C A TATUM JR EL vs WHITE ROCK EL

C A Tatum Jr El ranks #79 of 8,547 Texas schools with an overall rating of 9.3/10, placing it 228 spots above White Rock El, which earns an 8.9/10 and ranks #307 statewide. The 0.4-point overall gap looks narrow, but the state rank difference of 228 positions reflects a meaningful separation at the top of Texas's distribution, where schools are tightly clustered and small differences carry real weight.

The academic and growth scores tell opposing stories. White Rock El leads on academic proficiency with a 9.7/10 versus C A Tatum Jr El's 9.0/10 — a 0.7-point advantage that reflects higher current test performance. C A Tatum Jr El flips that advantage on growth, posting a 9.7/10 against White Rock El's 8.7/10 — a full point gap indicating students at Tatum are accelerating faster relative to their starting points. Families who prioritize where kids are headed over where they currently test will read those numbers differently than families anchored to absolute proficiency levels.

The demographic and classroom-environment differences between the two schools are stark. C A Tatum Jr El serves 417 students with a 12.3:1 student-teacher ratio and 98% of students qualifying for free or reduced lunch. White Rock El enrolls 1,000 students — more than double — at a 14.5:1 ratio, with 23% FRL eligibility. That 2.2-student-per-teacher gap translates to meaningfully more adult attention per child at Tatum, and the FRL contrast signals that the two schools serve very different socioeconomic populations living 8.6 miles apart within the same city.

On grade span, C A Tatum Jr El runs PK through 5th grade while White Rock El extends one additional year through 6th grade, keeping students in the elementary building through middle-school transition age. Families with children at the upper elementary boundary may factor that extra year of continuity into their decision, avoiding a school change at 6th grade.