Beta You're viewing our redesigned school page. Prefer the classic layout?

Cathey Middle

Q: Is Cathey Middle a good school?

Cathey Middle ranks 534 th of 2335 Texas middle schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 4 stars out of 5.

Public Grades 6-8

534^th

SchoolDigger Rank ?

of 2,335 Texas Middle Schools

Better than 77% of Texas middle schools

Summary

Cathey Middle in McAllen, TX, serves 827 students in grades 6-8 within the McAllen Independent School District (Isd), and has a strong historical track record, consistently earning a 4-star rating from SchoolDigger over the past decade. The school serves a predominantly low socio-economic status population, with approximately 70% of students qualifying for free or reduced lunch.

Cathey Middle stands out for its exceptional performance in advanced mathematics, with near-perfect proficiency rates on the Algebra I End-of-Course exam over the last four years, including 100% proficient in the 2025-2026 school year. This is dramatically higher than the district average, which hovers around 50-69%. The school also excels in 6th-grade math, consistently outperforming both district and state averages, and notably surpassing higher-ranked nearby schools like Michael E Fossum Middle and Morris Middle in this subject. However, there is a notable dip in 7th-grade math proficiency, where the school falls below the district average, suggesting a potential area for improvement. Reading scores are a reliable strength, consistently above state averages across all grade levels.

Cathey Middle also shows exceptional support for migrant students, ranking in the 88th percentile in the 2025-2026 school year, a dramatic improvement from the 48th percentile just two years prior. While the school is a solid, 4-star option within the district, it is outperformed by Morris Middle (94th percentile, 5-star) and Fossum Middle (86th percentile, 4-star), but significantly outperforms Brown Middle, De Leon Middle, and Travis Middle. A slight upward trend in the dropout rate to 0.8% in the 2023-2024 school year, while still low, is a new data point that warrants monitoring.

827

Students ?

15.3

Student/teacher ratio ?

$9,669

Per pupil spending ?

70%

Free/discounted lunch ?

1800 N Cynthia
McAllen, TX 78501

(956) 971-4300

District: McAllen Independent School District (Isd)

Students who attend Cathey Middle usually attend:

High:

Memorial High School

Feeder schools for Cathey Middle:

Elementary:	Gonzalez Elementary
	Jackson Elementary

Racial breakdown:

Hispanic:

93.5%

White:

4.2%

Asian:

1.5%

See top rated Texas middle schools

Compare Cathey Middle to nearby middle schools!

At a glance

▼ Ranking trend: Declining — 85th percentile in 2016 → 77th in 2026

Strengths

✓Test scores above the Texas average (56% vs 47% meeting standards)

✓Ranks in the top 23% of Texas middle schools

Worth a look

!Ranking has slipped — down 8 percentile points since 2016

!Some student groups rank well below the school's overall statewide standing

Students meeting standards (2025-2026) ?

This school56%

District avg57%

Texas avg47%

534^th of 2,335

Texas public middle schools ?

Top 23%▼ down 8 pts since 2016

From top 15% (2016) to top 23% (2026)

See the entire ranking list of Texas Middle Schools →

★★★★★

SchoolDigger rating ?

3^rd of 6Middle Schools in the McAllen Independent School District (Isd)

246^th of 951McAllen Independent School District (Isd) among Texas districts

Statewide rank percentile over time (100 = the top-ranked school in the state; click a legend item to add a student group)

Show full rank history (all student groups)

