Total enrollment
95,317
-10,261 (-10%) vs SY 2017-18
Cameron County
Texas · Public K-12
Public-school families in Cameron County pick from 187 schools serving the county's roughly 97,392 K-12 students, with a mix of 102 elementary, 30 middle, and 50 high.
7-year change in Cameron County
SY 2017-18 vs SY 2024-25School count
168
-7 (-4%) vs SY 2017-18
% White
2%
was 3%
% Hispanic
97%
was 97%
% Black
0%
was 0%
% Asian
0%
was 0%
Source: NCES Common Core of Data, enrollment-weighted demographic averages
Residents
426,120
all ages · ACS 5-yr
Schools
187
20 districts
Enrollment
97,392
students · NCES CCD
Median income
$52,601
Below Texas avg
Free/reduced lunch
84.4%
Above Texas avg
Elementary
102
45,483 students
Middle
30
18,232 students
High
50
31,567 students
Combined / other
5
2,110 students
LARGEST DISTRICT
BROWNSVILLE ISD
37,097 students · 20 districts in Cameron County
County vs. school enrollment demographics
Left bar is the racial makeup of Cameron County residents (Census ACS 5-year). Right bar is the enrollment-weighted makeup of public schools in the county (NCES CCD). NCES systematically under-reports Hispanic, Pacific Islander, and Native American enrollment for many schools; where the resident share is meaningful but the reported school share is zero, we mark the school bar "not reported".
County residents
School enrollment
Bachelor's+
22.1%
adults 25+
Poverty rate
21.3%
ACS 5-year
Unemployment
5.9%
civilian labor
Median age
33
28.7% under 18
Test scores in Cameron County
Latest 2023-24 ELA proficiency, 153 schools ranked. Texas state average: 52.7%.
Top 5 schools (ELA)
Lowest 5 schools (ELA)
- ROBERTS EL· 21.0%
- MILLER JORDAN MIDDLE· 28.0%
- SKINNER EL· 30.0%
- CANALES EL· 32.0%
- CROMACK EL· 32.0%
| Name | City | Level | Grades | Enrollment | Rating |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| FRED BOOTH GLOBAL LEADERSHIP ACADEMY | San Benito | Elementary | PK-05 | 441 | · |
| RAUL GARZA JR STEAM ACADEMY | San Benito | Elementary | PK-05 | 437 | · |
| RIO HONDO MIDDLE | Rio Hondo | Middle | 05-08 | 434 | · |
| SHARP EL | Brownsville | Elementary | PK-05 | 432 | · |
| DOWNS FINE ARTS ACADEMY | San Benito | Elementary | PK-05 | 426 | · |
| HOUSTON EL | Harlingen | Elementary | PK-05 | 420 | · |
| RUSSELL EL | Brownsville | Elementary | PK-05 | 418 | · |
| MARTIN EL | Brownsville | Elementary | PK-05 | 415 | · |
| GARRIGA EL | Port Isabel | Elementary | PK-05 | 410 | · |
| LAMAR EL | Harlingen | Elementary | PK-05 | 401 | · |
| PORT ISABEL J H | Port Isabel | Middle | 06-08 | 396 | · |
| DERRY EL | Port Isabel | Elementary | PK-05 | 392 | · |
| W B GREEN J H | La Feria | Middle | 07-08 | 391 | · |
| GALLEGOS EL | Brownsville | Elementary | PK-05 | 390 | · |
| BEN MILAM EL | Harlingen | Elementary | PK-05 | 389 | · |
| EL JARDIN EL | Brownsville | Elementary | PK-05 | 389 | · |
| NOEMI DOMINGUEZ EL | La Feria | Middle | 05-06 | 387 | · |
