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Teachers: what resource would make the biggest difference at GARCIA MIDDLE this year?
Community prompt from u/allk12. Replies below.
Enrollment
870
Middle
DISTRICT 731 · STATE 643
SCHOOL COMMUNITY·BROWNSVILLE ISD·NCES 481168009153
Garcia Middle School
5701 FM 802, BROWNSVILLE, TX 78521 · (956) 832-6300 · Cameron County
GRADES 06–08MIDDLE12-CITYTITLE IREGULAR SCHOOL870 STUDENTS
B
allk12 Grade
Scored higher than 63% of Texas public middle schools
- C+Test scores Share of students meeting the state standard in reading, math, and other tested subjects, 2023-24 and 2024-25.
- A-Beats expectations How far test scores land above or below what the share of low-income students predicts for a school in this state.
- A-Three-year trend Change in reading and math proficiency over the last three test years.
Grades compare a school only with schools in the same state, because every state gives its own test. How grades work · Top-graded Texas public middle schools
Student : Teacher
14.8:1
59 FTE teachers
DISTRICT 13.5:1 · STATE 14.4:1
Free / Reduced Lunch
88%
763 students
DISTRICT 91% · 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 | 295 | 34% |
| Grade 7 | 278 | 32% |
| Grade 8 | 297 | 34% |
Student demographics
1%Diversity index
The chance that two students picked at random belong to different racial or ethnic groups.
DISTRICT 3% · 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
58.0%
TX avg 54.5% . +34.0pp since 2020
Mathematics
40.0%
TX avg 45.3% . +28.0pp since 2020
What this means: On the STAAR, Texas's statewide test, about 58 of every 100 students at this school read at grade level and about 40 of 100 do math at grade level. Across all Texas schools, those numbers are about 55 and 45. Reading scores are up about 34 points since 2020, while math scores are up about 28 points.
Performance levels, 2025-26
| Subject | Masters Grade Level | Meets Grade Level | Approaches Grade Level | Did Not Meet Grade Level |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Reading | 29.0% | 29.0% | 21.0% | 21.0% |
| Mathematics | 16.0% | 24.0% | 30.0% | 30.0% |
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 | 58.0% | 40.0% |
| 2024-25 | 53.0% | 34.0% |
| 2023-24 | 56.0% | 32.0% |
| 2022-23 | 42.0% | 20.0% |
| 2021-22 | 24.0% | 16.0% |
| 2020-21 | 24.0% | 12.0% |
% 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
40.5%
composite math + reading, all grades
Predicted
36.2%
based on TX schools with similar FRL share
Beats by
+4.3pp
above demographic expectation
What this means: About 41% of students here test proficient in math and reading, compared with the roughly 36% 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 Garcia Middle School
Garcia Middle School's state test result (40.5% proficient) is higher than 2 of the 5 schools below with a result.
| School | Students | Low-income | Proficient |
|---|---|---|---|
| Garcia Middle School this school | 870 | 87.7% | 40.5% |
| White Junior High School MISSION | 831 | 85.8% | 41.0% |
| Memorial Junior High School EAGLE PASS | 927 | 86.4% | 38.0% |
| Del Valle Middle School EL PASO | 969 | 86.3% | 39.5% |
| Lyndon B Johnson Middle School PHARR | 1,006 | 87.9% | 44.2% |
| Austin Middle School SAN JUAN | 833 | 90.3% | 47.8% |
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 Garcia Middle School ranks
Among middle schools| Measure | This school | In Texas | In Cameron County |
|---|---|---|---|
| State test proficiency ranked highest first | 40.5% | #914 of 1,635 | #17 of 30 |
| Math proficiency ranked highest first | 40.0% | #922 of 1,670 ▲ 202 | #20 of 30 ▲ 1 |
| Reading proficiency ranked highest first | 58.0% | #640 of 1,670 ▲ 181 | #12 of 30 ▲ 2 |
| 3-year test score change ranked biggest gain first | +18.0pp | #347 of 1,570 | #7 of 29 |
| Enrollment ranked largest first | 870 | #451 of 1,749 | #3 of 30 |
| Students per teacher ranked fewest first | 14.8:1 | #827 of 1,542 | #22 of 28 |
| Diversity index ranked most diverse first | 0.7% | #1,520 of 1,543 | #28 of 28 |
| Free and reduced lunch ranked highest share first | 87.7% | #316 of 1,648 | #13 of 30 |
| Enrollment change since 2017-18 ranked steepest decline first | -21.8% | #297 of 942 | #8 of 23 |
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
870
-187 (-18%) vs 2020
-25% since 2010-11, when it was 1,158
Student : Teacher
14.8:1
was 16.0:1
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 | 870 | 58.7 | 14.8:1 | 88% (763) |
| 2023-24 | 847 | 57.7 | 14.7:1 | 88% (746) |
| 2022-23 | 893 | 61.9 | 14.4:1 | 87% (776) |
| 2020-21 | 1,057 | 66 | 16.0:1 | 87% (923) |
| 2017-18 | 1,112 | 67.6 | 16.5:1 | 96% (1,072) |
| 2015-16 | 1,068 | 68 | 15.7:1 | 98% (1,050) |
| 2010-11 | 1,158 | 72 | 16.1:1 | 0% (0) |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data. Rows are the federal collections on file for Garcia Middle School.