All Students

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Texas percentile	Rating
2026	68.8	534 of 2335	77.1%	★★★★☆
2025	69.0	561 of 2344	76.1%	★★★★☆
2024	70.2	533 of 2372	77.5%	★★★★☆
2023	73.1	456 of 2330	80.4%	★★★★☆
2022	78.4	353 of 2254	84.3%	★★★★☆
2021	65.6	601 of 2252	73.3%	★★★★☆
2019	85.5	229 of 2193	89.6%	★★★★☆
2018	85.0	207 of 2080	90.0%	★★★★★
2017	80.1	269 of 2027	86.7%	★★★★☆
2016	79.2	303 of 1987	84.8%	★★★★☆
2015	70.8	518 of 2043	74.6%	★★★★☆
2014	72.1	464 of 1987	76.6%	★★★★☆
2013	71.0	466 of 1973	76.4%	★★★★☆
2012	70.0	496 of 1951	74.6%	★★★★☆
2011	70.2	419 of 1895	77.9%	★★★★☆
2010	71.6	348 of 1803	80.7%	★★★★☆
2009	74.1	308 of 1763	82.5%	★★★★☆
2008	70.5	401 of 1718	76.7%	★★★★☆
2007	70.3	412 of 1684	75.5%	★★★★☆
2006	68.1	451 of 1585	71.5%	★★★★☆
2005	75.5	283 of 1582	82.1%	★★★★☆
2004	68.6	416 of 1573	73.6%	★★★★☆

Asian

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Texas percentile	Rating
2026	46.9	393 of 642	38.8%	★★☆☆☆
2023	57.3	294 of 616	52.3%	★★★☆☆
2022	75.9	109 of 606	82.0%	★★★★☆
2021	84.1	50 of 589	91.5%	★★★★★
2019	70.4	152 of 594	74.4%	★★★★☆
2018	82.3	58 of 587	90.1%	★★★★★

At Risk

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Texas percentile	Rating
2022	84.4	150 of 2182	93.1%	★★★★★
2021	55.2	708 of 2118	66.6%	★★★☆☆
2019	81.4	159 of 2058	92.3%	★★★★★
2018	85.0	119 of 2008	94.1%	★★★★★

English Language Learner

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Texas percentile	Rating
2026	54.3	473 of 1390	66.0%	★★★☆☆
2025	66.7	310 of 1428	78.3%	★★★★☆
2024	69.0	347 of 1770	80.4%	★★★★☆
2023	76.7	225 of 1720	86.9%	★★★★☆
2022	87.6	83 of 1643	94.9%	★★★★★
2021	63.4	328 of 1592	79.4%	★★★★☆
2019	81.0	130 of 1445	91.0%	★★★★★
2018	86.8	71 of 1376	94.8%	★★★★★

Female

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Texas percentile	Rating
2026	69.9	483 of 2240	78.4%	★★★★☆
2025	74.1	318 of 1825	82.6%	★★★★☆
2024	73.1	410 of 2242	81.7%	★★★★☆
2023	72.7	436 of 2241	80.5%	★★★★☆
2022	75.7	390 of 2221	82.4%	★★★★☆
2021	67.4	541 of 2151	74.8%	★★★★☆
2019	86.5	186 of 2047	90.9%	★★★★★
2018	85.4	184 of 2008	90.8%	★★★★★

Gifted and Talented

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Texas percentile	Rating
2026	62.4	631 of 1497	57.8%	★★★☆☆
2025	69.7	326 of 1230	73.5%	★★★★☆
2023	69.4	436 of 1481	70.6%	★★★★☆
2022	74.9	277 of 1488	81.4%	★★★★☆
2021	68.2	507 of 1501	66.2%	★★★☆☆
2019	75.3	232 of 1446	84.0%	★★★★☆
2018	73.8	274 of 1430	80.8%	★★★★☆

Hispanic

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Texas percentile	Rating
2026	75.5	320 of 2141	85.1%	★★★★☆
2025	76.7	224 of 1731	87.1%	★★★★☆
2024	77.0	277 of 2119	86.9%	★★★★☆
2023	79.3	259 of 2116	87.8%	★★★★☆
2022	83.7	189 of 2077	90.9%	★★★★★
2021	67.7	446 of 2043	78.2%	★★★★☆
2019	89.8	113 of 1935	94.2%	★★★★★
2018	89.1	109 of 1895	94.2%	★★★★★

Low Socio Economic Status

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Texas percentile	Rating
2026	71.8	372 of 2253	83.5%	★★★★☆
2025	70.6	328 of 1820	82.0%	★★★★☆
2024	74.6	302 of 2235	86.5%	★★★★☆
2023	71.0	407 of 2251	81.9%	★★★★☆
2022	79.3	230 of 2220	89.6%	★★★★☆
2021	63.3	571 of 2172	73.7%	★★★★☆
2019	85.0	125 of 2073	94.0%	★★★★★
2018	86.0	122 of 2039	94.0%	★★★★★

