Summary:
The Laredo Independent School District (Isd) serves four middle schools—Lamar Middle, Christen Middle, Joaquin Cigarroa Middle, and Memorial Middle—for grades 6 through 8 in a predominantly low-income area of Texas, where nearly all students qualify for free or reduced lunch.
Lamar Middle stands out as the top performer, with the highest enrollment (1,204 students) and a strong upward trend in state ranking, moving from the 29th percentile to the 51st percentile over three years. It also has the lowest poverty rate (94.6% free/reduced lunch) and the lowest per-student spending ($9,303), yet it achieves the best overall results. In contrast, Memorial Middle is the most stable school, consistently earning 2 or 3 stars despite a slight ranking decline, and it spends the most per student ($11,354) with the smallest enrollment (679 students). Christen Middle and Joaquin Cigarroa Middle face the highest economic challenges, with over 99% of students on free/reduced lunch, and they rank lower in the state.
A key finding is the district's exceptional performance in Algebra I, where Lamar Middle and Christen Middle achieved 100% proficiency, far exceeding state averages. However, grade-level math remains a major weakness, with 7th-grade math proficiency as low as 8% at Lamar Middle. Reading scores are a relative strength, with Lamar Middle slightly exceeding the state average in 7th-grade reading. Dropout rates are very low across all schools, and student-teacher ratios are manageable, ranging from 11.8 to 14.7. Overall, Lamar Middle offers the best trajectory and performance, while Memorial Middle provides consistent stability despite higher spending.
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