Independent Texas school research. TEA data, clearly explained. Not affiliated with the state agencyTEA.
Traditional public school campus
Smith County · Region 07: Kilgore · 510 students
At a glance
Under TEA’s current rules, the available rating history is moving up; under the rules in force back then it scored 95 in 2021-22. The current score is above the 81.9 average for 1,729 rated schools serving a similar economic context.The current score is above the 80 average for 352 rated schools in Region 07: Kilgore.The current score is above the 82.4 average for 59 rated schools in Smith County.The current score is above the 80.1 average for 4,744 similarly sized rated schools.The current score is above the 81.3 average for 7,646 rated Texas schools.
Evidence worth noticing
STAAR result
Among 1,665 schools with a similar economic-disadvantage rate reporting this measure.
See the full measureSTAAR result
Among 1,657 schools with a similar economic-disadvantage rate reporting this measure.
See the full measureSTAAR result
Among 1,663 schools with a similar economic-disadvantage rate reporting this measure.
See the full measureSTAAR result
Among 316 schools in Region 07: Kilgore reporting this measure.
STAAR result
Among 314 schools in Region 07: Kilgore reporting this measure.
STAAR result
Among 315 schools in Region 07: Kilgore reporting this measure.
STAAR result
Among 55 schools in Smith County reporting this measure.
STAAR result
Among 55 schools in Smith County reporting this measure.
STAAR result
Among 55 schools in Smith County reporting this measure.
STAAR result
Among 4,527 similarly sized schools reporting this measure.
See the full measureSTAAR result
Among 4,527 similarly sized schools reporting this measure.
See the full measureSTAAR result
Among 4,527 similarly sized schools reporting this measure.
See the full measureSTAAR result
Among 7,260 Texas schools reporting this measure.
See the full measureSTAAR result
Among 7,227 Texas schools reporting this measure.
See the full measureSTAAR result
Among 7,254 Texas schools reporting this measure.
See the full measureSelected positive signals, not a summary of performance. The same rules choose them on every page: only the latest one-year gain, results meaningfully better than the currently selected comparison with broad reporting, and distinctive top-three placements. Demographics, staffing and spending cannot become academic “wins.” The overall rating and the full results below remain the complete picture for this school.
Velma Penny Elem is rated A by TEA, scoring 94 out of 100 for 2025-26 — above the 81.9 average for 1,729 rated schools serving a similar economic context. It is up 2 points since 2021-22.
Ranks 71st of 1,729 rated schools serving a similar economic context (tied with 27 others).
Velma Penny Elem is rated A by TEA, scoring 94 out of 100 for 2025-26 — above the 80 average for 352 rated schools in Region 07: Kilgore. It is up 2 points since 2021-22.
Ranks 18th of 352 rated schools in Region 07: Kilgore (tied with 12 others).
Velma Penny Elem is rated A by TEA, scoring 94 out of 100 for 2025-26 — above the 82.4 average for 59 rated schools in Smith County. It is up 2 points since 2021-22.
Ranks 4th of 59 rated schools in Smith County (tied with 5 others).
Velma Penny Elem is rated A by TEA, scoring 94 out of 100 for 2025-26 — above the 80.1 average for 4,744 similarly sized rated schools. It is up 2 points since 2021-22.
Ranks 194th of 4,744 similarly sized rated schools (tied with 76 others).
Velma Penny Elem is rated A by TEA, scoring 94 out of 100 for 2025-26 — above the 81.3 average for 7,646 rated Texas schools. It is up 2 points since 2021-22.
Ranks 379th of 7,646 rated Texas schools (tied with 208 others).
Put the numbers in context
Follow the solid line to see how this school has changed. Turn comparison lines on or off to add context.
2021-22 is shown under the refreshed methodology TEA adopted in 2023, so it is comparable with later years. Under the original scoring it was rated A with 95 that year.
