanic (92.3%), African American (3.3%), White (2.8%). (See more...)
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Compare Details 93.6% of students are receiving a free or discounted lunch. (See more...)
Teachers
Help
Compare Details The student/teacher ratio at Sparks Elementary is 10.8, which is the 4th best among 36 elementary schools in the Pasadena Independent School District (Isd). (See more...)
Help
Compare Sparks Elementary employs 33.4 full-time teachers.
Finance
Help
Compare Details The average total spent per student at Sparks Elementary is $14,201, which is the highest among 36 elementary schools in the Pasadena Independent School District (Isd)!
Schooldigger Rankings:

Sparks Elementary was not ranked this year due to insufficient test score data.

Pasadena Independent School District (Isd):

SchoolDigger ranks Pasadena Independent School District (Isd) 562nd of 968 Texas school districts. (See district ranking list.)

Average Parent Rating:

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Rank History for Sparks Elementary

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Rank History for all students at Sparks Elementary

Year Avg Standard Score Statewide Rank Total # Ranked Elementary Schools TX State Percentile SchoolDigger Rating
2004 70.73 936th 3465 73.0%
2005 80.46 437th 3475 87.4%
2006 71.07 963rd 3476 72.3%
2007 50.95 2159th 3724 42.0%
2008 61.36 1580th 3768 58.1%
2009 58.21 1816th 3884 53.2%
2010 70.37 1091st 3937 72.3%
2011 64.53 1526th 4095 62.7%
2012 41.54 2801st 4206 33.4%
2013 63.35 1541st 4221 63.5%
2014 52.79 2167th 4260 49.1%
2015 52.79 2179th 4320 49.6%
2016 65.48 1492nd 4286 65.2%
2017 27.36 3309th 4329 23.6%
2018 23.53 3607th 4359 17.3%
2019 23.63 3708th 4479 17.2%
2021 24.57 3542nd 4578 22.6%
2022 65.30 1362nd 4581 70.3%
2023 41.45 2697th 4647 42.0%
2024 58.95 1639th 4675 64.9%
See the entire list of Texas Elementary School Rankings!

Rank History for English Language Learner students at Sparks Elementary

Year Avg Standard Score Statewide Rank Total # Ranked Elementary Schools TX State Percentile SchoolDigger Rating
2018 54.73 1262nd 3226 60.9%
2019 55.97 1271st 3333 61.9%
2021 45.55 1734th 3446 49.7%
2022 76.02 474th 3487 86.4%
2023 61.57 1073rd 3556 69.8%
See the entire list of Best Texas Elementary Schools for English Language Learner Students!

Rank History for Special Education students at Sparks Elementary

Year Avg Standard Score Statewide Rank Total # Ranked Elementary Schools TX State Percentile SchoolDigger Rating
2018 17.32 3421st 3558 3.9%
2019 24.67 3207th 3684 12.9%
2021 49.08 1478th 3799 61.1%
2022 48.78 1647th 3952 58.3%
2023 41.75 2167th 4086 47.0%
See the entire list of Best Texas Elementary Schools for Special Education Students!

Rank History for Low Socio Economic Status students at Sparks Elementary

Year Avg Standard Score Statewide Rank Total # Ranked Elementary Schools TX State Percentile SchoolDigger Rating
2018 29.88 3394th 4264 20.4%
2019 33.58 3232nd 4309 25.0%
2021 38.02 2855th 4451 35.9%
2022 81.27 413th 4477 90.8%
2023 53.31 1956th 4521 56.7%
See the entire list of Best Texas Elementary Schools for Low Socio Economic Status Students!

Rank History for Female students at Sparks Elementary

Year Avg Standard Score Statewide Rank Total # Ranked Elementary Schools TX State Percentile SchoolDigger Rating
2018 21.26 3763rd 4306 12.6%
2019 18.65 3923rd 4348 9.8%
2021 23.06 3675th 4499 18.3%
2022 72.64 986th 4561 78.4%
2023 41.49 2700th 4588 41.2%
See the entire list of Best Texas Elementary Schools for Female Students!

Rank History for Gifted and Talented students at Sparks Elementary

Year Avg Standard Score Statewide Rank Total # Ranked Elementary Schools TX State Percentile SchoolDigger Rating
2023 64.48 1207th 2980 59.5%
See the entire list of Best Texas Elementary Schools for Gifted and Talented Students!