Male

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Texas percentile	Rating
2026	65.7	579 of 2253	74.3%	★★★★☆
2025	63.5	505 of 1818	72.2%	★★★★☆
2024	67.3	546 of 2246	75.7%	★★★★☆
2023	71.3	470 of 2245	79.1%	★★★★☆
2022	77.8	329 of 2228	85.2%	★★★★☆
2021	64.5	593 of 2168	72.6%	★★★★☆
2019	80.9	283 of 2069	86.3%	★★★★☆
2018	81.7	250 of 2030	87.7%	★★★★☆

Migrant

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Texas percentile	Rating
2026	71.0	7 of 60	88.3%	★★★★☆
2024	50.1	30 of 58	48.3%	★★★☆☆
2019	49.3	51 of 108	52.8%	★★★☆☆
2018	46.0	68 of 125	45.6%	★★☆☆☆

Special Education

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Texas percentile	Rating
2026	59.3	499 of 1956	74.5%	★★★★☆
2025	66.4	294 of 1568	81.3%	★★★★☆
2024	68.2	335 of 1891	82.3%	★★★★☆
2023	65.9	321 of 1815	82.3%	★★★★☆
2022	69.0	248 of 1757	85.9%	★★★★☆
2021	65.3	298 of 1712	82.6%	★★★★☆
2019	56.1	456 of 1626	72.0%	★★★★☆
2018	65.5	270 of 1597	83.1%	★★★★☆

White

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Texas percentile	Rating
2026	71.1	395 of 1731	77.2%	★★★★☆
2025	80.2	154 of 1439	89.3%	★★★★☆
2024	75.9	279 of 1733	83.9%	★★★★☆
2023	68.4	459 of 1749	73.8%	★★★★☆
2022	72.6	355 of 1723	79.4%	★★★★☆
2021	76.8	272 of 1700	84.0%	★★★★☆
2019	83.5	191 of 1684	88.7%	★★★★☆
2018	81.0	221 of 1673	86.8%	★★★★☆

How student groups rank statewide ? (each group's percentile vs the same group at other schools — higher is better; the +/- beside each compares the group with this school's overall percentile)

At Risk (2022)93rd percentile+9 vs school

Migrant (2026)88th percentile+11 vs school

Hispanic (2026)85th percentile+8 vs school

Low Socio Economic Status (2026)83rd percentile+6 vs school

Female (2026)78th percentile~ school

White (2026)77th percentile~ school

Special Education (2026)74th percentile-3 vs school

Male (2026)74th percentile-3 vs school

English Language Learner (2026)66th percentile-11 vs school

Gifted and Talented (2026)58th percentile-19 vs school

Asian (2026)39th percentile-38 vs school

By subject vs Texas (2025-2026) ?

Algebra I100%+46 vs state

Reading64%+8 vs state

Mathematics50%+10 vs state

Social Studies36%+4 vs state

5.0

3 ratings · 1 written review

5★3

4★0

3★0

2★0

1★0

Rate Cathey Middle

Have first-hand experience? A quick rating - and a sentence or two about what stands out (teachers, academics, safety, communication) - helps other families know what to expect.

Takes about a minute. We email you a link to verify your review - your address is never shown publicly.

