1
What's the one class at RAFAEL A CANTU J H every student should take?
Community prompt from u/allk12. Replies below.
Enrollment
591
Middle
DISTRICT 738 · STATE 643
SCHOOL COMMUNITY·MISSION CISD·NCES 483104011388
Rafael A Cantu Junior High School
5101 N STEWART RD, PALMHURST, TX 78573 · (956) 323-7800 · Hidalgo County
GRADES 06–08MIDDLE21-SUBURBTITLE IREGULAR SCHOOL591 STUDENTS
B-
allk12 Grade
Scored higher than 49% 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.
- B+Beats expectations How far test scores land above or below what the share of low-income students predicts for a school in this state.
- B+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
14.2:1
42 FTE teachers
DISTRICT 13.1:1 · STATE 14.4:1
Free / Reduced Lunch
87%
513 students
DISTRICT 87% · 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 | 197 | 33% |
| Grade 7 | 195 | 33% |
| Grade 8 | 199 | 34% |
Student demographics
5%Diversity index
The chance that two students picked at random belong to different racial or ethnic groups.
DISTRICT 5% · 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
54.0%
TX avg 54.5% . +31.0pp since 2020
Mathematics
35.0%
TX avg 45.3% . +27.0pp since 2020
What this means: On the STAAR, Texas's statewide test, about 54 of every 100 students at this school read at grade level and about 35 of 100 do math at grade level. Across all Texas schools, those numbers are about 55 and 45. Reading scores are up about 31 points since 2020, while math scores are up about 27 points.
Performance levels, 2025-26
| Subject | Masters Grade Level | Meets Grade Level | Approaches Grade Level | Did Not Meet Grade Level |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Reading | 26.0% | 28.0% | 23.0% | 23.0% |
| Mathematics | 9.0% | 26.0% | 29.0% | 36.0% |
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 | 54.0% | 35.0% |
| 2024-25 | 49.0% | 30.0% |
| 2023-24 | 47.0% | 28.0% |
| 2022-23 | 38.0% | 20.0% |
| 2021-22 | 34.0% | 21.0% |
| 2020-21 | 23.0% | 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
37.4%
composite math + reading, all grades
Predicted
36.6%
based on TX schools with similar FRL share
Beats by
+0.8pp
above demographic expectation
What this means: About 37% of students here test proficient in math and reading, compared with the roughly 37% 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 Rafael A Cantu Junior High School
Rafael A Cantu Junior High School's state test result (37.4% proficient) is higher than 0 of the 5 schools below with a result.
| School | Students | Low-income | Proficient |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rafael A Cantu Junior High School this school | 591 | 86.8% | 37.4% |
| Brown Middle School MCALLEN | 580 | 87.2% | 47.3% |
| Vernon Middle School HARLINGEN | 631 | 86.5% | 39.4% |
| Irene M Garcia Middle School MISSION | 601 | 86.4% | 49.0% |
| Cesar Chavez Middle School MISSION | 625 | 87.2% | 43.6% |
| Diaz Junior High School HIDALGO | 615 | 87.5% | 38.3% |
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 Rafael A Cantu Junior High School ranks
Among middle schools| Measure | This school | In Texas | In Hidalgo County |
|---|---|---|---|
| State test proficiency ranked highest first | 37.4% | #1,063 of 1,635 | #44 of 54 |
| Math proficiency ranked highest first | 35.0% | #1,157 of 1,670 ▲ 144 | #42 of 54 ▲ 6 |
| Reading proficiency ranked highest first | 54.0% | #856 of 1,670 ▲ 149 | #30 of 54 ▲ 1 |
| 3-year test score change ranked biggest gain first | +15.5pp | #478 of 1,570 | #11 of 54 |
| Enrollment ranked largest first | 591 | #947 of 1,749 | #37 of 54 |
| Students per teacher ranked fewest first | 14.2:1 | #664 of 1,542 | #40 of 52 |
| Diversity index ranked most diverse first | 5.3% | #1,444 of 1,543 | #13 of 52 |
| Free and reduced lunch ranked highest share first | 86.8% | #350 of 1,648 | #36 of 54 |
| Enrollment change since 2017-18 ranked steepest decline first | -18.1% | #398 of 942 | #20 of 44 |
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
591
-46 (-7%) vs 2020
-12% since 2010-11, when it was 668
Student : Teacher
14.2:1
was 12.5:1
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 | 591 | 41.6 | 14.2:1 | 87% (513) |
| 2023-24 | 581 | 42.9 | 13.5:1 | 90% (520) |
| 2022-23 | 594 | 46.7 | 12.7:1 | 91% (542) |
| 2020-21 | 637 | 51 | 12.5:1 | 90% (574) |
| 2017-18 | 722 | 55.1 | 13.1:1 | 86% (620) |
| 2015-16 | 750 | 52 | 14.4:1 | 83% (621) |
| 2010-11 | 668 | 52 | 12.8:1 | 0% (0) |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data. Rows are the federal collections on file for Rafael A Cantu Junior High School.
