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Rafael A Cantu J H

Q: Is Rafael A Cantu J H a good school?

Rafael A Cantu J H ranks 1402 nd of 2335 Texas middle schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 2 stars out of 5.

Public Grades 6-8

1402^nd

SchoolDigger Rank ?

of 2,335 Texas Middle Schools

Better than 40% of Texas middle schools

Summary

Rafael A Cantu J H in Palmhurst, TX, is a middle school serving 591 students in grades 6-8 as part of the Mission Consolidated Independent School District, and it has shown remarkable improvement in recent years, climbing from the 17th percentile statewide in 2020-2021 to the 40th percentile in 2025-2026.

The school's standout strength is its advanced math program. An impressive 91.67% of Cantu students taking the Algebra I End-of-Course exam were proficient in 2025-2026, far exceeding the state average of 54.03% and the district average of 36.51%. This performance is on par with top-tier nearby schools like Morris Middle (98.28%) and Michael E Fossum Middle (100%), even though Cantu serves a student population with a much higher poverty rate (86.8% eligible for free or reduced lunch). However, this success in advanced math contrasts sharply with grade-level math performance, where only 5.43% of 7th graders were proficient in 2025-2026, compared to the state average of 29.41%. This suggests the school excels at accelerating a select group of students while the majority in standard classes struggle.

While Cantu effectively serves its Hispanic, low-income, and English Language Learner students—all showing improvement—it faces a critical challenge with its Special Education subgroup, which ranked in the 4th percentile statewide in 2025-2026. This is a stark contrast to the school's overall progress and points to a need for targeted support. Despite this, the school's consistent five-year upward trend is a positive sign of effective initiatives, and its Algebra I program allows it to compete with much higher-ranked schools in the area, such as De Leon Middle and Domingo Trevino Middle, in a specific academic area.

591

Students ?

14.2

Student/teacher ratio ?

$12,494

Per pupil spending ?

86.8%

Free/discounted lunch ?

5101 N Stewart Rd
Palmhurst, TX 78573

(956) 323-7800

District: Mission Consolidated Independent School District

Students who attend Rafael A Cantu J H usually attend:

High:	Mission Collegiate High School
	Veterans Memorial High School

Feeder schools for Rafael A Cantu J H:

Elementary:	Alton Elementary
	Hurla M Midkiff Elementary
	Salinas Elementary

Racial breakdown:

Hispanic:

97.3%

White:

2.2%

Two or more races:

0.3%

See top rated Texas middle schools

Compare Rafael A Cantu J H to nearby middle schools!

At a glance

▲ Ranking trend: Improving — 26th percentile in 2016 → 40th in 2026

Strengths

✓Ranking is trending up — up 14 percentile points since 2016

Worth a look

!Test scores below the Texas average (39% vs 47% meeting standards)

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

!Near the bottom of Mission Consolidated Independent School District's ranking

Students meeting standards (2025-2026) ?

This school39%

District avg38%

Texas avg47%

1,402^nd of 2,335

Texas public middle schools ?

Bottom 40%▲ up 14 pts since 2016

From bottom 26% (2016) to bottom 40% (2026)

See the entire ranking list of Texas Middle Schools →

★★★★★

SchoolDigger rating ?

3^rd of 4Middle Schools in the Mission Consolidated Independent School District

473^rd of 951Mission Consolidated Independent School District 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	40.1	1402 of 2335	40.0%	★★☆☆☆
2025	34.1	1582 of 2344	32.5%	★★☆☆☆
2024	34.2	1601 of 2372	32.5%	★★☆☆☆
2023	27.7	1774 of 2330	23.9%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	29.6	1642 of 2254	27.2%	★☆☆☆☆
2021	20.6	1861 of 2252	17.4%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	44.9	1153 of 2193	47.4%	★★☆☆☆
2018	47.3	1031 of 2080	50.4%	★★★☆☆
2017	34.1	1369 of 2027	32.5%	★★☆☆☆
2016	34.1	1462 of 1987	26.4%	★☆☆☆☆
2015	43.8	1251 of 2043	38.8%	★★☆☆☆
2014	32.8	1453 of 1987	26.9%	★☆☆☆☆
2013	37.3	1394 of 1973	29.3%	★☆☆☆☆
2012	28.1	1550 of 1951	20.6%	★☆☆☆☆
2011	42.4	1343 of 1895	29.1%	★☆☆☆☆
2010	43.0	1272 of 1803	29.5%	★☆☆☆☆
2009	45.9	1137 of 1763	35.5%	★★☆☆☆