Comparison lines follow the current rated cohort backward through time. The table gives the number in that fixed cohort that reported a score each year; it can be smaller than cohort membership.
| Year | Rating | Score | Selected comparisonSimilar economic-disadvantage rate | StateTexas average |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025-26 | A | 94 | 81.9 1,729 reporting | 81.3 7,646 reporting |
| 2024-25 | A | 94 | 82.1 1,704 reporting | 81.2 7,554 reporting |
| 2023-24 | A | 91 | 80.1 1,680 reporting | 78.9 7,466 reporting |
| 2022-23 | A | 91 | 80.7 1,657 reporting | 79.1 7,377 reporting |
| 2021-22 | A | 92 | 83.3 1,634 reporting | 83.7 7,283 reporting |
Texas builds the overall rating from the better of Student Achievement and School Progress, weighted 70%, plus Closing the Gaps at 30%. School Progress is itself the better of Academic Growth and Relative Performance. The 60, 70, 80 and 90 rules mark the letter-grade thresholds.
| Domain | Score | Grade | Points to next grade |
|---|---|---|---|
| Student Achievement | 94 | A | — |
| School Progress | 93 | A | — |
| Closing the Gaps | 95 | A | — |
| Academic Growth | — | Not rated | — |
| Relative Performance | 93 | A | — |
TEA does not add the domains up. The overall score is the better of Student Achievement and School Progress at 70%, plus Closing the Gaps at 30%. For this school that better measure is Student Achievement (94), so School Progress (93) is published above but does not enter the overall score at all — gaining points there changes nothing until it passes 94.
Percentage of tests at or above each level. Masters is a subset of Meets, which is a subset of Approaches. The selected-comparison tick on each bar marks the average for schools with a similar economic-disadvantage rate — a comparison TEA does not publish.
Counts in the comparison controls describe full cohort membership, not the denominator of every average. Each average uses only schools for which TEA reported that measure; metric-specific reporting counts are shown on the STAAR, graduation and CCMR rows and may vary.
Placed after the results deliberately: this is context for reading them, not an explanation of them.
Velma Penny Elem
Selected comparison average For schools with a similar economic-disadvantage rate · 1,729 reporting for every category shown · 1,729 in full cohort
Selected comparison average For Region 07: Kilgore · 352 reporting for every category shown · 352 in full cohort
Selected comparison average For Smith County · 59 reporting for every category shown · 59 in full cohort
Selected comparison average For similarly sized schools · 4,744 reporting for every category shown · 4,744 in full cohort
Statewide average 7,646 reporting for every category shown · 7,646 Texas schools in full cohort
Context only. These counts are not rankings, comparisons, or judgments about school quality.
The mobility count and rate use TEA’s separate 2024–25 campus denominator shown above, not current enrollment. This site does not recalculate a missing rate.
The first figure is TEA’s student count for this accountability summary. It is a separate publication from the fall PEIMS enrollment shown above and can differ; this site does not substitute one for the other. Counts come from TEA’s 2025-26 accountability summary, fetched 29 August 2026. A reported zero is shown as 0. Small-number and complementary masks, unavailable values, and blank not-reported fields stay separate and are never estimated. TEA masking definitions.
TEA-reported student enrollment for each available school year. Enrollment growth or decline is not a measure of school quality.
TEA reported 510 students in 2025–26, a decrease of 7 (1.4%) from 2024–25.
2025–26
Decrease · −1.4%
Increase · +0.8%
| School year | Students enrolledVelma Penny Elem | Change from previous school year | Average enrollmentselected comparison |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2021–22 | 506 | First available year | 653.3 |
| 2022–23 | 541 | Increase of 35 (6.9%) | 658.3 |
| 2023–24 | 540 | Decrease of 1 (0.2%) | 657.6 |
| 2024–25 | 517 | Decrease of 23 (4.3%) | 653.4 |
| 2025–26 | 510 | Decrease of 7 (1.4%) | 649.1 |
The selected comparison column is the average enrollment among reporting schools in that group. It changes with the comparison control; this school's own counts do not.
Source: TEA PEIMS Student Program and Special Populations Reports, fetched 24 August 2026. TEA reports these counts from its fall student snapshot; changes compare adjacent reported school years.
These counts show how enrollment changed, not why. Attendance-zone changes, school openings or closures, grade reconfigurations, transfers and population shifts can affect the total.
TEA’s annual student and action counts, kept separate and divided only by the matching full-year enrollment. These figures describe removals from instruction, not a simple safe-or-unsafe score.
