La Joya Independent School District (Isd)

The La Joya Independent School District (Isd) serves over 15,000 students across 36 schools in Texas, including 22 elementary, 8 middle, and 6 high schools, and is characterized by a very high level of economic disadvantage, with most schools having over 90% of students eligible for free or reduced lunch.

The district's standout stars are its two early college high schools, which dramatically outperform all others. Thelma Rosa Salinas Stem Early College High School and Jimmy Carter Early College High School both rank in the top 7% of Texas high schools, boasting 100% graduation rates and test scores far above state averages. In contrast, the three comprehensive high schools struggle, with La Joya Palmview High School being the best of the three, ranking in the 28th percentile. Among middle schools, Memorial Middle is the clear leader, ranking in the 79th percentile, while several elementary schools like Enrique Kiki Camarena Elementary and Jose De Escandon Elementary are bright spots, performing in the top 30% of Texas elementary schools.

A critical finding is the "two districts" phenomenon: the early college high schools are national-caliber, but the general student population faces systemic challenges. A major weakness is 7th-grade math, with proficiency rates often in the single digits across all middle schools. However, a fascinating anomaly is that Algebra I scores in middle schools are astronomically high, with several schools like Ann Richards Middle and Irene M Garcia Middle achieving 100% proficiency, indicating only advanced students are accelerated. Finally, Hope Academy is an outlier with the highest per-student spending ($36,585) but no recent test scores, raising questions about its effectiveness.