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Honest take: what's the hardest part about being a student at PORT ISABEL J H?
Community prompt from u/allk12. Replies below.
Enrollment
396
Middle
DISTRICT 357 · STATE 643
SCHOOL COMMUNITY·POINT ISABEL ISD·NCES 483525003990
Port Isabel Junior High School
17001 HWY 100, PORT ISABEL, TX 78578 · (956) 943-0060 · Cameron County
GRADES 06–08MIDDLE41-RURALTITLE IREGULAR SCHOOL396 STUDENTS
C
allk12 Grade
Scored higher than 32% of Texas public middle schools
- CTest scores Share of students meeting the state standard in reading, math, and other tested subjects, 2023-24 and 2024-25.
- BBeats expectations How far test scores land above or below what the share of low-income students predicts for a school in this state.
- DThree-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
12.2:1
32 FTE teachers
DISTRICT 13.6:1 · STATE 14.4:1
Free / Reduced Lunch
84%
334 students
DISTRICT 86% · 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 | 114 | 29% |
| Grade 7 | 149 | 38% |
| Grade 8 | 133 | 34% |
Student demographics
14%Diversity index
The chance that two students picked at random belong to different racial or ethnic groups.
DISTRICT 16% · 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
Port Isabel Junior High School→Port Isabel Early College High School
Based on grade levels within POINT ISABEL ISD. Attendance zones can vary; confirm enrollment with the district.
Test scores
STAAR 2025-26 . % Meets Grade Level or AboveReading
53.0%
TX avg 54.5% . +34.0pp since 2020
Mathematics
23.0%
TX avg 45.3% . +15.0pp since 2020
What this means: On the STAAR, Texas's statewide test, about 53 of every 100 students at this school read at grade level and about 23 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 15 points.
Performance levels, 2025-26
| Subject | Masters Grade Level | Meets Grade Level | Approaches Grade Level | Did Not Meet Grade Level |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Reading | 25.0% | 28.0% | 23.0% | 24.0% |
| Mathematics | 5.0% | 18.0% | 38.0% | 39.0% |
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 | 53.0% | 23.0% |
| 2024-25 | 50.0% | 20.0% |
| 2023-24 | 51.0% | 25.0% |
| 2022-23 | 59.0% | 20.0% |
| 2021-22 | 40.0% | 12.0% |
| 2020-21 | 19.0% | 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
35.7%
composite math + reading, all grades
Predicted
37.7%
based on TX schools with similar FRL share
Beats by
-2.0pp
below demographic expectation
What this means: About 36% of students here test proficient in math and reading, compared with the roughly 38% 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 Port Isabel Junior High School
Port Isabel Junior High School's state test result (35.7% proficient) is higher than 2 of the 5 schools below with a result.
| School | Students | Low-income | Proficient |
|---|---|---|---|
| Port Isabel Junior High School this school | 396 | 84.3% | 35.7% |
| Pearsall Junior High School PEARSALL | 434 | 81.8% | 27.9% |
| Noemi Dominguez Elementary School LA FERIA | 387 | 87.3% | 37.4% |
| Clint J H School CLINT | 484 | 83.7% | 40.2% |
| IDEA Horizon Vista College Preparatory HORIZON CITY | 402 | 81.3% | 50.3% |
| Rio Hondo Middle School RIO HONDO | 434 | 86.9% | 27.7% |
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 Port Isabel Junior High School ranks
Among middle schools| Measure | This school | In Texas | In Cameron County |
|---|---|---|---|
| State test proficiency ranked highest first | 35.7% | #1,141 of 1,635 | #24 of 30 |
| Math proficiency ranked highest first | 23.0% | #1,581 of 1,670 ▼ 4 | #29 of 30 ▲ 1 |
| Reading proficiency ranked highest first | 53.0% | #915 of 1,670 ▲ 43 | #20 of 30 ▲ 1 |
| 3-year test score change ranked biggest drop first | -1.5pp | #195 of 1,570 | #1 of 29 |
| Enrollment ranked largest first | 396 | #1,266 of 1,749 | #25 of 30 |
| Students per teacher ranked fewest first | 12.2:1 | #199 of 1,542 | #9 of 28 |
| Diversity index ranked most diverse first | 13.7% | #1,356 of 1,543 | #2 of 28 |
| Free and reduced lunch ranked highest share first | 84.3% | #402 of 1,648 | #17 of 30 |
| Enrollment change since 2017-18 ranked steepest decline first | -21.0% | #312 of 942 | #10 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
396
-64 (-14%) vs 2020
-24% since 1990-91, when it was 520
Student : Teacher
12.2:1
was 14.4:1
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 | 396 | 32.4 | 12.2:1 | 84% (334) |
| 2023-24 | 413 | 32.2 | 12.8:1 | 84% (348) |
| 2022-23 | 425 | 32 | 13.3:1 | 84% (357) |
| 2020-21 | 460 | 32 | 14.4:1 | 87% (398) |
| 2017-18 | 501 | 31 | 16.2:1 | 84% (421) |
| 2015-16 | 571 | 30 | 19.0:1 | 77% (439) |
| 2010-11 | 490 | 35 | 14.0:1 | 6% (29) |
| 2000-01 | 490 | 31 | 15.8:1 | 86% (421) |
| 1990-91 | 520 | 49 | 10.6:1 | N/A |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data. Rows are the federal collections on file for Port Isabel Junior High School.
