Pearland has earned another feather in its cap.

Already a popular real estate hub for families, the Pearland Independent School District received the highest consolidated ranking this year among Houston-area districts by the nonprofit Children at Risk, a Houston-based research and advocacy group that annually releases "grades" for most public schools in the area.

Pearland didn't earn the top spot because of a few high-ranking schools, however, but because 95 percent of the district's campuses scored A or B grades in the ranking.

Superintendent John Kelly said he thinks much of the district's success can be attributed to how it provides "world-class care" - teaching students on an academic and personal level.

"We, as a school district, are going beyond the four walls of the classroom when we help the kids who need help," Kelly said.

Jesus Davila, assistant director for the nonprofit's Center for Social Measurement and Evaluation, said the district has made improvements at each school level.

Elementary schools saw large increases in their test scores from one year to the next, he said, and the middle schools ranked well in "campus performance," an indicator that adjusts for bias based on socioeconomic levels.

Pearland's high schools have also seen improvements in college readiness, Davila said. More students have taken district-offered SAT and ACT prep courses, and the number of students taking Advanced Placement classes has also risen, officials said.

"We've seen an increase in kids that are willing to take AP classes, an increase in kids that are willing to take some different chances," said Mandy Benedix, Pearland ISD's mentor and volunteer specialist. "I think some of that might stem from a new kind of culture emerging on their campus that highlights risk-taking."

Despite the high standing, however, not one of Pearland's 21 schools ranked by Children at Risk cracked the organization's top ten list of the best campuses in the area, though virtually every school scored well, Davila said.

"I think it's interesting that ... 95 percent of the schools were A or B, especially because none of the schools stuck out," he said.

Kelly said the kudos come despite funding concerns for the district, which spends and receives less money per student than the average district in the state. Adding that to the fact that Pearland is a growth area for young families - the district has more than 21,000 students, and counting - Kelly said he thinks his schools are doing more than well.

Pearland still faces challenges, however.

Kelly said he recognizes the English language learning program as a weaker point in the school district, although English as a Second Language is not included in the Children at Risk rankings.

"To be honest with you, we think our ESL results can be better than they are right now," he said.

About 30 percent of Pearland's ESL students passed their end of course English 1 and English 2 STAAR tests in 2015, according to state records.

"We're very strong at the elementary levels. When we're at the middle and high school levels, that's a little harder," district bilingual coordinator Connie Graves said. "Literacy is a huge issue when you get to high school. You can't speak English or read it and you're expected to perform at grade level. It's a challenge."

Breaking down barriers

Part of the issue, Kelly said, is that Pearland has a relatively small ESL population in comparison to the state. Just 8 percent of Pearland students are in ESL, while 17.8 percent of Texas students are in the program.

"Sometimes when you don't have a high population, you need to make sure you're paying attention to them," Kelly said. "It's not like in some other districts ... Houston ISD has an overwhelming number of (English language learners) and so they're more geared towards it. So we just need to make sure we're not neglecting it."

About 27 percent of Pearland's students are considered economically disadvantaged, a number that is relatively low for the area, Davila said. Across Texas, more than 60 percent of students are considered disadvantaged, according to the Texas Education Agency.

"Those type of kids, the low socioeconomic, the ESL kids, already have a barrier in front of them," said district spokesperson Kim Hocott. "They have that obstacle - we need to give them some tools to help break those down."

These tools most notably come in the form of individualized attention, Hocott said. The district operates a Rise Mentoring program, in which community members meet up with a paired student once a week. A community coalition called United for Kids pools resources to help students outside of the classroom.

Feeling 'a pinch'

Programs can be costly, however. Kelly has been vocal about the district's lack of funding, saying it caused the district to feel "a pinch."

"We feel like we're behind in several areas being able to provide more services," Kelly said. "We do not have the personnel units that, for example, Clear Creek ISD and some of the others around us do. And that has hurt us."

Mental health services for children are another area that Kelly said he wishes he could improve. But funding for more counselors isn't there.

"It hurts," Kelly said. "You can't buy as much technology, you can't have as many people employed … We try to stay competitive in salaries, but we certainly aren't beating people. We're sort of in the middle."