2.4% of cumulative year-end enrollment
4.07 per 100 students
2024–25
| School year | Cumulative enrollment | Studentsall discipline | Students% of enrollment | Actionsall discipline | Actionsper 100 students | Studentsselected comparison average % | Actionsselected comparison average per 100 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2020–21 | 552 | 14 | 2.5% | 14 | 2.54 | 9.7% | 18.6 |
| 2021–22 | 538 | 19 | 3.5% | 30 | 5.58 | 12.0% | 26.8 |
| 2022–23 | 579 | 23 | 4.0% | 35 | 6.04 | 12.6% | 28.8 |
| 2023–24 | 580 | 16 | 2.8% | 28 | 4.83 | 12.6% | 29.1 |
| 2024–25 | 541 | 13 | 2.4% | 22 | 4.07 | 12.2% | 27.4 |
| Category | Students | Students% of enrollment | Actions | Actionsper 100 students | Studentsselected comparison average % | Actionsselected comparison average per 100 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| All discipline | 13 | 2.4% | 22 | 4.07 | 12.2% | 27.4 |
| In-school suspensions | 13 | 2.4% | 22 | 4.07 | 11.0% | 21.1 |
| Out-of-school suspensions | Not reported | — | Not reported | — | — | — |
| DAEP placements | Not reported | — | Not reported | — | — | — |
| Mandatory DAEP placements | Not reported | — | Not reported | — | — | — |
| Discretionary DAEP placements | Not reported | — | Not reported | — | — | — |
| JJAEP placements | Not reported | — | Not reported | — | — | — |
| Mandatory JJAEP placements | Not reported | — | Not reported | — | — | — |
| Discretionary JJAEP placements | Not reported | — | Not reported | — | — | — |
| Expulsions | Not reported | — | Not reported | — | — | — |
| Mandatory expulsions | Not reported | — | Not reported | — | — | — |
| Discretionary expulsions | Not reported | — | Not reported | — | — | — |
Selected comparisons use rates, not raw counts, so differently sized schools can be read on the same basis. Each average uses only group members for which TEA reported that rate; this school's own counts and rates remain fixed.
Students, actions and incidents are different units. One student can receive multiple actions. The categories overlap, so they must not be added together. Rates use TEA's matching cumulative year-end enrollment, not the October enrollment shown elsewhere on this page.
Source: TEA Discipline Reports, fetched 24 August 2026. Suppressed values stay unavailable rather than being estimated. Use 2020–21 cautiously because remote instruction during the pandemic changed students' exposure to in-person discipline. TEA consolidated its separate action-group reports into this product in 2024–25; this trend uses only the stable “All discipline” heading.
The campus and its parent district stay fixed while the selected same-sector txschools.net comparison changes with the page-wide control. TEA's own peer group and statewide reference remain visible as separately published, fixed TEA references.
For 2025, TEA reported $9,167 per student for this campus, $14,186 per student for its parent district, Lindale ISD, $18,972 per student for the Texas average.
Not reported in this TEA campus finance record: TEA peer group.
| Year | Velma Penny Elem | Parent district: Lindale ISD | Texas average | Selected comparison average | Reportingselected comparison |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2018 | $5,895 | $10,078 | $13,054 | $7,837 | average for schools with a similar economic-disadvantage rate · 1,581 rated schools reporting |
| 2019 | $6,663 | $14,226 | $13,108 | $8,017 | average for schools with a similar economic-disadvantage rate · 1,599 rated schools reporting |
| 2020 | $6,358 | $15,722 | $14,058 | $8,550 | average for schools with a similar economic-disadvantage rate · 1,611 rated schools reporting |
| 2021 | $6,983 | $12,393 | $14,797 | $8,956 | average for schools with a similar economic-disadvantage rate · 1,627 rated schools reporting |
| 2022 | $7,023 | $13,766 | $15,708 | $10,252 | average for schools with a similar economic-disadvantage rate · 1,636 rated schools reporting |
| 2023 | $10,257 | $13,023 | $16,792 | $10,717 | average for schools with a similar economic-disadvantage rate · 1,656 rated schools reporting |
| 2024 | $8,402 | $13,718 | $18,125 | $11,561 | average for schools with a similar economic-disadvantage rate · 1,678 rated schools reporting |
| 2025 | $9,167 | $14,186 | $18,972 | $12,025 | average for schools with a similar economic-disadvantage rate · 1,702 rated schools reporting |
The selected-comparison reporting count is year-specific and can vary across the table. Dollar amounts are shown as TEA published them and are not adjusted for inflation.