Since 2017-18: students down 21% (501 to 396); teachers up 5% (31 to 32.4).
About Port Isabel Junior High School
At 17001 HWY 100 in PORT ISABEL, Texas, Port Isabel Junior High School operates as a low-enrollment middle-grades school. Enrollment totals 396 students across grades 6 through 8. Across middle schools in Texas, the average enrollment is about 643.
Port Isabel Junior High School is one of the 5 schools that make up POINT ISABEL ISD (1,786 students in total).
Hispanic students account for 93% of the school's enrollment. Other reported shares: 6% White. Among Cameron County residents, the Hispanic share is about 89%. A diversity index of 14% means there is a 14% chance two randomly chosen students at Port Isabel Junior High School are from different groups.
Staffing at Port Isabel Junior High School comes to 32.4 full-time-equivalent teachers, or 12.2:1. Middle schools in Texas have an average ratio of 14.4:1. On the income side, 84% of students qualify for free or reduced-price lunch. That is in line with the 84% average for public schools in Cameron County.
Port Isabel Junior High School holds a C allk12 Grade, placing it above 32% of Texas public middle schools.
Given its share of students eligible for free or reduced-price lunch, Port Isabel Junior High School would be expected to post about 37.7%. Its actual average proficiency rate across its state test results is 35.7%.
For Cameron County, Census Bureau data show the median household earns about $52,601 a year, 22% of adults hold a bachelor's degree or higher, and about 21% of people live in poverty. Counting Port Isabel Junior High School, Cameron County has 187 public schools.
A public school about 0.3 miles away, Port Isabel Early College High School, is the closest to Port Isabel Junior High School. In all, 3 other public schools sit within five miles of Port Isabel Junior High School. Among its closest neighbors with test data, Port Isabel Junior High School is 9th of 9 on proficiency.
Port Isabel Junior High School has an NCES locale of Rural: Fringe.
The school shrank from 460 students in 2020-21 to 396 in 2024-25. The student-to-teacher ratio went down from 14.4:1 to 12.2:1.
Port Isabel Junior High School has a community page on allk12 for topics such as athletics, class schedules, and weather closures. Teachers and staff are welcome to share updates 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 POINT ISABEL ISD
- Port Isabel Early College High SchoolHigh · 585 students
- Garriga Elementary SchoolElementary · 410 students
- Derry Elementary SchoolElementary · 392 students
- Cameron Co J J Alternative Education ProgramHigh · 3 students
Other schools in PORT ISABEL
- Port Isabel Early College High SchoolHigh · 585 students
- Garriga Elementary SchoolElementary · 410 students
- Derry Elementary SchoolElementary · 392 students
- Cameron Co J J Alternative Education ProgramHigh · 3 students
Nearby schools
- Port Isabel Early College High School0.3 mi · 585
- Derry Elementary School1.1 mi · 392
- Garriga Elementary School2.1 mi · 410
- Rivera Early College High School14.2 mi · 2,150
- Los Fresnos High School14.2 mi · 3,285
- Vermillion Road Elementary School14.3 mi · 654
Frequently asked questions
About Port Isabel Junior High SchoolWhat is the total enrollment at Port Isabel Junior High School?
Port Isabel Junior High School enrolls approximately 396 students in grades 06-08.
What grades does Port Isabel Junior High School serve?
Port Isabel Junior High School serves grades 06-08.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Port Isabel Junior High School?
The student-to-teacher ratio at Port Isabel Junior High School is approximately 12.2:1 (32 FTE teachers).
What is the racial breakdown of students at Port Isabel Junior High School?
At Port Isabel Junior High School, the student body is approximately 6% White, 93% Hispanic, 0% Black, 0% Asian, 1% Two or more.
Who oversees Port Isabel Junior High School?
Port Isabel Junior High School is overseen by POINT ISABEL ISD in Cameron County.
Data sourceSchool profile facts are sourced from the NCES. Community content is posted by allk12 members.