Since 2017-18: students down 18% (722 to 591); teachers down 25% (55.1 to 41.6).
About Rafael A Cantu Junior High School
This page covers Rafael A Cantu Junior High School, a medium-sized middle school in PALMHURST, Texas. Students in grades 6 through 8 attend the school, which enrolls 591 students.
MISSION CISD enrolls 13,765 students in 22 schools, including Rafael A Cantu Junior High School.
Rafael A Cantu Junior High School's enrollment is 97% Hispanic. It is also 2% White. Pick two students at random and there is a 5% chance they belong to different racial or ethnic groups; that figure is the school's diversity index.
The teaching staff at Rafael A Cantu Junior High School is 41.6 full-time-equivalent teachers, and the ratio is 14.2:1. That is close to the 14.4:1 average for middle schools in Texas. About 87% of students, or 513, qualify for free or reduced-price lunch. That tracks the 85% average for public schools in Hidalgo County.
Rafael A Cantu Junior High School is graded B- by allk12, scoring above 49% of Texas public middle schools once test results, poverty-adjusted performance, and the recent trend are combined.
Test results at Rafael A Cantu Junior High School are within a point of what its free or reduced-price lunch share predicts (37.4% actual, 36.6% predicted).
Rafael A Cantu Junior High School is located in Hidalgo County, where the median household income is $54,338, about 21% of adults have at least a bachelor's degree, and the poverty rate is about 23%. Besides Rafael A Cantu Junior High School, Hidalgo County has 363 other public schools.
Hurla M Midkiff Elementary School is the closest public school, about 1.3 miles away in a straight line. In all, at least 8 other public schools sit within five miles of Rafael A Cantu Junior High School. Rafael A Cantu Junior High School places 7th of 9 on proficiency among the closest schools that report scores.
By NCES locale, the school is Suburb: Large, or in a suburban area outside a principal city, within an urbanized area with a population of 250,000 or more.
Rafael A Cantu Junior High School's enrollment dropped from 637 in 2020-21 to 591 in 2024-25. There were more students per teacher in 2024-25 (14.2:1) than in 2020-21 (12.5:1).
Families, students, and staff can use this page to discuss enrollment questions, class placement, and PTA news at Rafael A Cantu Junior High School. Anyone with firsthand experience at this school can post or comment.
Hidalgo County at a glance
View full county profilePopulation
891,977
Census ACS
Median income
$54,338
Household, ACS
Bachelor's+
21%
Adults 25+
Poverty rate
23%
Below federal line
Schools in county
364
212,859 students
Quick facts
Related schools
Other schools in MISSION CISD
- Mission High SchoolHigh · 2,154 students
- Veterans Memorial High SchoolHigh · 1,737 students
- White Junior High SchoolMiddle · 831 students
- Alton Memorial Junior High SchoolMiddle · 819 students
- Mission Junior High SchoolMiddle · 711 students
- Mims Elementary SchoolElementary · 673 students
Other schools in PALMHURST
- Hurla M Midkiff Elementary SchoolElementary · 657 students
Nearby schools
- Hurla M Midkiff Elementary School1.3 mi · 657
- Jessie L Jensen Elementary School1.7 mi · 615
- Sharyland North Junior High School1.7 mi · 791
- Alton Elementary School1.8 mi · 337
- Donna Wernecke Elementary School1.9 mi · 631
- Olivero Garza Sr Elementary School2.0 mi · 648
Frequently asked questions
About Rafael A Cantu Junior High SchoolHow large is Rafael A Cantu Junior High School?
Rafael A Cantu Junior High School enrolls approximately 591 students in grades 06-08.
What age range does Rafael A Cantu Junior High School serve?
Rafael A Cantu Junior High School serves students from grade 06 through grade 08.
How many teachers does Rafael A Cantu Junior High School have?
Rafael A Cantu Junior High School employs 42 FTE teachers, for a student-to-teacher ratio of 14.2:1.
What is the racial breakdown of students at Rafael A Cantu Junior High School?
At Rafael A Cantu Junior High School, the student body is approximately 2% White, 97% Hispanic, 0% Black, 0% Two or more.
What district is Rafael A Cantu Junior High School in?
Rafael A Cantu Junior High School is part of MISSION CISD.
Data sourceSchool profile facts are sourced from the NCES. Community content is posted by allk12 members.