Enrollment
181
Middle
DISTRICT 280 · STATE 643
SCHOOL COMMUNITY·DILLEY ISD·NCES 481710001484
Mary Harper Middle School
240 W FM 117, DILLEY, TX 78017 · (830) 965-2195 · Frio County
GRADES 06–08MIDDLE43-RURALTITLE IREGULAR SCHOOL181 STUDENTS
Student : Teacher
9.8:1
18 FTE teachers
DISTRICT 10.4:1 · STATE 14.4:1
Free / Reduced Lunch
80%
144 students
DISTRICT 79% · STATE 65%
Community
0
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 | 63 | 35% |
| Grade 7 | 65 | 36% |
| Grade 8 | 53 | 29% |
Student demographics
13%Diversity index
The chance that two students picked at random belong to different racial or ethnic groups.
DISTRICT 11% · 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
School pathway
Students here typically continue to
Mary Harper Middle School→Dilley High School
Feeds from
Based on grade levels within DILLEY ISD. Attendance zones can vary; confirm enrollment with the district.
Test scores
STAAR 2025-26 . % Meets Grade Level or AboveReading
42.0%
TX avg 54.5% . +11.0pp since 2020
Mathematics
44.0%
TX avg 45.3% . +36.0pp since 2020
What this means: On the STAAR, Texas's statewide test, about 42 of every 100 students at this school read at grade level and about 44 of 100 do math at grade level. Across all Texas schools, those numbers are about 55 and 45. Reading scores are up about 11 points since 2020, while math scores are up about 36 points.
Performance levels, 2025-26
| Subject | Masters Grade Level | Meets Grade Level | Approaches Grade Level | Did Not Meet Grade Level |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Reading | 19.0% | 23.0% | 26.0% | 32.0% |
| Mathematics | 12.0% | 32.0% | 28.0% | 28.0% |
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 | 42.0% | 44.0% |
| 2024-25 | 35.0% | 34.0% |
| 2023-24 | 32.0% | 26.0% |
| 2022-23 | 23.0% | 8.0% |
| 2021-22 | 18.0% | 9.0% |
| 2020-21 | 31.0% | 8.0% |
% 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
27.0%
composite math + reading, all grades
Predicted
39.7%
based on TX schools with similar FRL share
Beats by
-12.7pp
below demographic expectation
What this means: About 27% of students here test proficient in math and reading, compared with the roughly 40% 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 Mary Harper Middle School
Mary Harper Middle School's state test result (27.0% proficient) is higher than 0 of the 5 schools below with a result.
| School | Students | Low-income | Proficient |
|---|---|---|---|
| Mary Harper Middle School this school | 181 | 79.6% | 27.0% |
| Carr Middle School HALE CENTER | 161 | 79.5% | 30.6% |
| Anthony Middle School ANTHONY | 170 | 76.5% | 48.3% |
| Hebbronville Junior High School HEBBRONVILLE | 221 | 81.4% | 35.8% |
| Kenedy Middle School KENEDY | 149 | 83.9% | 29.6% |
| Dimmitt Middle School DIMMITT | 246 | 81.7% | 35.3% |
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 Mary Harper Middle School ranks
Among middle schools| Measure | This school | In Texas |
|---|---|---|
| State test proficiency ranked highest first | 27.0% | #1,478 of 1,635 |
| Math proficiency ranked highest first | 44.0% | #746 of 1,670 ▲ 387 |
| Reading proficiency ranked highest first | 42.0% | #1,391 of 1,670 ▲ 121 |
| 3-year test score change ranked biggest gain first | +27.5pp | #105 of 1,570 |
| Enrollment ranked largest first | 181 | #1,571 of 1,749 |
| Free and reduced lunch ranked highest share first | 79.6% | #531 of 1,648 |
| Enrollment change since 2017-18 ranked steepest decline first | -18.8% | #376 of 942 |
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
181
-19 (-9%) vs 2020
-28% since 1990-91, when it was 253
Student : Teacher
9.8:1
was 11.1:1
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 | 181 | 18.4 | 9.8:1 | 80% (144) |
| 2023-24 | 167 | 18.9 | 8.8:1 | 74% (123) |
| 2022-23 | 168 | 18.4 | 9.1:1 | 79% (133) |
| 2020-21 | 200 | 18 | 11.1:1 | 84% (167) |
| 2017-18 | 223 | 21.6 | 10.3:1 | 70% (155) |
| 2015-16 | 222 | 21 | 10.6:1 | 68% (152) |
| 2010-11 | 192 | 17 | 11.3:1 | 29% (55) |
| 2000-01 | 198 | 18 | 11.0:1 | 47% (94) |
| 1990-91 | 253 | 16 | 15.8:1 | N/A |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data. Rows are the federal collections on file for Mary Harper Middle School.
