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What's the vibe like in the hallways at RAUL GARZA JR STEAM ACADEMY right now?
Community prompt from u/allk12. Replies below.
Enrollment
437
Elementary
DISTRICT 397 · STATE 519
SCHOOL COMMUNITY·SAN BENITO CISD·NCES 483879007824
Raul Garza Jr Steam Academy
848 8TH ST, SAN BENITO, TX 78586 · (956) 361-6900 · Cameron County
GRADES PK–05ELEMENTARY41-RURALTITLE IREGULAR SCHOOL437 STUDENTS
B+
allk12 Grade
Scored higher than 70% of Texas public elementary schools
- BTest 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.
- BThree-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 elementary schools
Student : Teacher
16.1:1
27 FTE teachers
DISTRICT 15.4:1 · STATE 15.1:1
Free / Reduced Lunch
75%
329 students
DISTRICT 82% · STATE 65%
Community
1
0 members
Enrollment and student:teacher ratio compared against other elementary schools. Free/Reduced Lunch and demographics compared against all schools.
Enrollment by grade, 2024-25
| Grade | Students | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Pre-K | 73 | 17% |
| Kindergarten | 51 | 12% |
| Grade 1 | 54 | 12% |
| Grade 2 | 57 | 13% |
| Grade 3 | 65 | 15% |
| Grade 4 | 67 | 15% |
| Grade 5 | 70 | 16% |
This year's kindergarten class (51) is 27% smaller than its 5th grade class (70).
Student demographics
5%Diversity index
The chance that two students picked at random belong to different racial or ethnic groups.
DISTRICT 4% · 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
62.0%
TX avg 54.5% . +29.0pp since 2020
Mathematics
52.0%
TX avg 45.3% . +30.0pp since 2020
What this means: On the STAAR, Texas's statewide test, about 62 of every 100 students at this school read at grade level and about 52 of 100 do math at grade level. Across all Texas schools, those numbers are about 55 and 45. Reading scores are up about 29 points since 2020, while math scores are up about 30 points.
Performance levels, 2025-26
| Subject | Masters Grade Level | Meets Grade Level | Approaches Grade Level | Did Not Meet Grade Level |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Reading | 28.0% | 34.0% | 19.0% | 19.0% |
| Mathematics | 20.0% | 32.0% | 26.0% | 22.0% |
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 | 62.0% | 52.0% |
| 2024-25 | 54.0% | 46.0% |
| 2023-24 | 55.0% | 53.0% |
| 2022-23 | 48.0% | 46.0% |
| 2021-22 | 52.0% | 50.0% |
| 2020-21 | 33.0% | 22.0% |
% 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
47.3%
composite math + reading, all grades
Predicted
41.5%
based on TX schools with similar FRL share
Beats by
+5.7pp
above demographic expectation
What this means: About 47% of students here test proficient in math and reading, compared with the roughly 42% 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 Raul Garza Jr Steam Academy
Raul Garza Jr Steam Academy's state test result (47.3% proficient) is higher than 2 of the 4 schools below with a result.
| School | Students | Low-income | Proficient |
|---|---|---|---|
| Raul Garza Jr Steam Academy this school | 437 | 75.3% | 47.3% |
| Nellie Mae Glass Elementary School EAGLE PASS | 438 | 75.3% | 39.7% |
| Villareal Elementary School OLMITO | 444 | 74.3% | 53.0% |
| Early Childhood Center EAGLE PASS | 461 | 76.4% | N/A |
| Cano-Gonzalez Elementary School EDINBURG | 399 | 75.9% | 44.8% |
| Cavazos Elementary School MCALLEN | 479 | 76.6% | 51.2% |
Matched among Texas elementary 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 Raul Garza Jr Steam Academy ranks
Among elementary schools| Measure | This school | In Texas | In Cameron County |
|---|---|---|---|
| State test proficiency ranked highest first | 47.3% | #1,706 of 4,401 | #43 of 93 |
| Math proficiency ranked highest first | 52.0% | #1,610 of 4,466 ▲ 438 | #51 of 93 ▲ 9 |
| Reading proficiency ranked highest first | 62.0% | #1,292 of 4,466 ▲ 769 | #23 of 93 ▲ 25 |
| 3-year test score change ranked biggest gain first | +10.0pp | #1,497 of 3,998 | #43 of 93 |
| Enrollment ranked largest first | 437 | #3,157 of 4,938 | #54 of 95 |
| Students per teacher ranked fewest first | 16.1:1 | #3,364 of 4,622 | #56 of 93 |
| Diversity index ranked most diverse first | 5.3% | #4,301 of 4,628 | #51 of 93 |
| Free and reduced lunch ranked highest share first | 75.3% | #2,263 of 4,789 | #81 of 94 |
| Enrollment change since 2017-18 ranked fastest growth first | +10.4% | #738 of 1,307 | #14 of 22 |
Ranked against other public elementary 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
437
-55 (-11%) vs 2020
-12% since 2000-01, when it was 495
Student : Teacher
16.1:1
was 15.9:1
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 | 437 | 27.1 | 16.1:1 | 75% (329) |
| 2023-24 | 425 | 27.5 | 15.5:1 | 81% (346) |
| 2022-23 | 455 | 28.5 | 15.9:1 | 83% (377) |
| 2020-21 | 492 | 31 | 15.9:1 | 82% (402) |
| 2017-18 | 396 | 23 | 17.2:1 | 80% (316) |
| 2015-16 | 365 | 22 | 16.6:1 | 87% (319) |
| 2010-11 | 576 | 31 | 18.6:1 | 0% (0) |
| 2000-01 | 495 | 29 | 17.1:1 | 19% (92) |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data. Rows are the federal collections on file for Raul Garza Jr Steam Academy.
