Houston Elementary is in the Austin ISD and earned a 2/10 rating from Great School’s as of October 2026. The campus sits at 2108 Lemon Dr. in Southeast Austin’s 78744 zip code, in the Dove Springs area, and serves Pre-K 3 through 5th grade. Houston opened a fully modernized building in fall 2026 under Austin ISD’s 2022 bond, and its attendance zone did not change for 2026-27. The entire zone feeds Mendez Middle School and Travis Early College High School. Scroll down to read more about homes near Josephine Houston Elementary School.
On This Page
Houston Elementary School Snapshot
- Address: 2108 Lemon Dr., Austin, TX 78744
- Phone: (512) 414-2517
- School District: Austin ISD
- Grades Served: Pre-K3 through 5th grade
- Enrollment: 443 students (2025-26)
- Student-Teacher Ratio: 11.1:1 (2025-26, TEA)
- Principal: Alexandra Tarpley
- School Hours: 7:40 a.m. to 3:15 p.m. (dismissal moved from 3:10 to 3:15 p.m. on September 14, 2026)
- Mascot: the Eagles
- Opened: 1977
- GreatSchools Rating: It is 2/10 as of October 2026.
Josephine Houston Elementary was dedicated on March 6, 1977, and is named for Josephine Houston, whose Austin teaching career spanned 46 years, including principal posts at Becker and St. Elmo schools. The campus was fully modernized on its existing site under the 2022 bond, with a budget of $56.37 million, and the new building opened in fall 2026. Austin ISD’s directory lists 2108 Lemon Dr. as the address, while the bond office and some older listings use 5409 Ponciana Dr., and the campus has entrances on Lemon Dr., Tallow Tree Dr. and Ponciana Dr. In 2025-26, Houston enrolled 443 students, with 89.8% economically disadvantaged, 67.3% emergent bilingual and 31.6% receiving special education services, according to TEA. GreatSchools and TEA measure different things. GreatSchools weighs test results against schools with similar student populations, while TEA’s rating, below, is the state’s official accountability measure.
Academic Performance: Texas Education Agency Accountability Rating
In TEA’s 2025-26 accountability ratings, released in August 2026, Houston Elementary earned an overall D with a score of 67. That is up 19 points from an F (48) in 2024-25. Houston’s ratings have swung widely: a B (85) in 2021-22, an F (50) in 2022-23, a D (67) in 2023-24 and an F (48) in 2024-25.
- Overall TEA Rating (2025-26): D (67)
- Student Achievement: F, 54 out of 100 (based on STAAR performance)
- School Progress: D, 65 out of 100 (Academic Growth D/65, Relative Performance F/55)
- Closing the Gaps: C, 71 out of 100
- Prior Overall Ratings: B (85) in 2021-22, F (50) in 2022-23, D (67) in 2023-24, F (48) in 2024-25
- Austin ISD (2025-26): B (81) district-wide
Under TEA’s scale, an A reflects exemplary performance, B is recognized, C is acceptable, D needs improvement, and F is unacceptable. Most of Houston’s 2025-26 gain came from Closing the Gaps, which measures results for student groups and jumped from an F (30) to a C (71). School Progress improved from an F (56) to a D (65), with Academic Growth at 65 and Relative Performance, which compares results with schools serving similar shares of economically disadvantaged students, at an F (55). Student Achievement, the share of students meeting STAAR standards, stayed in the F range at 54. TEA has identified Houston for comprehensive support and improvement in several recent years, and in 2025-26 it is listed as a comprehensive support and improvement progress school. After two consecutive unacceptable ratings, Houston is operating under a state-mandated turnaround plan focused on intensive curriculum and instruction improvements, with the campus remaining a neighborhood school. The board approved the plan on November 20, 2025, and TEA approved it on January 23, 2026. Houston earned a Comparative Academic Growth distinction in 2021-22 and none since.
Source: Texas Education Agency accountability summaries for Houston Elementary (campus 227901162), 2022 through 2026 (2025-26 ratings released August 2026). The 2022-23 and 2023-24 ratings were delayed by litigation and released in 2025. TEA issues updated ratings annually, so verify the current rating directly with Austin ISD or TEA before making a decision based on it.
Programs at Houston Elementary
These are the programs Austin ISD and the Houston campus list for this school. Houston offers full-day Pre-K 3 and Pre-K 4 and is on Austin ISD’s 2026-27 dual language campus list.
