GUTIERREZ MIDDLE

As a reasonably sized junior high in HARLINGEN, Texas, GUTIERREZ MIDDLE caters to 747 students from grades 6 through 8, overseen by HARLINGEN CISD.

HARLINGEN CISD comprises 31 schools with combined enrollment of 17,506 students; GUTIERREZ MIDDLE is among them.

For racial and ethnic makeup, GUTIERREZ MIDDLE reports that nearly all students (96%) are Hispanic; the rest looks like 3% White.

On the resource side, On paper, GUTIERREZ MIDDLE has 60 full-time-equivalent teachers, translating to a class-load average of around 12.4:1. The state averages around 14.4:1, so this campus is tighter than the state norm typical. About 70% of enrolled students meet the income threshold for free or reduced-price lunch, which schools and policymakers use as a rough income-mix signal. Set against Cameron County (around 84%), the school's rate is noticeably below typical.

Adjusting for the school's free-and-reduced-lunch share, GUTIERREZ MIDDLE sits in the middle band of the BeatsExpectations distribution. Schools with this campus's student mix typically land near 43.4%; this one delivers 50.3%.

In the surrounding community, census data for Cameron County shows the typical household earns roughly $52,601 per year, about 22% of the adult population holds a bachelor's degree or above, and census figures put the poverty rate at about 21%. GUTIERREZ MIDDLE is one of 187 public schools in Cameron County (combined enrollment of about 97,392 students).

IDEA HARLINGEN COLLEGE PREPARATORY is the nearest neighboring public school, about 0.2 miles from this campus. Within five miles, there are 8 other public schools. On composite proficiency, GUTIERREZ MIDDLE comes 1st of 9 in the immediate cluster, higher than the nearby-schools average of 39.3%.

Geographically, the school is in a high-density area.

Looking at the recent track record. Looking back 7 years, enrollment at GUTIERREZ MIDDLE has contracted 11%, going from 841 students in 2018 to 747 in 2025. Over the same period, the White share declined from 7% to 3%. The student-to-teacher ratio fell from 15.2:1 in 2018 to 12.4:1 today.

In the discussion threads here, members of the GUTIERREZ MIDDLE community share and discuss science fair prep, picture-day reminders, and bus-route questions. Contributors range from current parents to recent graduates and teachers.