At Risk

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Texas percentile	Rating
2022	32.8	1576 of 2182	27.8%	★☆☆☆☆
2021	28.8	1690 of 2118	20.2%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	58.1	608 of 2058	70.5%	★★★★☆
2018	50.5	783 of 2008	61.0%	★★★☆☆

English Language Learner

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Texas percentile	Rating
2026	42.6	743 of 1390	46.5%	★★☆☆☆
2025	32.8	1005 of 1428	29.6%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	33.2	1236 of 1770	30.2%	★★☆☆☆
2023	30.5	1283 of 1720	25.4%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	36.7	1058 of 1643	35.6%	★★☆☆☆
2021	35.2	1065 of 1592	33.1%	★★☆☆☆
2019	54.9	456 of 1445	68.4%	★★★☆☆
2018	46.1	584 of 1376	57.6%	★★★☆☆

Female

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Texas percentile	Rating
2026	41.4	1293 of 2240	42.3%	★★☆☆☆
2025	35.2	1217 of 1825	33.3%	★★☆☆☆
2024	36.1	1474 of 2242	34.3%	★★☆☆☆
2023	29.7	1688 of 2241	24.7%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	28.5	1682 of 2221	24.3%	★☆☆☆☆
2021	24.6	1704 of 2151	20.8%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	44.4	1111 of 2047	45.7%	★★☆☆☆
2018	50.7	913 of 2008	54.5%	★★★☆☆

Gifted and Talented

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Texas percentile	Rating
2026	58.8	737 of 1497	50.8%	★★★☆☆
2025	40.4	892 of 1230	27.5%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	27.4	1260 of 1481	14.9%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	35.5	1147 of 1488	22.9%	★☆☆☆☆
2021	17.6	1329 of 1501	11.5%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	53.0	852 of 1446	41.1%	★★☆☆☆
2018	56.0	746 of 1430	47.8%	★★☆☆☆

Hispanic

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Texas percentile	Rating
2026	46.8	1041 of 2141	51.4%	★★★☆☆
2025	41.7	990 of 1731	42.8%	★★☆☆☆
2024	39.1	1288 of 2119	39.2%	★★☆☆☆
2023	33.5	1495 of 2116	29.3%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	35.7	1371 of 2077	34.0%	★★☆☆☆
2021	26.5	1620 of 2043	20.7%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	53.3	770 of 1935	60.2%	★★★☆☆
2018	55.1	699 of 1895	63.1%	★★★☆☆

Low Socio Economic Status

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Texas percentile	Rating
2026	47.0	1124 of 2253	50.1%	★★★☆☆
2025	41.3	1055 of 1820	42.0%	★★☆☆☆
2024	37.4	1427 of 2235	36.2%	★★☆☆☆
2023	31.9	1648 of 2251	26.8%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	33.4	1598 of 2220	28.0%	★☆☆☆☆
2021	24.6	1819 of 2172	16.3%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	57.5	695 of 2073	66.5%	★★★☆☆
2018	55.9	721 of 2039	64.6%	★★★☆☆

Male

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Texas percentile	Rating
2026	38.5	1400 of 2253	37.9%	★★☆☆☆
2025	32.6	1281 of 1818	29.5%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	29.2	1673 of 2246	25.5%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	25.6	1766 of 2245	21.3%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	30.9	1613 of 2228	27.6%	★☆☆☆☆
2021	20.9	1816 of 2168	16.2%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	44.4	1076 of 2069	48.0%	★★☆☆☆
2018	42.1	1132 of 2030	44.2%	★★☆☆☆

Migrant

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Texas percentile	Rating
2023	35.1	58 of 76	23.7%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	50.6	48 of 108	55.6%	★★★☆☆
2018	59.8	35 of 125	72.0%	★★★★☆

Special Education

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Texas percentile	Rating
2026	19.7	1875 of 1956	4.1%	☆☆☆☆☆
2025	28.8	1241 of 1568	20.9%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	20.1	1728 of 1891	8.6%	☆☆☆☆☆
2023	20.7	1708 of 1815	5.9%	☆☆☆☆☆
2022	22.9	1615 of 1757	8.1%	☆☆☆☆☆
2021	63.0	340 of 1712	80.1%	★★★★☆
2019	47.4	669 of 1626	58.9%	★★★☆☆
2018	46.3	682 of 1597	57.3%	★★★☆☆

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)

Hispanic (2026)51st percentile+11 vs school

Gifted and Talented (2026)51st percentile+11 vs school

Low Socio Economic Status (2026)50th percentile+10 vs school

English Language Learner (2026)47th percentile+7 vs school

Female (2026)42nd percentile~ school

Male (2026)38th percentile~ school

At Risk (2022)28th percentile~ school

Migrant (2023)24th percentile~ school

Special Education (2026)4th percentile-36 vs school

By subject vs Texas (2025-2026) ?