- Pre-K: Houston offers full-day Pre-K3 and full-day Pre-K4, including tuition-supported Pre-K for families who do not qualify for free Pre-K. TEA counted 23 Pre-K3 and 45 Pre-K4 students in 2025-26.
- Dual Language: Houston offers one-way Spanish dual language, intended for native Spanish speakers, and is on Austin ISD’s 2026-27 dual language campus list.
- Creative Learning Initiative and fine arts: Houston is a Creative Learning Initiative campus, and its campus page lists art, band, music and orchestra.
- Certified Academic Language Therapist: Houston lists a Certified Academic Language Therapist signature program, and the campus has dyslexia interventionists.
- Gifted and Talented: A counselor serves as the campus GT advocate for Austin ISD’s districtwide GT services. TEA reported 4.5% of students in GT services in 2025-26.
- Special education: Houston has bilingual Early Childhood Special Education, bilingual and English Life Skills, Social Behavior Skills, intensive support and resource classrooms. About 31.6% of students received special education services in 2025-26 (TEA).
- After-school: The ACE after-school program offers basketball, music, soccer, Girl Scouts, math, art, coding, cooking and dance; Austin ISD lists both free and tuition-based after-school programming plus after-school meals.
- Mindfulness and SEL: The campus lists mindfulness spaces, mentoring programs and social and emotional learning among its highlights.
- PTA: Houston has a PTA with a parent president.
- Meals: Free breakfast and lunch for all students.
Houston moved into its modernized building in fall 2026, and dismissal moved from 3:10 to 3:15 p.m. on September 14, 2026. For current details on Pre-K, dual language, special education or after-school programs, contact Houston Elementary at (512) 414-2517.
Where is Josephine Houston Elementary School?
Houston Elementary is located at:
2108 Lemon Dr.
Austin, TX 78744
Houston Elementary Attendance Zone Map
Houston’s zone covers part of Dove Springs in the 78744 zip code. Its single-family homes are mostly in Peppertree Park, Wagon Crossing and the Dove Springs sections. Houston was not assigned any part of a closing school’s zone for 2026-27. An early draft of the consolidation plan would have sent part of the Widen Elementary zone to Houston, but the final plan sent all Widen students to Rodriguez Elementary.
Austin ISD plans Phase 1 boundary changes for 2027-28, with a board vote expected in fall 2026, and a district-wide boundary and feeder realignment for fall 2028, so confirm any address with Austin ISD’s school finder before buying.
Homes Zoned to Houston Elementary: Market Stats
The figures below cover single-family homes sold through Unlock MLS whose addresses fall inside Houston Elementary’s 2026-27 attendance zone, based on Austin ISD’s official SY 2026-27 boundary map, not the school typed into each listing. The sales come from Peppertree Park, Wagon Crossing and the Dove Springs sections. The zone is small, with 87 sales since September 2022, so yearly figures rest on 15 to 26 sales each and can move more than in larger zones.
3-Year Closed Sales Trend
| Period | Homes Sold | Median Sale Price | Median $/Sq Ft | Sale-to-List Ratio | Median Days on Market |
| Sept 2022 – Aug 2023 | 26 | $344,000 | $272.50 | 99.7% | 18 days |
| Sept 2023 – Aug 2024 | 21 | $310,000 | $257.61 | 96.6% | 14 days |
| Sept 2024 – Aug 2025 | 15 | $311,000 | $259.17 | 97.3% | 37 days |
| Trailing 12 Months (Sept 2025 – Aug 2026) | 25 | $280,000 | $230.65 | 96.4% | 51 days |
Data sourced from Unlock MLS. Statistics deemed reliable but not guaranteed. Single-family homes only. Each Austin ISD listing was geocoded and matched to Austin ISD’s SY 2026-27 Houston Elementary attendance boundary, so the figures reflect today’s zone rather than the school typed into each listing.
The median sale price in the Houston zone has fallen, from $344,000 in 2022-23 to $280,000 over the trailing twelve months, a change of about -18.6%. Median price per square foot moved from $272.50 to $230.65 (-15.4%), and the median home sold was about 1,289 square feet, slightly larger than the 1,210 in 2022-23.
Sales volume went from 26 homes in 2022-23 to a low of 15 in 2024-25 and back to 25 in the past twelve months. Homes are taking longer to sell, with median days on market rising from 17.5 days to 51 days, and sellers received a median of 96.4% of their final list price, down from 99.7%.