Tap a star to rate

What people are saying

by a student
Thursday, February 13, 2020

It is this best school in the school district if we got 2nd place. I love this school more than Morris. The Morris students always sayg kiss about them being 1st place which is not true. But they can wish that. Close Quote

Schools Near Cathey Middle

Load more schools when map is moved

Ranking:

E Elementary M Middle H High A Alternative P Private

Choose columns to see: Summary School Students/Teachers Ranking Test Scores Finance All

School													Students/Teachers											Ranking (2026)				Ranking (2025)				STAAR EOC Algebra I (2026)	STAAR Reading (2026)			STAAR Mathematics (2026)			STAAR Social Studies (2026)	Per Pupil Expenditures (2024)
Name	Type	Grades	Address	City	Zip	County	District	Is Charter	Is Magnet	Is Virtual	Is Title I	Phone	Enrollment	Full-time Teachers	Student/ Teacher Ratio	Free/Discounted Lunch Recipients	White	Black	Hispanic	Asian	American Indian	Pacific Islander	Two or More Races	Average Standard Score (2026)	Statewide Rank (2026)	State Percentile (2026)	SchoolDigger Rating (2026)	Average Standard Score (2025)	Statewide Rank (2025)	State Percentile (2025)	Rank Change from Previous Year	STAAR EOC Algebra I End of Course	STAAR Reading 6th Grade	STAAR Reading 7th Grade	STAAR Reading 8th Grade	STAAR Mathematics 6th Grade	STAAR Mathematics 7th Grade	STAAR Mathematics 8th Grade	STAAR Social Studies 8th Grade	Total
Cathey Middle	Public	6-8	1800 N Cynthia	McAllen	78501	Hidalgo County	McAllen Independent School District (Isd)	No	No	(n/a)	Yes	(956) 971-4300	827	54	15.3	70.0%	35 (4.2%)	4 (0.5%)	773 (93.5%)	12 (1.5%)	1 (0.1%)	0 (0.0%)	2 (0.2%)	68.8	534^th of 2335 public middle schools	77.1%		69	561^st of 2344 public middle schools	76.1%	27	100.0	59.9	67.5	63.3	45.1	29.8	62.6	35.6	$9,669
Travis Middle	Public	6-8	600 Houston St	McAllen	78501	Hidalgo County	McAllen Independent School District (Isd)	No	No	(n/a)	Yes	(956) 971-4242	505	44	11.5	95.4%	8 (1.6%)	0 (0.0%)	497 (98.4%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	50.7	1028^th of 2335 public middle schools	56.0%		41.1	1365^th of 2344 public middle schools	41.8%	337	97.1	52.0	50.7	52.9	16.7	23.0	64.9	35.3	$14,107
Lyndon B Johnson Middle	Public	6-8	500 E Sioux Rd	Pharr	78577	Hidalgo County	Pharr-San Juan-Alamo Independent School District (Isd)	No	No	(n/a)	Yes	(956) 354-2590	1,006	71	14.1	87.9%	7 (0.7%)	1 (0.1%)	998 (99.2%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	42.5	1307^th of 2335 public middle schools	44.0%		43.8	1266^th of 2344 public middle schools	46.0%	41	99.0	43.8	49.4	55.2	25.9	7.2	57.7	26.9	$13,156
De Leon Middle	Public	6-8	4201 N 29th St	McAllen	78504	Hidalgo County	McAllen Independent School District (Isd)	No	No	(n/a)	Yes	(956) 632-8800	664	56	11.8	87.0%	12 (1.8%)	1 (0.2%)	641 (96.5%)	7 (1.1%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	3 (0.5%)	52.4	968^th of 2335 public middle schools	58.5%		54.5	934^th of 2344 public middle schools	60.2%	34	94.6	56.4	51.1	64.2	25.8	33.7	53.9	20.1	$12,521
Liberty Middle	Public	6-8	1212 S Fir St	Pharr	78577	Hidalgo County	Pharr-San Juan-Alamo Independent School District (Isd)	No	No	(n/a)	Yes	(956) 354-2610	742	63	11.8	93.9%	6 (0.8%)	1 (0.1%)	735 (99.1%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	45.4	1196^th of 2335 public middle schools	48.8%		44.6	1234^th of 2344 public middle schools	47.4%	38	94.6	55.4	49.1	52.8	28.3	14.0	48.5	30.0	$14,129
R Yzaguirre Middle	Public	6-8	605 E Fm 495	San Juan	78589	Hidalgo County	Pharr-San Juan-Alamo Independent School District (Isd)	No	No	(n/a)	Yes	(956) 354-2630	736	61	12.1	95.1%	6 (0.8%)	0 (0.0%)	730 (99.2%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	41.2	1363^rd of 2335 public middle schools	41.6%		38.3	1448^th of 2344 public middle schools	38.2%	85	100.0	47.2	42.3	44.8	31.5	24.6	51.7	27.7	$13,926
Morris Middle	Public	6-8	1400 Trenton Rd	McAllen	78504	Hidalgo County	McAllen Independent School District (Isd)	No	No	(n/a)	Yes	(956) 618-7300	999	67	14.8	45.0%	80 (8.0%)	5 (0.5%)	889 (89.0%)	15 (1.5%)	1 (0.1%)	0 (0.0%)	9 (0.9%)	84.6	232^nd of 2335 public middle schools	90.1%		90.2	145^th of 2344 public middle schools	93.8%	87	98.3	69.9	74.6	85.1	35.3	41.3	81.4	64.8	$8,591
Kennedy Middle	Public	6-8	600 W Hall Acres Rd	Pharr	78577	Hidalgo County	Pharr-San Juan-Alamo Independent School District (Isd)	No	No	(n/a)	Yes	(956) 354-2650	519	49	10.5	96.7%	5 (1.0%)	0 (0.0%)	514 (99.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	47.4	1127^th of 2335 public middle schools	51.7%		44.8	1229^th of 2344 public middle schools	47.6%	102	91.7	47.5	55.2	56.7	34.0	10.4	55.4	26.7	$17,012
Brown Middle	Public	6-8	2700 S Ware Rd	McAllen	78503	Hidalgo County	McAllen Independent School District (Isd)	No	No	(n/a)	Yes	(956) 632-8700	580	51	11.4	87.2%	7 (1.2%)	0 (0.0%)	573 (98.8%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	61.2	722^nd of 2335 public middle schools	69.1%		62.3	735^th of 2344 public middle schools	68.6%	13	100.0	53.3	50.6	65.0	44.9	21.4	54.8	43.1	$12,606
Sharyland North J H	Public	7-8	1500 Dove	McAllen	78504	Hidalgo County	Sharyland Independent School District (Isd)	No	No	(n/a)	Yes	(956) 686-1415	791	49	16.0	69.4%	50 (6.3%)	1 (0.1%)	739 (93.4%)	1 (0.1%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	62.2	702^nd of 2335 public middle schools	69.9%		65.6	644^th of 2344 public middle schools	72.5%	58	100.0		63.1	59.3		34.9	70.8	20.8	$9,890

