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What's the biggest difference between SOUTH TEXAS ISD SCIENCE ACADEMY and what you expected?
Community prompt from u/allk12. Replies below.
Enrollment
840
High
DISTRICT 611 · STATE 796
SCHOOL COMMUNITY·SOUTH TEXAS ISD·NCES 483715000429
South Texas ISD Science Academy
900 MED HIGH DR, MERCEDES, TX 78570 · (956) 565-4620 · Hidalgo County
GRADES 09–12HIGH21-SUBURBTITLE IREGULAR SCHOOL840 STUDENTS
A
allk12 Grade
Scored higher than 86% of Texas public high schools
- ATest scores Share of students meeting the state standard in reading, math, and other tested subjects, 2023-24 and 2024-25.
- ABeats 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 high schools
Student : Teacher
12.9:1
65 FTE teachers
DISTRICT 13.7:1 · STATE 15.1:1
Free / Reduced Lunch
55%
460 students
DISTRICT 59% · STATE 65%
Community
1
0 members
Enrollment and student:teacher ratio compared against other high schools. Free/Reduced Lunch and demographics compared against all schools.
Enrollment by grade, 2024-25
| Grade | Students | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Grade 9 | 209 | 25% |
| Grade 10 | 228 | 27% |
| Grade 11 | 225 | 27% |
| Grade 12 | 178 | 21% |
Student demographics
30%Diversity index
The chance that two students picked at random belong to different racial or ethnic groups.
DISTRICT 24% · 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
81.0%
TX avg 54.5% . +9.0pp since 2020
Mathematics
61.0%
TX avg 45.3% . +36.0pp since 2020
What this means: On the STAAR, Texas's statewide test, about 81 of every 100 students at this school read at grade level and about 61 of 100 do math at grade level. Across all Texas schools, those numbers are about 55 and 45. Reading scores are up about 9 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 | 29.0% | 52.0% | 9.0% | 10.0% |
| Mathematics | 19.0% | 42.0% | 31.0% | 8.0% |
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 | 81.0% | 61.0% |
| 2024-25 | 84.0% | 61.0% |
| 2023-24 | 90.0% | 64.0% |
| 2022-23 | 81.0% | 58.0% |
| 2021-22 | 69.0% | 11.0% |
| 2020-21 | 72.0% | 25.0% |
% 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
OUTPERFORMING
Top 10% of TX schools after controlling for student poverty
Actual proficiency
78.2%
composite math + reading, all grades
Predicted
50.3%
based on TX schools with similar FRL share
Beats by
+27.9pp
above demographic expectation
What this means: About 78% of students here test proficient in math and reading, well above the roughly 50% typical for Texas schools with a similar share of low-income students. BeatsExpectations ranks schools against others at the same poverty level, not by raw scores, so a school can post high scores and still fall short of its prediction, or post lower scores and still beat it. This school clears its prediction by about 28 points, placing it in Texas's top 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 South Texas ISD Science Academy
South Texas ISD Science Academy's state test result (78.2% proficient) is higher than 5 of the 5 schools below with a result.
| School | Students | Low-income | Proficient |
|---|---|---|---|
| South Texas ISD Science Academy this school | 840 | 54.8% | 78.2% |
| Pecos High School PECOS | 854 | 58.4% | 32.3% |
| IDEA Edgemere College Preparatory EL PASO | 619 | 59.1% | 53.8% |
| South Texas ISD Health Professions MERCEDES | 781 | 64.1% | 64.8% |
| Calhoun High School PORT LAVACA | 989 | 51.1% | 51.3% |
| Dumas High School DUMAS | 1,192 | 60.9% | 66.3% |
Matched among Texas high 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 South Texas ISD Science Academy ranks
Among high schools| Measure | This school | In Texas | In Hidalgo County |
|---|---|---|---|
| State test proficiency ranked highest first | 78.2% | #115 of 1,385 | #7 of 56 |
| Math proficiency ranked highest first | 61.0% | #280 of 1,425 ▼ 58 | #10 of 56 ▼ 2 |
| Reading proficiency ranked highest first | 81.0% | #168 of 1,425 ▼ 54 | #7 of 56 no change |
| 3-year test score change ranked biggest gain first | +1.5pp | #1,044 of 1,184 | #40 of 56 |
| Enrollment ranked largest first | 840 | #660 of 2,107 | #28 of 84 |
| Students per teacher ranked fewest first | 12.9:1 | #398 of 1,344 | #12 of 56 |
| Diversity index ranked most diverse first | 30.2% | #1,018 of 1,346 | #1 of 56 |
| Free and reduced lunch ranked highest share first | 54.8% | #914 of 1,522 | #65 of 65 |
| Enrollment change since 2017-18 ranked fastest growth first | +4.9% | #506 of 672 | #12 of 18 |
Ranked against other public high 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
840
+46 (+6%) vs 2020
+29% since 2000-01, when it was 653
Student : Teacher
12.9:1
was 13.5:1
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 | 840 | 65.1 | 12.9:1 | 55% (460) |
| 2023-24 | 846 | 55.9 | 15.1:1 | 50% (427) |
| 2022-23 | 795 | 59.2 | 13.4:1 | 44% (346) |
| 2020-21 | 794 | 59 | 13.5:1 | 41% (329) |
| 2017-18 | 801 | 55.3 | 14.5:1 | 40% (317) |
| 2015-16 | 731 | 55 | 13.3:1 | 40% (295) |
| 2010-11 | 675 | 54 | 12.5:1 | 47% (314) |
| 2000-01 | 653 | 45 | 14.5:1 | 30% (198) |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data. Rows are the federal collections on file for South Texas ISD Science Academy.