Current Inventory Snapshot
As of October 2, 2026
| Status | Count | Median List Price | Median Days on Market |
| Active | 4 | $338,750 | 94 days |
| Active Under Contract | 2 | $307,000 | 32 days |
| Pending | 2 | $257,440 | 62 days |
Data sourced from Unlock MLS. Statistics deemed reliable but not guaranteed. Single-family homes only, same zone method as above.
8 homes are currently active, under contract, or pending in the Houston Elementary zone. With 4 active listings against about 2.1 sales a month over the past year, the zone has roughly 1.9 months of inventory, which points to a seller’s market, though with so few listings that figure can change quickly.
The median active list price of $338,750 is above the trailing-twelve-month median sale price of $280,000, and active listings have been on the market a median of 94 days.
Homes for Sale Near Josephine Houston Elementary School
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Neighborhoods Zoned to Houston Elementary
These are the main neighborhoods inside Houston Elementary’s 2026-27 attendance zone, with price ranges from closed single-family sales through Unlock MLS from September 2022 through August 2026, mapped by address to Austin ISD’s official boundary map:
- Peppertree Park: 33 sales from $155,000 to $430,000, for homes of about 850 to 2,340 sq ft. Most were built between 1971 and 1978.
- Wagon Crossing: 31 sales from $192,000 to $420,000, for homes of about 1,030 to 1,750 sq ft. Most were built between 1974 and 1978.
- Dove Springs: 15 sales from $170,000 to $450,000, for homes of about 970 to 1,620 sq ft. Most were built between 1974 and 1975.
Several of these neighborhoods are split between attendance zones, and the counts above include only the homes inside Houston Elementary’s zone. Confirm the zoned school for a specific address with Austin ISD before you buy.
Feeder Middle and High Schools
For 2026-27, the entire Houston zone feeds Consuelo Herrera Mendez Middle School and Travis Early College High School.
Feeder Middle School
- Consuelo Herrera Mendez Middle School
5106 Village Square Drive, Austin, TX 78744
Great Schools Rating: 6/10
Feeder High School
- Travis Early College High School
1211 E. Oltorf St., Austin, TX 78704
Great Schools Rating: 1/10
Source: Austin ISD’s official SY 2026-27 attendance boundary and school reassignment layers (updated July 30, 2026); shares are based on where the zone’s single-family home sales since Sept 2022 fall. Feeder patterns can change, and Austin ISD plans boundary changes for 2027-28 and a district-wide realignment for fall 2028, so confirm with the district.
Frequently Asked Questions
Ratings and Zoning
Houston earned a D with a score of 67 in TEA’s 2025-26 accountability ratings, released in August 2026. That is up from an F (48) in 2024-25. It was a B (85) in 2021-22, an F (50) in 2022-23 and a D (67) in 2023-24.
Closing the Gaps, which looks at results for student groups, rose from 30 to 71, and School Progress rose from 56 to 65. Student Achievement stayed low at 54.
Yes. After two consecutive unacceptable ratings, Houston is operating under a state-mandated turnaround plan focused on intensive curriculum and instruction improvements. The board approved it on November 20, 2025, TEA approved it on January 23, 2026, and Houston remains a neighborhood school.
No. An early draft would have sent part of the Widen Elementary zone to Houston, but the final plan sent all Widen students to Rodriguez Elementary. Houston’s zone is unchanged for 2026-27.
Use Austin ISD’s school finder, then confirm with the district. Austin ISD plans Phase 1 boundary changes for 2027-28, with a board vote expected in October 2026, and a district-wide realignment for fall 2028.
Programs, Feeder Schools and Home Prices
Yes. Houston offers full-day Pre-K 3 and full-day Pre-K 4, including tuition-supported Pre-K for families who do not qualify for free Pre-K. TEA counted 23 Pre-K 3 and 45 Pre-K 4 students in 2025-26.
Houston offers one-way Spanish dual language, intended for native Spanish speakers, and is on Austin ISD’s 2026-27 dual language campus list.
The entire Houston zone feeds Consuelo Herrera Mendez Middle School and Travis Early College High School.
Over the trailing twelve months, 25 single-family homes sold in the Houston zone at a median of $280,000, compared with $344,000 in 2022-23, a decline of about 18.6%. The median price per square foot was $230.65.
Single-family sales in the zone come from Peppertree Park, Wagon Crossing and the Dove Springs sections near the campus. As of October 2, 2026, only 4 homes in the zone were actively listed.
Looking to Buy a Home Near Houston Elementary?
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Broker Associate, CRS, ABR, SFR · Eleven Oaks Realty
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