Total enrollment
16,900
-658 (-4%) vs SY 2017-18
Starr County
Texas · Public K-12
Starr County's school count of 29 reflects a public K-12 system serving about 16,900 students inside Texas, around 26% of the county population. The level mix is 17 elementary, 5 middle, and 7 high schools.
7-year change in Starr County
SY 2017-18 vs SY 2024-25School count
29
0 (0%) vs SY 2017-18
% White
1%
was 1%
% Hispanic
99%
was 99%
% Black
0%
was 0%
% Asian
0%
was 0%
Source: NCES Common Core of Data, enrollment-weighted demographic averages
Schools
29
4 districts
Enrollment
16,900
NCES CCD
Median income
$37,639
Below Texas avg
Free/reduced lunch
93.3%
Above Texas avg
Elementary
17
8,228 students
Middle
5
3,345 students
High
7
5,327 students
Combined / other
0
schools
LARGEST DISTRICT
RIO GRANDE CITY GRULLA ISD
9,316 students · 4 districts in Starr County
County vs. school enrollment demographics
Left bar is the racial makeup of Starr 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+
13.6%
adults 25+
Poverty rate
31.0%
ACS 5-year
Unemployment
10.4%
civilian labor
Median age
29
32.5% under 18
Test scores in Starr County
Latest 2023-24 ELA proficiency, 28 schools ranked. Texas state average: 52.7%.
Top 5 schools (ELA)
- EMMA VERA EL· 95.0%
- FLORENCE J SCOTT EL· 89.0%
- DELIA GONZALEZ GARCIA EL· 84.0%
- ROEL A & CELIA R SAENZ EL· 82.0%
- PREPARATORY FOR EARLY COLLEGE H S· 81.0%
Lowest 5 schools (ELA)
- JOHN & OLIVE HINOJOSA EL· 28.0%
- GRULLA H S· 32.0%
- ROQUE GUERRA JR EL· 33.0%
- ALBERTO AND CELIA BARRERA EL· 37.0%
- RIO GRANDE CITY H S· 37.0%
| Name | City | Level | Grades | Enrollment | Rating |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| ROMA H S | Roma | High | 09-12 | 1,721 | · |
| RIO GRANDE CITY H S | Rio Grande City | High | 09-12 | 1,670 | · |
| ROMA MIDDLE | Roma | Middle | 06-08 | 776 | · |
| VETERANS MIDDLE | Rio Grande City | Middle | 06-08 | 734 | · |
| IDEA RIO GRANDE CITY ACADEMY | Rio Grande City | Elementary | KG-05 | 717 | · |
| GRULLA H S | Rio Grande City | High | 08-12 | 716 | · |
| GENERAL RICARDO SANCHEZ EL | Rio Grande City | Elementary | PK-05 | 712 | · |
| IDEA RIO GRANDE CITY COLLEGE PREPARATORY | Rio Grande City | High | 06-12 | 695 | · |
| RINGGOLD MIDDLE | Rio Grande City | Middle | 06-08 | 639 | · |
| GRULLA MIDDLE | Grulla | Middle | 06-08 | 632 | · |
| ROQUE GUERRA JR EL | Rio Grande City | Elementary | PK-05 | 604 | · |
| ALTO BONITO EL | Rio Grande City | Elementary | PK-05 | 588 | · |
| RAMIRO BARRERA MIDDLE | Rio Grande City | Middle | 06-08 | 564 | · |
| FLORENCE J SCOTT EL | Roma | Elementary | PK-05 | 550 | · |
| ROEL A & CELIA R SAENZ EL | Roma | Elementary | PK-05 | 526 | · |
| EMMA VERA EL | Roma | Elementary | PK-05 | 504 | · |
| DR MARIO E RAMIREZ EL | Rio Grande City | Elementary | PK-05 | 493 | · |
| DELIA GONZALEZ GARCIA EL | Rio Grande City | Elementary | PK-05 | 487 | · |
| RINGGOLD EL | Rio Grande City | Elementary | PK-05 | 482 | · |
| VETERANS MEMORIAL EL | Roma | Elementary | PK-05 | 458 | · |
| JOHN & OLIVE HINOJOSA EL | Rio Grande City | Elementary | PK-05 | 441 | · |
| PREPARATORY FOR EARLY COLLEGE H S | Rio Grande City | High | 09-12 | 430 | · |
| ALBERTO AND CELIA BARRERA EL | Rio Grande City | Elementary | PK-05 | 420 | · |
| GRULLA EL | Grulla | Elementary | PK-05 | 414 | · |
| RT BARRERA EL | Roma | Elementary | PK-05 | 400 | · |
| LA UNION EL | Garciasville | Elementary | PK-05 | 341 | · |
| SAN ISIDRO EL | San Isidro | Elementary | PK-08 | 91 | · |
| SAN ISIDRO H S | San Isidro | High | 09-12 | 62 | · |
| INSTRUCTIONAL & GUIDANCE CENTER | Roma | High | 06-12 | 33 | · |
Cities in Starr County
About Starr County
Starr County is a middle-population county of about 66,067 residents in Texas. Its public-school system serves approximately 16,900 students across 29 schools.
For perspective, census numbers show typical household earnings sit around $37,639, about 14% of adults have a bachelor's degree or above, and roughly 31% of residents live below the federal poverty line. That income level is 43% lower than the Texas median.
In terms of grade levels, Starr County is built around 17 elementary schools (8,228 students), 5 middle schools (3,345), and 7 high schools (5,327).
The largest single district in Starr County is RIO GRANDE CITY GRULLA ISD, which alone enrolls about 9,316 students.
Five-year track record. Total public-school enrollment in Starr County has fell 4% since SY 2017-18, moving from about 17,558 students to 16,900.
Within the allk12 community for this area, the community for Starr County discusses school events, board meetings, and seasonal calendars. Anyone with firsthand knowledge of these schools is welcome to weigh in.
Frequently asked questions
Starr County school rankings
DATA · Census ACS 5-year · NCES Common Core of Data