| ELMA E BARRERA EL | Santa Rosa | Elementary | PK-05 | 377 | · |
| JUBILEE HARLINGEN | Harlingen | Elementary | PK-08 | 377 | · |
| C E VAIL EL | La Feria | Elementary | PK-04 | 376 | · |
| WILSON EL | Harlingen | Elementary | PK-05 | 373 | · |
| GARDEN PARK EL | Brownsville | Elementary | PK-05 | 372 | · |
| SULLIVAN ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCE ACADEMY | San Benito | Elementary | PK-05 | 367 | · |
| JUBILEE LIVING WAY | Brownsville | Elementary | PK-05 | 363 | · |
| LAS YESCAS EL | San Benito | Elementary | PK-05 | 354 | · |
| HARLINGEN COLLEGIATE H S | Harlingen | High | 09-12 | 353 | · |
| ANGELA GERUSA LEAL EL | San Benito | Elementary | PK-05 | 351 | · |
| VILLA NUEVA EL | Brownsville | Elementary | PK-05 | 346 | · |
| SKINNER EL | Brownsville | Elementary | PK-05 | 344 | · |
| BOWIE EL | Harlingen | Elementary | PK-05 | 335 | · |
| ZAVALA EL | Harlingen | Elementary | PK-05 | 332 | · |
| DAVID G SANCHEZ EL | La Feria | Elementary | PK-04 | 330 | · |
| DISHMAN EL | Combes | Elementary | PK-05 | 313 | · |
| BROWNSVILLE EARLY COLLEGE H S | Brownsville | High | 09-12 | 311 | · |
| ROBERTS EL | San Benito | Elementary | PK-05 | 303 | · |
| AUSTIN EL | Harlingen | Elementary | PK-05 | 295 | · |
| PALM GROVE EL | Brownsville | Elementary | PK-05 | 294 | · |
| TRAVIS EL | Harlingen | Elementary | PK-05 | 294 | · |
| HORIZON MONTESSORI III - STEM ACADEMY | Harlingen | Elementary | PK-08 | 291 | · |
| SANTA ROSA H S | Santa Rosa | High | 09-12 | 291 | · |
| JUDGE OSCAR DE LA FUENTE EL | San Benito | Elementary | PK-05 | 271 | · |
| GARZA EL | Brownsville | Elementary | PK-05 | 262 | · |
| JEFFERSON EL | Harlingen | Elementary | PK-05 | 259 | · |
| HCISD EARLY CHILDHOOD ACADEMY | Harlingen | Elementary | PK-KG | 255 | · |
| DEL CASTILLO EL | Brownsville | Elementary | PK-05 | 240 | · |
| CROCKETT EL | Harlingen | Elementary | PK-05 | 234 | · |
| TONY GONZALEZ EL | Santa Maria | Elementary | PK-05 | 224 | · |
| JO NELSON MIDDLE | Santa Rosa | Middle | 06-08 | 206 | · |
| RANGERVILLE EL | San Benito | Elementary | PK-05 | 203 | · |
| PROMESA COLLEGE PREP BROWNSVILLE | Brownsville | Elementary | PK-08 | 185 | · |
| SANTA MARIA H S | Santa Maria | High | 09-12 | 165 | · |
| PREMIER H S OF BROWNSVILLE | Brownsville | High | 09-12 | 147 | · |
| SANTA MARIA MIDDLE | Santa Maria | Middle | 06-08 | 123 | · |
| TRIUMPH PUBLIC HIGH SCHOOLS-BROWNSVILLE | Brownsville | High | 09-12 | 122 | · |
| COLLEGIATE ACADEMY | San Benito | Middle | 06-08 | 117 | · |
| TRIUMPH PUBLIC HIGH SCHOOLS-SAN BENITO | San Benito | High | 09-12 | 108 | · |
| GREYHOUNDS ONLINE ACADEMY | San Benito | Combined | KG-10 | 76 | · |
| GATEWAY TO GRADUATION ACADEMY | San Benito | High | 09-12 | 64 | · |
| SECONDARY ALTER CTR | Harlingen | High | 06-12 | 59 | · |
| HESTER JUVENILE DETENT | San Benito | High | 07-11 | 40 | · |
| BRYSS ACADEMY H S | Brownsville | High | 09-09 | 27 | · |