Since 2017-18: students up 5% (801 to 840); teachers up 18% (55.3 to 65.1).
About South Texas ISD Science Academy
South Texas ISD Science Academy is a mid-sized high school that serves part of MERCEDES, Texas. Students in grades 9 through 12 make up the school's enrollment of 840 students.
South Texas ISD Science Academy is part of SOUTH TEXAS ISD, where 7 schools serve 4,639 students.
The share of students at South Texas ISD Science Academy who are Hispanic is 83%. Other students are 8% White and 6% Asian. By comparison, Hidalgo County residents are about 92% Hispanic. A diversity index of 30% means there is a 30% chance two randomly chosen students at South Texas ISD Science Academy are from different groups.
The student-to-teacher ratio at South Texas ISD Science Academy is 12.9:1, based on 65.1 full-time-equivalent teachers. The average for high schools in Texas, 15.1:1, is higher. South Texas ISD Science Academy counts 55% of students as eligible for free or reduced-price lunch. Across public schools in Hidalgo County, the average is 85%.
South Texas ISD Science Academy holds an A allk12 Grade, placing it above 86% of Texas public high schools.
A school in Texas with South Texas ISD Science Academy's free or reduced-price lunch share would be expected to score about 50.3%. South Texas ISD Science Academy scores 78.2%.
American Community Survey estimates for Hidalgo County show that the median household earns about $54,338 a year, about 21% of adults have at least a bachelor's degree, and the poverty rate is about 23%. Across Hidalgo County, 364 public schools serve about 212,859 students.
A public school about 0.1 miles away, South Texas ISD Health Professions, is the closest to South Texas ISD Science Academy. In all, at least 8 other public schools sit within five miles of South Texas ISD Science Academy. Of 4 schools in the immediate area with test results, South Texas ISD Science Academy ranks 1st on average proficiency.
For locale, NCES codes South Texas ISD Science Academy as Suburb: Large.
Enrollment increased 6% over 4 years, reaching 840 in 2024-25.
This page collects posts and questions about South Texas ISD Science Academy, such as athletics, class schedules, and weather closures. Members of the school community can share what they know.
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 SOUTH TEXAS ISD
- South Texas ISD Medical ProfessionsHigh · 820 students
- South Texas ISD Preparatory AcademyMiddle · 802 students
- South Texas ISD Health ProfessionsHigh · 781 students
- South Texas ISD Rising Scholars AcademyMiddle · 781 students
- South Texas ISD World ScholarsHigh · 403 students
- South Texas ISD Virtual AcademyHigh · 212 students
Other schools in MERCEDES
- Mercedes High SchoolHigh · 903 students
- South Texas ISD Health ProfessionsHigh · 781 students
- Sgt Manuel Chacon Middle SchoolMiddle · 518 students
- Travis Elementary SchoolElementary · 478 students
- Ruben Hinojosa Elementary SchoolElementary · 468 students
- Taylor Elementary SchoolElementary · 406 students
Nearby schools
- South Texas ISD Health Professions0.1 mi · 781
- South Texas ISD Virtual Academy0.2 mi · 212
- South Palm Gardens High School1.0 mi · 72
- John F Kennedy Elementary School1.3 mi · 399
- Mercedes Early Literacy Program1.4 mi · 189
- Mercedes Early College Academy1.4 mi · 355
Frequently asked questions
About South Texas ISD Science AcademyHow large is South Texas ISD Science Academy?
South Texas ISD Science Academy enrolls approximately 840 students in grades 09-12.
What age range does South Texas ISD Science Academy serve?
South Texas ISD Science Academy serves students from grade 09 through grade 12.
How many students per teacher at South Texas ISD Science Academy?
Approximately 12.9:1 students per teacher at South Texas ISD Science Academy.
How diverse is South Texas ISD Science Academy?
South Texas ISD Science Academy reports a student body of 8% White, 83% Hispanic, 2% Black, 6% Asian, 1% Two or more.
Is South Texas ISD Science Academy public or private?
South Texas ISD Science Academy is a public K-12 school, overseen by SOUTH TEXAS ISD.
Data sourceSchool profile facts are sourced from the NCES. Community content is posted by allk12 members.