Summary:
The Monte Alto Independent School District (Isd) contains a single middle school, Jose Borrego Middle, serving grades 6 through 8 with 178 students in a high-poverty area where nearly 89% of students qualify for free or reduced lunch.
Jose Borrego Middle shows a mixed performance picture. The school's 7th-grade math proficiency rate of 36.36% actually exceeds the state average of 29.41%, and 7th-grade reading also outperforms the state. However, 8th-grade performance drops sharply, with only 10.53% proficient in math (compared to 47.24% statewide) and just 7.25% proficient in social studies (versus 31.69% statewide). The school's overall state ranking places it in the 30th percentile, earning a 2-star rating. Despite these academic challenges, the school maintains a low dropout rate of 1.5%—half the district's rate—and a favorable student-teacher ratio of 10.3:1, suggesting strong student engagement and support.
A notable paradox is the school's per-student spending of $13,637, which is significantly higher than the Texas average, yet overall performance remains in the bottom 30% of the state. This indicates that financial resources alone are not driving academic success. The 7th-grade math success stands out as a potential bright spot, possibly due to an effective teacher or targeted intervention, but these gains do not carry into 8th grade. On a positive note, 50% of students taking Algebra I are proficient, close to the state average, showing that some students are being successfully accelerated into high school-level math. For parents, this school offers a supportive environment with low class sizes and strong retention, but faces clear challenges in preparing students for 8th-grade academics, particularly in math and social studies.
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