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Enrollment
827
Middle
DISTRICT 728 · STATE 643
SCHOOL COMMUNITY·MCALLEN ISD·NCES 482967008845
Cathey Middle School
1800 N CYNTHIA, MCALLEN, TX 78501 · (956) 971-4300 · Hidalgo County
GRADES 06–08MIDDLE12-CITYTITLE IREGULAR SCHOOL827 STUDENTS
Student : Teacher
15.4:1
54 FTE teachers
DISTRICT 13.3:1 · STATE 14.4:1
Free / Reduced Lunch
70%
579 students
DISTRICT 75% · STATE 65%
Community
1
0 members
Enrollment and student:teacher ratio compared against other middle schools. Free/Reduced Lunch and demographics compared against all schools.
Enrollment by grade, 2024-25
| Grade | Students | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Grade 6 | 268 | 32% |
| Grade 7 | 271 | 33% |
| Grade 8 | 288 | 35% |
Student demographics
12%Diversity index
The chance that two students picked at random belong to different racial or ethnic groups.
DISTRICT 12% · STATE 63% · US 70%
Student head counts by race/ethnicity from federal NCES enrollment data. District, state, and US figures are each group's share of all public school students in that area (US excludes territories). Very small groups may be suppressed in the source, so categories do not always sum exactly to total enrollment.
Gender split
Test scores
STAAR 2025-26 . % Meets Grade Level or AboveReading
66.0%
TX avg 54.5% . +40.0pp since 2020
Mathematics
57.0%
TX avg 45.3% . +30.0pp since 2020
What this means: On the STAAR, Texas's statewide test, about 66 of every 100 students at this school read at grade level and about 57 of 100 do math at grade level. Across all Texas schools, those numbers are about 55 and 45. Reading scores are up about 40 points since 2020, while math scores are up about 30 points.
Performance levels, 2025-26
| Subject | Masters Grade Level | Meets Grade Level | Approaches Grade Level | Did Not Meet Grade Level |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Reading | 40.0% | 26.0% | 17.0% | 17.0% |
| Mathematics | 28.0% | 29.0% | 21.0% | 22.0% |
Share of tested students at each STAAR level. Each student counts in one level, so a row adds to about 100%.
STAAR results by year
| School year | Reading | Mathematics |
|---|---|---|
| 2025-26 | 66.0% | 57.0% |
| 2024-25 | 63.0% | 59.0% |
| 2023-24 | 65.0% | 56.0% |
| 2022-23 | 57.0% | 47.0% |
| 2021-22 | 57.0% | 50.0% |
| 2020-21 | 26.0% | 27.0% |
% Meets Grade Level or Above, all students and all tested grades.
Source: STAAR. All students, all grades. See all years and grades →
BeatsExpectations
Demographically-adjusted score · methodologyTier
AS EXPECTED
Performing as predicted given the school's student profile
Actual proficiency
55.4%
composite math + reading, all grades
Predicted
43.8%
based on TX schools with similar FRL share
Beats by
+11.6pp
above demographic expectation
What this means: About 55% of students here test proficient in math and reading, compared with the roughly 44% typical for Texas schools with a similar share of low-income students. BeatsExpectations measures results against demographically similar schools rather than by raw scores, and this school falls within the typical range, neither among Texas's top nor bottom 10%.
BeatsExpectations runs a per-state regression of proficiency on free/reduced-lunch share, then scores each school by residual. How this is calculated →
Schools most like Cathey Middle School
Cathey Middle School's state test result (55.4% proficient) is higher than 5 of the 5 schools below with a result.
| School | Students | Low-income | Proficient |
|---|---|---|---|
| Cathey Middle School this school | 827 | 70.0% | 55.4% |
| Sharyland North Junior High School MCALLEN | 791 | 69.4% | 55.0% |
| Resaca Middle School BROWNSVILLE | 870 | 71.0% | 47.4% |
| Gutierrez Middle School HARLINGEN | 747 | 69.7% | 48.6% |
| Wiggs Middle School EL PASO | 943 | 69.8% | 47.6% |
| San Felipe Memorial Middle School DEL RIO | 671 | 70.6% | 43.0% |
Matched among Texas middle schools on enrollment, the share of students from low-income families (eligible for free or reduced-price lunch), and racial and ethnic makeup. Proficient is the average share of students meeting the state standard across all of the school's state tests in 2023-24 and 2024-25, the same combined score our test-score rankings use. Online schools and schools serving specialized populations are not matched.
Where Cathey Middle School ranks
Among middle schools| Measure | This school | In Texas | In Hidalgo County |
|---|---|---|---|
| State test proficiency ranked highest first | 55.4% | #341 of 1,635 | #5 of 54 |
| Math proficiency ranked highest first | 57.0% | #368 of 1,670 ▼ 55 | #9 of 54 ▼ 1 |
| Reading proficiency ranked highest first | 66.0% | #376 of 1,670 ▲ 72 | #8 of 54 ▼ 1 |
| 3-year test score change ranked biggest gain first | +9.5pp | #818 of 1,570 | #33 of 54 |
| Enrollment ranked largest first | 827 | #519 of 1,749 | #14 of 54 |
| Students per teacher ranked fewest first | 15.4:1 | #955 of 1,542 | #45 of 52 |
| Diversity index ranked most diverse first | 12.4% | #1,371 of 1,543 | #4 of 52 |
| Free and reduced lunch ranked highest share first | 70.0% | #714 of 1,648 | #47 of 54 |
| Enrollment change since 2017-18 ranked steepest decline first | -17.5% | #412 of 942 | #21 of 44 |
Ranked against other public middle schools. Online schools are left out of every list, and test-score lists leave out schools that serve specialized populations. Each rank links to the full list. Arrows under a test-score rank show places moved since the prior test year, among schools tested both years.
