1
Enrollment
658
Middle
DISTRICT 731 · STATE 643
SCHOOL COMMUNITY·BROWNSVILLE ISD·NCES 481168000426
Vela Middle School
4905 PAREDES LINE RD, BROWNSVILLE, TX 78521 · (956) 548-7770 · Cameron County
GRADES 06–08MIDDLE12-CITYTITLE IREGULAR SCHOOL658 STUDENTS
Student : Teacher
14.2:1
46 FTE teachers
DISTRICT 13.5:1 · STATE 14.4:1
Free / Reduced Lunch
83%
545 students
DISTRICT 91% · 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 | 235 | 36% |
| Grade 7 | 207 | 31% |
| Grade 8 | 216 | 33% |
Student demographics
3%Diversity index
The chance that two students picked at random belong to different racial or ethnic groups.
DISTRICT 3% · 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
65.0%
TX avg 54.5% . +48.0pp since 2020
Mathematics
48.0%
TX avg 45.3% . +40.0pp since 2020
What this means: On the STAAR, Texas's statewide test, about 65 of every 100 students at this school read at grade level and about 48 of 100 do math at grade level. Across all Texas schools, those numbers are about 55 and 45. Reading scores are up about 48 points since 2020, while math scores are up about 40 points.
Performance levels, 2025-26
| Subject | Masters Grade Level | Meets Grade Level | Approaches Grade Level | Did Not Meet Grade Level |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Reading | 36.0% | 29.0% | 16.0% | 19.0% |
| Mathematics | 18.0% | 30.0% | 26.0% | 26.0% |
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 | 65.0% | 48.0% |
| 2024-25 | 61.0% | 40.0% |
| 2023-24 | 65.0% | 45.0% |
| 2022-23 | 47.0% | 23.0% |
| 2021-22 | 32.0% | 18.0% |
| 2020-21 | 17.0% | 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
48.9%
composite math + reading, all grades
Predicted
38.3%
based on TX schools with similar FRL share
Beats by
+10.5pp
above demographic expectation
What this means: About 49% 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 Vela Middle School
Vela Middle School's state test result (48.9% proficient) is higher than 3 of the 5 schools below with a result.
| School | Students | Low-income | Proficient |
|---|---|---|---|
| Vela Middle School this school | 658 | 82.8% | 48.9% |
| Memorial Middle School MISSION | 663 | 83.3% | 53.5% |
| Robert C Zamora Middle School SAN ANTONIO | 655 | 83.7% | 30.9% |
| Liberty Memorial Middle School SAN BENITO | 673 | 84.0% | 47.4% |
| Armando Cuellar Middle School WESLACO | 634 | 84.7% | 37.8% |
| Raul Perales Middle School LAREDO | 648 | 80.7% | 51.3% |
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 Vela Middle School ranks
Among middle schools| Measure | This school | In Texas | In Cameron County |
|---|---|---|---|
| State test proficiency ranked highest first | 48.9% | #543 of 1,635 | #7 of 30 |
| Math proficiency ranked highest first | 48.0% | #593 of 1,670 ▲ 262 | #9 of 30 ▲ 6 |
| Reading proficiency ranked highest first | 65.0% | #391 of 1,670 ▲ 107 | #7 of 30 ▲ 2 |
| 3-year test score change ranked biggest gain first | +21.5pp | #229 of 1,570 | #3 of 29 |
| Enrollment ranked largest first | 658 | #829 of 1,749 | #16 of 30 |
| Students per teacher ranked fewest first | 14.2:1 | #666 of 1,542 | #19 of 28 |
| Diversity index ranked most diverse first | 3.3% | #1,468 of 1,543 | #19 of 28 |
| Free and reduced lunch ranked highest share first | 82.8% | #442 of 1,648 | #19 of 30 |
| Enrollment change since 2017-18 ranked steepest decline first | -17.4% | #413 of 942 | #13 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
658
-56 (-8%) vs 2020
-40% since 2000-01, when it was 1,097
Student : Teacher
14.2:1
was 13.2:1
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 | 658 | 46.3 | 14.2:1 | 83% (545) |
| 2023-24 | 601 | 47.9 | 12.5:1 | 82% (490) |
| 2022-23 | 638 | 48.9 | 13.1:1 | 82% (523) |
| 2020-21 | 714 | 54 | 13.2:1 | 79% (564) |
| 2017-18 | 797 | 60.5 | 13.2:1 | 92% (734) |
| 2015-16 | 825 | 61 | 13.5:1 | 91% (751) |
| 2010-11 | 1,092 | 75 | 14.6:1 | 0% (0) |
| 2000-01 | 1,097 | 82 | 13.4:1 | 16% (176) |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data. Rows are the federal collections on file for Vela Middle School.