Rank History for At Risk students at Sparks Elementary

Year Avg Standard Score Statewide Rank Total # Ranked Elementary Schools TX State Percentile SchoolDigger Rating
2018 52.90 1760th 4240 58.5%
2019 62.24 1201st 4295 72.0%
2021 48.24 1968th 4331 54.6%
2022 84.17 321st 4461 92.8%
See the entire list of Best Texas Elementary Schools for At Risk Students!

Rank History for Male students at Sparks Elementary

Year Avg Standard Score Statewide Rank Total # Ranked Elementary Schools TX State Percentile SchoolDigger Rating
2018 30.06 3240th 4319 25.0%
2019 35.53 2948th 4357 32.3%
2021 29.33 3230th 4498 28.2%
2022 54.07 1930th 4563 57.7%
2023 41.26 2687th 4585 41.4%
See the entire list of Best Texas Elementary Schools for Male Students!

Rank History for Hispanic students at Sparks Elementary

Year Avg Standard Score Statewide Rank Total # Ranked Elementary Schools TX State Percentile SchoolDigger Rating
2018 30.56 3227th 4168 22.6%
2019 33.14 3076th 4188 26.6%
2021 32.26 3085th 4329 28.7%
2022 73.46 775th 4376 82.3%
2023 47.80 2196th 4401 50.1%
See the entire list of Best Texas Elementary Schools for Hispanic Students!

Data source: test scores: Texas Education Agency, rankings: SchoolDigger.com

As you review the school rankings data, please be aware that some of the information from certain demographics is missing. The reason for this omission is that the data has been redacted from the source data itself due to low population samples in these specific demographic groups.

Redacting data from low population samples is a necessary step to ensure the reliability and accuracy of the results, as small sample sizes may not be representative of the broader population. Additionally, this measure helps protect the privacy of individuals belonging to these demographic groups.

Sparks Elementary Test Scores
Tests: 
  
Grades: 
  
Years: 
  
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Data source: Texas Education Agency

Review counts

All ratings (Avg rating: 1)
0%

0%

0%

0%

100%

  

Reviews:
by a parent
Thursday, November 9, 2017

Open Quote No me gusta el trato q le dan a algunos padres de familia por ser jóvenes y no les importan mucho sus estudiantes 😓 Close Quote



Enrollment information for Sparks Elementary

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Compare
Year White African American Asian Hispanic American Indian Pacific Islander Two or More Races Not Specified Total
1988 193 6 8 356 4 n/a n/a 0 567
1989 214 9 7 480 2 n/a n/a 0 712
1990 267 8 4 480 5 n/a n/a 0 764
1991 248 10 8 495 6 n/a n/a 0 767
1992 234 15 4 546 8 n/a n/a 0 807
1993 204 14 6 496 5 n/a n/a 0 725
1994 195 20 4 483 4 n/a n/a 0 706
1995 174 22 5 496 3 n/a n/a 0 700
1996 174 22 5 496 3 n/a n/a 0 700
1997 135 21 4 541 3 n/a n/a 0 704
1998 130 30 4 586 4 n/a n/a 0 754
1999 109 30 3 600 4 n/a n/a 0 746
2000 98 25 4 619 1 n/a n/a 0 747
2001 82 32 6 640 2 n/a n/a 0 762
2002 60 23 5 534 2 n/a n/a 0 624
2003 60 23 5 534 2 n/a n/a 0 624
2004 60 23 2 548 1 n/a n/a 0 634
2005 58 28 1 518 0 n/a n/a 0 605
2006 57 24 3 474 1 n/a n/a 0 559
2007 43 26 1 520 1 n/a n/a 0 591
2008 47 19 2 529 0 n/a n/a 0 597
2009 46 20 1 502 1 n/a n/a 0 570
2010 48 12 1 495 1 n/a n/a 0 557
2011 36 8 2 479 0 1 0 0 526
2012 26 12 0 514 0 1 1 0 554
2013 26 16 0 492 0 1 1 0 536
2014 19 17 1 470 0 0 0 0 507
2015 22 15 2 480 0 0 1 0 520
2016 14 13 1 439 0 2 2 0 471
2017 20 25 0 461 0 1 3 0 510
2018 17 18 0 419 0 1 5 0 460
2019 11 21 2 382 3 0 3 0 422
2020 11 22 0 362 1 0 1 0 397
2021 3 14 0 319 1 0 1 0 338
2022 7 10 1 333 1 0 2 0 354
2023 10 12 1 334 1 0 4 0 362

Data source: National Center for Education Statistics, U.S. Dept of Education.