| DRISCOLL PLAY AND LEARN DAY CARE SAN BENITO CENTER | San Benito | Elementary | PK-PK | 22 | · |
| LA FERIA ACADEMY | La Feria | High | 09-12 | 19 | · |
| TEXASWORKS - BROWNSVILLE | Brownsville | High | 09-12 | 16 | · |
| AMADOR R RODRIGUEZ JUVENILE BOOT CAMP | San Benito | High | 09-11 | 15 | · |
| RGV YOUTH RECOVERY HOME | San Benito | High | 08-12 | 12 | · |
| CAMERON CO J J A E P | San Benito | High | 08-12 | 9 | · |
| CAMERON CO J J A E P | San Benito | High | 08-12 | 8 | · |
| EDNA TAMAYO HOUSE | Harlingen | High | 09-10 | 8 | · |
| CAMERON CO J J A E P | San Benito | High | 08-12 | 6 | · |
| CAMERON CO J J A E P | Port Isabel | High | 10-12 | 3 | · |
| CAMERON CO J J A E P | Harlingen | High | 10-10 | 1 | · |
| CAMERON CO J J A E P | Rio Hondo | High | 10-10 | 1 | · |
| CAMERON COUNTY JJAEP | La Feria | High | 08-09 | 1 | · |
| ADULT ED | Brownsville | High | AE-AE | 0 | · |
| BROWNSVILLE ACADEMIC CENTER | Brownsville | High | 06-12 | 0 | · |
| BROWNSVILLE LEARNING ACADEMY | Brownsville | High | 06-12 | 0 | · |
| LINCOLN PARK SCH | Brownsville | Combined | PK-12 | 0 | · |
| POSITIVE REDIRECTION CTR | San Benito | High | 06-12 | 0 | · |
| CAMERON CO J J A E P | Mercedes | Elementary | M-M | · | · |
| CAMERON CO JUVENILE DETENTION CTR | Brownsville | Elementary | M-M | · | · |
| CAMERON COUNTY JJAEP | San Benito | Elementary | M-M | · | · |
| HORIZON H S HARLINGEN | Harlingen | Combined | M-M | · | · |
| NEW PATHWAYS CENTER | Harlingen | Elementary | M-M | · | · |
| SANTA MARIA ACADEMIC ACADEMY-OPTIONS CAMPUS (6-12) | Santa Maria | Elementary | M-M | · | · |
| SANTA MARIA DAEP | Santa Maria | Elementary | M-M | · | · |
| SANTA MARIA JJAEP | Santa Maria | Elementary | M-M | · | · |
Cities in Cameron County
About Cameron County
Cameron County is an expansive Texas county of about 426,120 residents, home to 187 public schools and roughly 97,392 students.
Looking at the broader picture, census numbers show the median household earns about $52,601 a year, about 22% of adults have a bachelor's degree or above, and the poverty rate is around 21%. That income level is 21% lower than the Texas median.
On the level-by-level breakdown, Cameron County is built around 102 elementary schools (45,483 students), 30 middle schools (18,232), 50 high schools (31,567), and 5 combined or other schools.
BROWNSVILLE ISD is the biggest district by enrollment, covering about 37,097 students across Cameron County.
Trend over the past 7 years. Combined enrollment now sits at 95,317 students, fell 10% from the 105,578 reported in SY 2017-18. Over that span, Cameron County lost 7 schools, going from 175 to 168.
On this page, the community for Cameron County discusses school events, board meetings, and seasonal calendars. Anyone with firsthand knowledge of these schools is welcome to weigh in.
Frequently asked questions
Cameron County school rankings
DATA · Census ACS 5-year · NCES Common Core of Data