Since 2017-18: students down 17% (797 to 658); teachers down 23% (60.5 to 46.3).
About Vela Middle School
Vela Middle School is a middle school located in BROWNSVILLE, Texas, in Cameron County. The school runs grades 6 through 8 and enrolls 658 students.
BROWNSVILLE ISD runs Vela Middle School along with 51 other schools, enrolling 37,097 students in total.
Hispanic students account for 98% of the school's enrollment. The Hispanic share of the county population is lower, at 89%. Its diversity index, the chance that two randomly chosen students belong to different racial or ethnic groups, is 3%.
The school had 46.3 full-time-equivalent teachers in 2024-25. Its student-to-teacher ratio is 14.2:1. It is about the same as the 14.4:1 average for middle schools in Texas. The eligibility rate for free or reduced-price meals is 83%. Public schools in Cameron County average a similar 84%.
Schools in Texas with a similar free or reduced-price lunch share are predicted to score about 38.3%. Vela Middle School scores 48.9%.
For Cameron County, Census Bureau data show the median household earns about $52,601 a year, roughly 22% of adults have a four-year degree or more, and the share of residents below the poverty line is 21%. Public schools in Cameron County number 187, with about 97,392 students.
Measured in a straight line, Burns Elementary School is about 0.3 miles from Vela Middle School. Other public schools within five miles: at least 8. Nearby schools with test data average 51.4% proficiency; Vela Middle School posts 48.9%.
The NCES locale for Vela Middle School is City: Mid-size, which covers schools inside a principal city with a population between 100,000 and 250,000.
Enrollment figures show a drop of 56 students from 2020-21 to 2024-25. Its ratio of students to teachers was 13.2:1 in 2020-21, and 14.2:1 in 2024-25.
The Vela Middle School discussion page is a place for homework, tutoring, and testing dates. You can also rate the school on this page.
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 BROWNSVILLE ISD
- Veterans Memorial Early College High SchoolHigh · 2,216 students
- Rivera Early College High SchoolHigh · 2,150 students
- Hanna Early College High SchoolHigh · 2,039 students
- Lopez Early College High SchoolHigh · 1,739 students
- Pace Early College High SchoolHigh · 1,621 students
- Porter Early College High SchoolHigh · 1,543 students
Other schools in BROWNSVILLE
- Veterans Memorial Early College High SchoolHigh · 2,216 students
- Rivera Early College High SchoolHigh · 2,150 students
- Hanna Early College High SchoolHigh · 2,039 students
- Lopez Early College High SchoolHigh · 1,739 students
- Pace Early College High SchoolHigh · 1,621 students
- Porter Early College High SchoolHigh · 1,543 students
Nearby schools
- Burns Elementary School0.3 mi · 651
- Promesa College Prep Brownsville0.4 mi · 185
- IDEA Brownsville Academy0.5 mi · 702
- IDEA Brownsville College Preparatory0.5 mi · 783
- Paredes Elementary School0.9 mi · 798
- Gallegos Elementary School1.1 mi · 390
Frequently asked questions
About Vela Middle SchoolHow many students attend Vela Middle School?
Vela Middle School enrolls approximately 658 students in grades 06-08.
What grades does Vela Middle School serve?
Vela Middle School serves grades 06-08.
How many teachers does Vela Middle School have?
Vela Middle School employs 46 FTE teachers, for a student-to-teacher ratio of 14.2:1.
How diverse is Vela Middle School?
Vela Middle School reports a student body of 0% White, 98% Hispanic, 0% Black, 1% Asian.
What district is Vela Middle School in?
Vela Middle School is part of BROWNSVILLE ISD.
Data sourceSchool profile facts are sourced from the NCES. Community content is posted by allk12 members.