Velma Penny Elem
Selected comparison average For schools with a similar economic-disadvantage rate · 1,729 reporting for every category shown · 1,729 in full cohort
Selected comparison average For Region 07: Kilgore · 352 reporting for every category shown · 352 in full cohort
Selected comparison average For Smith County · 59 reporting for every category shown · 59 in full cohort
Selected comparison average For similarly sized schools · 4,744 reporting for every category shown · 4,744 in full cohort
Statewide average 7,646 reporting for every category shown · 7,646 Texas schools in full cohort
| Grade or subject | Average students per classVelma Penny Elem · 2024–25 | Average students per classselected comparison |
|---|---|---|
| Grade 1 | 19.6 | 18.3 |
| Grade 2 | 19.7 | 18.5 |
| Grade 3 | 19.6 | 19 |
These are TEA's actual class-size averages for the grade or subject shown, not the student-to-teacher ratio. TEA reported 3 of 12 categories for this campus; the categories are not combined into a made-up campus-wide average. Each selected comparison average uses only schools reporting that same grade or subject.
Source: TEA Texas Academic Performance Reports, fetched 24 August 2026.
Out of 85 rankings computed across every published metric and every available comparison group, these are all the measures that meet this site’s distinctive-placement threshold. The list does not change when you change Compare against. Each measure appears once, using its strongest placement. Press Copy for a citable sentence.
First-place results
3 measures
All Subjects — Masters
Smith County · of the 55 that report this measure
Reading — Masters
Smith County · of the 55 that report this measure
Math — Masters
Smith County · of the 55 that report this measure
Fourth- through tenth-place results
5 measures
All Subjects — Meets
Smith County · of the 55 that report this measure
Reading — Meets
Smith County · of the 55 that report this measure
Math — Approaches
Smith County · of the 55 that report this measure · tied with 2
Math — Meets
Smith County · of the 55 that report this measure
All Subjects — Approaches
Smith County · of the 55 that report this measure · tied with 1
High placements in larger reporting groups
5 measures
Closing the Gaps
Similar economic-disadvantage rate · of the 1,645 that report this measure · tied with 23
Student Achievement
Similar economic-disadvantage rate · of the 1,665 that report this measure · tied with 23
Overall score
Similar economic-disadvantage rate · of the 1,729 that report this measure · tied with 27
Relative Performance
Similar economic-disadvantage rate · of the 1,660 that report this measure · tied with 31
School Progress
Similar size · of the 4,527 that report this measure · tied with 84
These are selected high placements, not a summary. Every figure above this section is the full picture, including where this school ranks poorly. Each measure appears once here, using its strongest qualifying placement across all available comparison groups. Very large ties are left out because they do not distinguish this school; any tie that does appear is labeled. Every ranking this site publishes, including the ones no school would put in a press release.
The Texas Education Agency publishes the underlying accountability reports and data downloads. Ratings, outcomes, demographics, staffing and finance on this page come from TEA data available through txschools.gov, fetched 15 August 2026. TEA’s Reports and Data Portal links the official bulk files. Enrollment history comes from TEA's PEIMS Student Program and Special Populations reports, fetched 24 August 2026. The student-count context comes from TEA’s bulk accountability summary, fetched 29 August 2026; TEA’s masking definitions explain withheld values. The dated notice, staffing, discipline, transfer, community and postsecondary sections cite their separate TEA, Census or THECB publication in place. Every archived source carries checksums so each number stays traceable to the bytes the public agency served.
Download the full dataset · this campus's district
Single-file records are pre-built for district-level records only, so there is no per-campus CSV to
link here. Producing both formats for every entity would consume most of the 20,000-asset deployment limit before
pages and shared data are counted. This campus is a row
in the bulk files on the download page, keyed by its TEA id 212903102.