About Enrollment/Ethnicity

For more information about how the Department of Education defines ethnicity, see Defining Race and Ethnicity Data, National Center for Education Statistics

Students eligible for free or discounted lunch at Sparks Elementary

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Compare
Year # Students Full-time Teachers Student/Teacher ratio % Free/Discounted Lunch
1988 567 42.0 13.5 n/a
1989 712 n/a n/a n/a
1990 764 39.0 19.5 n/a
1991 767 38.8 19.7 n/a
1992 807 44.5 18.1 60.1
1993 725 40.0 18.1 70.9
1994 706 40.0 17.6 69.1
1995 700 41.8 16.7 60.3
1996 700 41.8 16.7 60.3
1997 704 41.0 17.2 60.7
1998 754 41.5 18.2 65.1
1999 746 42.7 17.5 76.7
2000 747 42.4 17.6 78.2
2001 762 43.4 17.6 82.9
2002 624 39.1 16.0 82.2
2003 624 39.1 16.0 82.2
2004 634 38.4 16.5 84.2
2005 605 41.3 14.6 86.3
2006 559 37.4 14.9 86
2007 591 38.7 15.3 82.6
2008 597 38.6 15.5 83.6
2009 570 37.7 15.1 88.1
2010 557 35.3 15.7 86.2
2011 526 33.6 15.6 n/a
2012 554 34.4 16.1 91
2013 536 38.0 14.0 90.7
2014 507 38.0 13.3 87.2
2015 520 37.0 14.0 88.3
2016 471 32.0 14.7 87
2017 510 36.7 13.8 88.6
2018 460 36.8 12.4 91.5
2019 422 34.0 12.4 94.5
2020 397 32.0 12.3 90.9
2021 338 30.1 11.2 95.6
2022 354 34.3 10.3 95.5
2023 362 33.4 10.8 93.6

Data source: National Center for Education Statistics, U.S. Dept of Education.

About Students eligible for discounted/free lunch:

The National School Lunch Program (NSLP) provides low-cost or free meals to students in U.S. public and nonprofit private schools based on household income. Those with incomes below 130% of the poverty line receive free lunch, while those between 130% and 185% qualify for reduced-price lunch. The percentage of students receiving free or reduced-price lunch serves as a marker for poverty, as it reflects the socioeconomic status of families in a given school or district. A higher FRPL rate typically indicates a higher concentration of low-income families, suggesting that the school or district may face additional challenges in providing adequate resources and support for student success.

Student/Teacher Ratio Sparks Elementary

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Compare
Year # Students Full-time Teachers Student/Teacher ratio % Free/Discounted Lunch
1988 567 42.0 13.5 n/a
1989 712 n/a n/a n/a
1990 764 39.0 19.5 n/a
1991 767 38.8 19.7 n/a
1992 807 44.5 18.1 60.1
1993 725 40.0 18.1 70.9
1994 706 40.0 17.6 69.1
1995 700 41.8 16.7 60.3
1996 700 41.8 16.7 60.3
1997 704 41.0 17.2 60.7
1998 754 41.5 18.2 65.1
1999 746 42.7 17.5 76.7
2000 747 42.4 17.6 78.2
2001 762 43.4 17.6 82.9
2002 624 39.1 16.0 82.2
2003 624 39.1 16.0 82.2
2004 634 38.4 16.5 84.2
2005 605 41.3 14.6 86.3
2006 559 37.4 14.9 86
2007 591 38.7 15.3 82.6
2008 597 38.6 15.5 83.6
2009 570 37.7 15.1 88.1
2010 557 35.3 15.7 86.2
2011 526 33.6 15.6 n/a
2012 554 34.4 16.1 91
2013 536 38.0 14.0 90.7
2014 507 38.0 13.3 87.2
2015 520 37.0 14.0 88.3
2016 471 32.0 14.7 87
2017 510 36.7 13.8 88.6
2018 460 36.8 12.4 91.5
2019 422 34.0 12.4 94.5
2020 397 32.0 12.3 90.9
2021 338 30.1 11.2 95.6
2022 354 34.3 10.3 95.5
2023 362 33.4 10.8 93.6

Data source: National Center for Education Statistics, U.S. Dept of Education.