Frequently Asked Questions about Cathey Middle

Is Cathey Middle a good school?

Cathey Middle ranks 534^th of 2335 Texas middle schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 4 stars out of 5.

What district is Cathey Middle in?

McAllen Independent School District (Isd)

How many students attend Cathey Middle?

In the 2024-25 school year, 827 students attended Cathey Middle.

What is the racial makeup of Cathey Middle?

Students at Cathey Middle are 93% Hispanic, 4% White, 1% Asian.

What high school do graduates of Cathey Middle attend?

Students who attend Cathey Middle usually go on to attend Memorial High School

Rate Cathey Middle!

Other helpful SchoolDigger resources...

Compare to nearby schools

TXTexas Middle School Rankings

TXTexas District Rankings

Schools in McAllen, TX

Sign up for updates!

Be the first to know when there is an update for Cathey Middle!

Latest Texas data All new data »

2025–26 STAAR, STAAR EOC & STAAR Spanish test scoresJun 12, 2026

2021–22 through 2023–24 school spending dataJan 10, 2026

2023–24 dropout rates & graduation ratesSep 17, 2025

2024–25 STAAR EOC & STAAR Spanish test scoresJun 23, 2025

SchoolDigger data sources: National Center for Education Statistics, U.S. Department of Education, the U.S. Census Bureau and the Texas Education Agency.

IMPORTANT DISCLAIMERS: Not all boundaries are included. We make every effort to ensure that boundaries are up-to-date. But it's important to note that these are approximations and are for general informational purposes only. To verify legal descriptions of boundaries or school locations, contact your local tax assessor's office and/or school district.