4-year change
SY 2020-21 vs SY 2024-25Enrollment
827
-139 (-14%) vs 2020
-4% since 2000-01, when it was 859
Student : Teacher
15.4:1
was 15.1:1
Source: NCES Common Core of Data
Enrollment and staffing by year
| School year | Students | Teachers (FTE) | Students per teacher | Free and reduced lunch |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2024-25 | 827 | 53.8 | 15.4:1 | 70% (579) |
| 2023-24 | 829 | 52.9 | 15.7:1 | 72% (596) |
| 2022-23 | 821 | 55.9 | 14.7:1 | 69% (565) |
| 2020-21 | 966 | 64 | 15.1:1 | 59% (569) |
| 2017-18 | 1,003 | 73.2 | 13.7:1 | 54% (546) |
| 2015-16 | 1,032 | 70 | 14.7:1 | 55% (565) |
| 2010-11 | 1,021 | 61 | 16.7:1 | 0% (0) |
| 2000-01 | 859 | 55 | 15.6:1 | 44% (376) |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data. Rows are the federal collections on file for Cathey Middle School.
Since 2017-18: students down 18% (1,003 to 827); teachers down 26% (73.2 to 53.8).
About Cathey Middle School
Cathey Middle School is a mid-sized middle school in MCALLEN ISD, located in MCALLEN, Texas. The school enrolls 827 students in grades 6 through 8. On average, middle schools in Texas enroll around 643, and this school is 29% above that mark.
MCALLEN ISD counts 19,890 students in its 31 schools, and Cathey Middle School is one of them.
The share of students at Cathey Middle School who are Hispanic is 93%. Enrollment also includes 4% White. Hidalgo County residents are about 92% Hispanic, a similar share. Its diversity index, the chance that two randomly chosen students belong to different racial or ethnic groups, is 12%.
Cathey Middle School reported 53.8 full-time-equivalent teachers in 2024-25, a ratio of 15.4:1. The school's 15.4:1 compares with an average of 14.4:1 for middle schools in Texas. Roughly 70% of students at Cathey Middle School can receive free or reduced-price lunch. The rate at public schools in Hidalgo County averages 85%, higher than here.
Cathey Middle School is 11.6 points above its predicted average proficiency rate across its state test results (55.4% versus 43.8%), which places it in neither the top nor the bottom 10% in Texas.
Looking at the county, Hidalgo County, the median household earns about $54,338 a year, 21% of adults hold a bachelor's degree or higher, and about 23% of residents live below the federal poverty line. Counting Cathey Middle School, Hidalgo County has 364 public schools.
Memorial High School is about 0.6 miles from Cathey Middle School, the shortest distance to any other public school. A five-mile radius around the school includes at least 8 other public schools. Cathey Middle School places 2nd of 8 on proficiency among the closest schools that report scores.
The federal government classifies Cathey Middle School's location as City: Mid-size.
The 2020-21-to-2024-25 change in enrollment was a 14% decrease, from 966 to 827.
This page is set up for the Cathey Middle School community to discuss homework, tutoring, and testing dates. Members of the school community can share what they know.
Hidalgo County at a glance
View full county profilePopulation
891,977
Census ACS
Median income
$54,338
Household, ACS
Bachelor's+
21%
Adults 25+
Poverty rate
23%
Below federal line
Schools in county
364
212,859 students
Quick facts
Related schools
Other schools in MCALLEN ISD
- McAllen High SchoolHigh · 2,134 students
- Memorial High SchoolHigh · 2,021 students
- Rowe High SchoolHigh · 1,905 students
- Morris Middle SchoolMiddle · 999 students
- Gonzalez Elementary SchoolElementary · 818 students
- Milam Elementary SchoolElementary · 811 students
Other schools in MCALLEN
- McAllen High SchoolHigh · 2,134 students
- Memorial High SchoolHigh · 2,021 students
- Morris Middle SchoolMiddle · 999 students
- IDEA McAllen College PreparatoryHigh · 820 students
- Gonzalez Elementary SchoolElementary · 818 students
- Milam Elementary SchoolElementary · 811 students
Nearby schools
- Memorial High School0.6 mi · 2,021
- Jackson Elementary School0.7 mi · 548
- Lamar Academy1.0 mi · 47
- Wilson Elementary School1.2 mi · 408
- Fields Elementary School1.5 mi · 443
- Daniel Ramirez Elementary School1.5 mi · 516
Frequently asked questions
About Cathey Middle SchoolWhat is the total enrollment at Cathey Middle School?
Cathey Middle School enrolls approximately 827 students in grades 06-08.
Is Cathey Middle School an elementary, middle, or high school?
Cathey Middle School is a middle school covering grades 06-08.
How many teachers does Cathey Middle School have?
Cathey Middle School employs 54 FTE teachers, for a student-to-teacher ratio of 15.4:1.
What is the racial breakdown of students at Cathey Middle School?
At Cathey Middle School, the student body is approximately 4% White, 93% Hispanic, 0% Black, 1% Asian, 0% Two or more.
Is Cathey Middle School public or private?
Cathey Middle School is a public K-12 school, overseen by MCALLEN ISD.
Data sourceSchool profile facts are sourced from the NCES. Community content is posted by allk12 members.