About Student-Teacher Ratio

Student/teacher ratio is calculated by dividing the total number of students by the total number of full-time equivalent teachers. Please note that a smaller student/teacher ratio does not necessarily translate to smaller class size. In some instances, schools hire teachers part time, and some teachers are hired for specialized instruction with very small class sizes. These and other factors contribute to the student/teacher ratio. Note: For private schools, Student/teacher ratio may not include Pre-Kindergarten.
Finances

Per Pupil Expenditures for Sparks Elementary

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YearExpenditures from Federal FundsExpenditures from State and Local FundsTotal Expenditures Per Pupil (All Funds)
2019 $1,898 (16.2%) $9,803 (83.8%) $11,701
2020 $1,844 (14.7%) $10,721 (85.3%) $12,565
2021 $2,528 (17.8%) $11,673 (82.2%) $14,201

Data source: Texas Department of Education
Pre and Post Pandemic Data

Impact of COVID-19 on Sparks Elementary

The coronavirus has had a profound impact on education in America. Learning shifted online overnight, attendance numbers dwindled, and enrollment decreased. SchoolDigger.com is making it easier for you to better assess how COVID-19 has impacted your school. Through the collection of pre-pandemic (2019) and current data, SchoolDigger.com is sharing test scores, enrollment numbers and school demographics from schools across the country – and we make it easy to see how impacted schools compare locally and statewide.

Rankings

Rank
Pre-pandemic (2018-2019)
Rank
Post pandemic (2022-2023)
Change (%)
Ranks 3708th of 4479 Elementary schoolsRanks 2697th of 4647 Elementary schools
 24.7%

Test Scores

% proficient
Pre-pandemic (2018-2019)
% proficient
Post pandemic (2022-2023)
Change (%)
3rd Grade Reading (Sparks Elementary)3240
 8%
   3rd Grade Reading (Pasadena Independent School District (Isd))3946
 7%
   3rd Grade Reading (Texas)4450
 6%
3rd Grade Mathematics (Sparks Elementary)2835
 7%
   3rd Grade Mathematics (Pasadena Independent School District (Isd))3836
 2%
   3rd Grade Mathematics (Texas)4843
 5%
3rd Grade Reading (Sparks Elementary)5031
 19%
   3rd Grade Reading (Pasadena Independent School District (Isd))4528
 17%
   3rd Grade Reading (Texas)3924
 15%
3rd Grade Mathematics (Sparks Elementary)031
 31%
   3rd Grade Mathematics (Pasadena Independent School District (Isd))4231
 11%
   3rd Grade Mathematics (Texas)3126
 5%
4th Grade Reading (Sparks Elementary)3134
 3%
   4th Grade Reading (Pasadena Independent School District (Isd))3938
 1%
   4th Grade Reading (Texas)4347
 4%
4th Grade Mathematics (Sparks Elementary)2955
 26%
   4th Grade Mathematics (Pasadena Independent School District (Isd))3841
 3%
   4th Grade Mathematics (Texas)4647
 1%
4th Grade Reading (Sparks Elementary)200
 20%
   4th Grade Reading (Pasadena Independent School District (Isd))3336
 3%
   4th Grade Reading (Texas)2929

Student Body

Number of students
Pre-pandemic (2018-2019)
Number of students
Post pandemic (2022-2023)
Change (%)
Total Students422362
 14.2%
African American2112
 42.9%
American Indian31
 66.7%
Asian21
 50%
Hispanic382334
 12.6%
Pacific Islander00
White1110
 9.1%
Two or More Races34
 33.3%
% Free/Discounted Lunch Recipients94.5%93.6%
 0.9%


Schools Near Sparks Elementary









Frequently Asked Questions about Sparks Elementary

Students at Sparks Elementary are 92% Hispanic, 3% African American, 3% White, 1% Two or more races.

Students who attend Sparks Elementary usually go on to attend:

Middle : Keller Middle
Middle : San Jacinto Intermediate
High : Sam Rayburn High School

Sparks Elementary ranks 1639th of 4675 Texas elementary schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 3 stars out of 5.

In the 2022-23 school year, 362 students attended Sparks Elementary.


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SchoolDigger data sources: National Center for Education Statistics, U.S. Department of Education, the U.S. Census Bureau and the Texas Education Agency.

IMPORTANT DISCLAIMERS: Not all boundaries are included. We make every effort to ensure that boundaries are up-to-date. But it's important to note that these are approximations and are for general informational purposes only. To verify legal descriptions of boundaries or school locations, contact your local tax assessor's office and/or school district.





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