RAFAEL A CANTU J H

RAFAEL A CANTU J H operates as a middle-of-the-pack intermediate school in PALMHURST, Texas, part of MISSION CISD. Current enrollment sits at 591 students spanning grades 6 through 8.

RAFAEL A CANTU J H is one of 22 schools operated by MISSION CISD, a district that serves 13,765 students overall.

Demographically, RAFAEL A CANTU J H lists that 97% of students identify as Hispanic, making the school strongly Hispanic-majority. Beyond that, the school records 2% White.

Looking at the economic backdrop, RAFAEL A CANTU J H shows 42 full-time-equivalent teachers, putting the student-to-teacher ratio at about 14.2:1. The state averages about 14.4:1, putting this campus right in line with peers. An estimated 87% of students are eligible for free or reduced-price lunch, which schools and policymakers use as a rough income-mix signal.

Adjusting for the school's free-and-reduced-lunch share, RAFAEL A CANTU J H sits in the middle band of the BeatsExpectations distribution. Schools with this campus's student mix typically land near 36.0%; this one delivers 39.0%.

Across the wider county, Hidalgo County reports that the typical household earns roughly $54,338 per year, roughly 21% of adults have completed at least a four-year degree, and census figures put the poverty rate at about 23%. RAFAEL A CANTU J H is one of 364 public schools in Hidalgo County (combined enrollment of about 212,859 students).

The closest other public school is HURLA M MIDKIFF EL, roughly 1.3 miles away. Counting just inside five miles, 8 other public schools cluster around RAFAEL A CANTU J H. Ranking that nearby cluster on reported proficiency puts RAFAEL A CANTU J H at 7th of 9; the average score across the group is 43.9%.

The school occupies an outer-ring site.

Five-year trend. Over the past 7-year window, the student count declined 18%: 722 students in 2018 compared to 591 in 2025. Class-load math has rose: from 13.1:1 in 2018 to 14.2:1 in 2025.

On the community side, the page collects discussion, questions, and updates around sports schedules, lunch menu changes, and school spirit week. Anyone with firsthand experience at this school can post or comment.