Since 2017-18: students up 10% (396 to 437); teachers up 18% (23 to 27.1).
About Raul Garza Jr Steam Academy
In SAN BENITO, Texas, part of Cameron County, Raul Garza Jr Steam Academy is an elementary school. The school's enrollment of 437 students covers pre-K through 5.
SAN BENITO CISD (23 schools, 9,137 students) runs Raul Garza Jr Steam Academy.
Most students at Raul Garza Jr Steam Academy are Hispanic: 97% of enrollment. Enrollment also includes 3% White. The chance that two students picked at random at Raul Garza Jr Steam Academy belong to different racial or ethnic groups, known as the diversity index, is 5%.
Teachers at the school number 27.1 full-time equivalents, and the ratio is 16.1:1. The 15.1:1 average for elementary schools in Texas is lower than this school's figure. Roughly 75% of the student body qualifies for free or reduced-price lunch. Public schools in Cameron County average 84%.
Measured against Texas public elementary schools, Raul Garza Jr Steam Academy receives a B+. The grade weighs proficiency most heavily, then how results compare with what the school's low-income share predicts, then the three-year change.
Raul Garza Jr Steam Academy sits between the top and bottom 10% of Texas schools on BeatsExpectations, with an actual average proficiency rate on state tests of 47.3% and a predicted 41.5%.
Census estimates describe Cameron County this way: median household income is about $52,601, 22% of adults hold a bachelor's degree or higher, and about 21% of people live in poverty. The public schools of Cameron County number 187 and enroll about 97,392.
The nearest other public school, Gateway to Graduation Academy, is about 0.8 miles away. In all, at least 8 other public schools sit within five miles of Raul Garza Jr Steam Academy. Raul Garza Jr Steam Academy places 3rd of 8 on proficiency among the closest schools that report scores.
Raul Garza Jr Steam Academy is in rural territory close to an urban area, a location NCES labels Rural: Fringe.
Between 2020-21 and 2024-25, the student count declined from 492 to 437.
Conversations here can range across sports schedules, lunch menus, and spirit week. Reviews and ratings from people who know the school are welcome.
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 SAN BENITO CISD
- San Benito High SchoolHigh · 2,057 students
- Berta Cabaza Middle SchoolMiddle · 695 students
- San Benito Veterans Memorial AcademyHigh · 645 students
- Cash Elementary SchoolElementary · 611 students
- San Benito Riverside Middle SchoolMiddle · 558 students
- La Encantada Elementary SchoolElementary · 488 students
Other schools in SAN BENITO
- San Benito High SchoolHigh · 2,057 students
- South Texas ISD Rising Scholars AcademyMiddle · 781 students
- IDEA College Preparatory San BenitoHigh · 780 students
- Berta Cabaza Middle SchoolMiddle · 695 students
- IDEA Academy San BenitoElementary · 685 students
- Liberty Memorial Middle SchoolMiddle · 673 students
Nearby schools
- Gateway to Graduation Academy0.8 mi · 64
- Cash Elementary School1.0 mi · 611
- Miller Jordan Middle School1.1 mi · 477
- Sullivan Environmental Science Academy1.4 mi · 367
- Downs Fine Arts Academy1.6 mi · 426
- Fred Booth Global Leadership Academy1.7 mi · 441
Frequently asked questions
About Raul Garza Jr Steam AcademyHow large is Raul Garza Jr Steam Academy?
Raul Garza Jr Steam Academy enrolls approximately 437 students in grades PK-05.
Is Raul Garza Jr Steam Academy an elementary, middle, or high school?
Raul Garza Jr Steam Academy is an elementary school covering grades PK-05.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Raul Garza Jr Steam Academy?
The student-to-teacher ratio at Raul Garza Jr Steam Academy is approximately 16.1:1 (27 FTE teachers).
What is the racial breakdown of students at Raul Garza Jr Steam Academy?
At Raul Garza Jr Steam Academy, the student body is approximately 3% White, 97% Hispanic.
Is Raul Garza Jr Steam Academy public or private?
Raul Garza Jr Steam Academy is a public K-12 school, overseen by SAN BENITO CISD.
Data sourceSchool profile facts are sourced from the NCES. Community content is posted by allk12 members.