Since 2017-18: students down 22% (1,112 to 870); teachers down 13% (67.6 to 58.7).
About Garcia Middle School
Garcia Middle School is a medium-sized middle school in Texas, located in BROWNSVILLE. The school reports 870 students in grades 6 through 8. The school's enrollment is 35% above the 643 average for middle schools in Texas.
BROWNSVILLE ISD oversees Garcia Middle School and 51 other schools, with 37,097 students in total.
At Garcia Middle School, Hispanic students make up 100% of the student body. County-wide, 89% of Cameron County residents are Hispanic. By the diversity index, Garcia Middle School comes in at 1%.
The school employs the equivalent of 58.7 full-time teachers, for a ratio of 14.8:1. Across middle schools in Texas, the average ratio is about 14.4:1. The free or reduced-price lunch rate at Garcia Middle School is 88%.
The allk12 Grade for Garcia Middle School is B. Compared with Texas public middle schools, the school scored higher than 63% on a mix of test scores, poverty-adjusted results, and recent trend.
Based on its free or reduced-price lunch share, the BeatsExpectations model predicts an average proficiency rate on state tests of 36.2% for Garcia Middle School. The school posts 40.5%, 4.3 points above the prediction.
In the county around the school, Cameron County, median household income is about $52,601, a bachelor's degree or higher is held by about 22% of adults, and the share of residents below the poverty line is 21%. A total of 187 public schools operate in Cameron County, serving about 97,392 students.
Pena Elementary School is the closest public school, about 0.7 miles away in a straight line. There are at least 8 more public schools inside five miles. Among the 9 closest schools with test data, this one included, Garcia Middle School ranks 7th on average proficiency.
The school's setting, by NCES definition, is City: Mid-size: inside a principal city with a population between 100,000 and 250,000.
Between 2020-21 and 2024-25, the student count dropped from 1,057 to 870. Over the same period, the student-to-teacher ratio fell to 14.8:1, from 16.0:1.
Questions about sports schedules, lunch menus, and spirit week can be posted here. Questions from prospective families are welcome too.
Cameron County at a glance
View full county profilePopulation
426,120
Census ACS
Median income
$52,601
Household, ACS
Bachelor's+
22%
Adults 25+
Poverty rate
21%
Below federal line
Schools in county
187
97,392 students
Quick facts
Related schools
Other schools in BROWNSVILLE ISD
- Veterans Memorial Early College High SchoolHigh · 2,216 students
- Rivera Early College High SchoolHigh · 2,150 students
- Hanna Early College High SchoolHigh · 2,039 students
- Lopez Early College High SchoolHigh · 1,739 students
- Pace Early College High SchoolHigh · 1,621 students
- Porter Early College High SchoolHigh · 1,543 students
Other schools in BROWNSVILLE
- Veterans Memorial Early College High SchoolHigh · 2,216 students
- Rivera Early College High SchoolHigh · 2,150 students
- Hanna Early College High SchoolHigh · 2,039 students
- Lopez Early College High SchoolHigh · 1,739 students
- Pace Early College High SchoolHigh · 1,621 students
- Porter Early College High SchoolHigh · 1,543 students
Other Garcia Middle schools
2 other US public schools in 1 state are named Garcia Middle. Garcia Middle School is the 3rd largest of the 3.
- Garcia Middle SchoolSAN ANTONIO, TX · 1,360 students
- Garcia Middle SchoolHOUSTON, TX · 966 students
Nearby schools
- Pena Elementary School0.7 mi · 501
- Vermillion Road Elementary School0.8 mi · 654
- Rivera Early College High School1.0 mi · 2,150
- Gonzalez Elementary School1.4 mi · 596
- IDEA Robindale Academy1.5 mi · 699
- IDEA Robindale College Preparatory1.5 mi · 693
Frequently asked questions
About Garcia Middle SchoolHow many students attend Garcia Middle School?
Garcia Middle School enrolls approximately 870 students in grades 06-08.
What age range does Garcia Middle School serve?
Garcia Middle School serves students from grade 06 through grade 08.
How many students per teacher at Garcia Middle School?
Approximately 14.8:1 students per teacher at Garcia Middle School.
How diverse is Garcia Middle School?
Garcia Middle School reports a student body of 0% White, 100% Hispanic.
Who oversees Garcia Middle School?
Garcia Middle School is overseen by BROWNSVILLE ISD in Cameron County.
Data sourceSchool profile facts are sourced from the NCES. Community content is posted by allk12 members.