Since 2017-18: students down 19% (223 to 181); teachers down 15% (21.6 to 18.4).
About Mary Harper Middle School
Mary Harper Middle School is a very small middle school located in DILLEY, Texas. There are 181 students enrolled, covering grades 6 through 8. The school is 72% below the average for middle schools in Texas.
A total of 3 schools make up DILLEY ISD, with 841 students enrolled.
The share of students at Mary Harper Middle School who are Hispanic is 93%. Enrollment also includes 7% White. Among people living in Frio County, the Hispanic share is about 78%. Its diversity index, the chance that two randomly chosen students belong to different racial or ethnic groups, is 13%.
Mary Harper Middle School lists 18.4 full-time-equivalent teachers; that is about 9.8 students per teacher. By comparison, the average for middle schools in Texas is 14.4:1. About 80% of students at Mary Harper Middle School are eligible for free or reduced-price lunch. The average for public schools in Frio County is similar, at 82%.
Test results at Mary Harper Middle School are 12.7 points below what its free or reduced-price lunch share predicts (27.0% actual, 39.7% predicted).
In Frio County, home to about 18,582 people, median household income comes to about $66,010, the share of adults with a bachelor's degree or higher is 12%, and roughly 16% of residents are in poverty. There are 7 public schools in the county, enrolling about 2,792, Mary Harper Middle School among them.
Mary Harper Middle School's closest public school neighbor is Dilley High School, less than a tenth of a mile away. A five-mile radius around the school includes 2 other public schools. Ranking the closest schools with test data puts Mary Harper Middle School at 5th of 8.
Mary Harper Middle School is in rural territory far from an urban area, a location NCES labels Rural: Remote.
The school's enrollment fell 9% from 2020-21 to 2024-25. Federal data show the ratio falling from 11.1:1 to 9.8:1.
This page is set up for the Mary Harper Middle School community to discuss homework, tutoring, and testing dates. Members of the school community can share what they know.
Frio County at a glance
View full county profilePopulation
18,582
Census ACS
Median income
$66,010
Household, ACS
Bachelor's+
12%
Adults 25+
Poverty rate
16%
Below federal line
Schools in county
7
2,792 students
Quick facts
Related schools
Other schools in DILLEY ISD
- Dilley Elementary SchoolElementary · 402 students
- Dilley High SchoolHigh · 258 students
Other schools in DILLEY
- Dilley Elementary SchoolElementary · 402 students
- Dilley High SchoolHigh · 258 students
Nearby schools
- Dilley High School0.0 mi · 258
- Dilley Elementary School0.1 mi · 402
- Pearsall Junior High School16.1 mi · 434
- Pearsall Intermediate School16.2 mi · 442
- Ted Flores Elementary School16.2 mi · 503
- Pearsall High School16.5 mi · 572
Frequently asked questions
About Mary Harper Middle SchoolWhat is the total enrollment at Mary Harper Middle School?
Mary Harper Middle School enrolls approximately 181 students in grades 06-08.
What age range does Mary Harper Middle School serve?
Mary Harper Middle School serves students from grade 06 through grade 08.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Mary Harper Middle School?
The student-to-teacher ratio at Mary Harper Middle School is approximately 9.8:1 (18 FTE teachers).
What is the racial breakdown of students at Mary Harper Middle School?
At Mary Harper Middle School, the student body is approximately 7% White, 93% Hispanic, 1% Two or more.
Is Mary Harper Middle School public or private?
Mary Harper Middle School is a public K-12 school, overseen by DILLEY ISD.
Data sourceSchool profile facts are sourced from the NCES. Community content is posted by allk12 members.