Algebra I92%+38 vs state

Reading51%-5 vs state

Mathematics31%-8 vs state

Social Studies22%-10 vs state

★

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Schools Near Rafael A Cantu J H

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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 EOC Biology (2026)	STAAR EOC English I Reading (2026)	STAAR EOC English II Reading (2026)	STAAR EOC U.S. History (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 EOC Biology End of Course	STAAR EOC English I Reading End of Course	STAAR EOC English II Reading End of Course	STAAR EOC U.S. History 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
Rafael A Cantu J H	Public	6-8	5101 N Stewart Rd	Palmhurst	78573	Hidalgo County	Mission Consolidated Independent School District	No	No	(n/a)	Yes	(956) 323-7800	591	42	14.2	86.8%	13 (2.2%)	1 (0.2%)	575 (97.3%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	2 (0.3%)	40.1	1402^nd of 2335 public middle schools	40.0%		34.1	1582^nd of 2344 public middle schools	32.5%	180	91.7					47.5	45.0	59.1	29.8	5.4	48.4	22.0	$12,494
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
Alton Memorial J H	Public	6-8	521 S Los Ebanos Blvd	Alton	78573	Hidalgo County	Mission Consolidated Independent School District	No	No	(n/a)	Yes	(956) 323-5000	819	63	12.9	93.7%	6 (0.7%)	0 (0.0%)	811 (99.0%)	1 (0.1%)	1 (0.1%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	30.8	1691^st of 2335 public middle schools	27.6%		28.7	1777^th of 2344 public middle schools	24.2%	86	100.0					49.8	47.2	46.0	23.7	3.1	34.4	20.1	$11,028
Michael E Fossum Middle	Public	6-8	7800 N Ware Rd	McAllen	78504	Hidalgo County	McAllen Independent School District (Isd)	No	No	(n/a)	Yes	(956) 971-1105	791	54	14.6	60.2%	19 (2.4%)	6 (0.8%)	758 (95.8%)	5 (0.6%)	2 (0.3%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (0.1%)	79.8	326^th of 2335 public middle schools	86.0%		84.9	240^th of 2344 public middle schools	89.8%	86	100.0					72.2	77.6	70.7	34.8	51.8	71.4	40.2	$9,865
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
Domingo Trevino Middle	Public	6-8	301 S Inspiration Rd	Alton	78573	Hidalgo County	La Joya Independent School District (Isd)	No	No	(n/a)	Yes	(956) 323-2810	531	44	11.9	97.4%	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	531 (100.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	36.2	1524^th of 2335 public middle schools	34.7%		33.2	1615^th of 2344 public middle schools	31.1%	91	94.3					43.6	35.8	50.0	31.4	3.6	55.5	18.6	$10,797
White J H	Public	6-8	1101 W Griffin Pkwy	Mission	78572	Hidalgo County	Mission Consolidated Independent School District	No	No	(n/a)	Yes	(956) 323-3600	831	61	13.6	85.8%	7 (0.8%)	1 (0.1%)	823 (99.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	47.2	1133^rd of 2335 public middle schools	51.5%		41.1	1361^st of 2344 public middle schools	41.9%	228	100.0					47.6	52.0	61.2	26.1	13.3	55.8	27.7	$10,969
Mission J H	Public	6-8	415 E 14th St	Mission	78572	Hidalgo County	Mission Consolidated Independent School District	No	No	(n/a)	Yes	(956) 323-3300	711	62	11.4	74.4%	10 (1.4%)	2 (0.3%)	699 (98.3%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	41.6	1341^st of 2335 public middle schools	42.6%		46.7	1175^th of 2344 public middle schools	49.9%	166	100.0					55.7	49.8	54.9	35.5	2.6	40.2	20.7	$11,493
Idea Palmview College Preparatory	Public, Charter	6-10	4100 N Schuerbach Rd	Mission	78572	Hidalgo County	Idea Public Schools	Yes	No	(n/a)	Yes	(956) 377-8000	446	31	14.5	99.6%	10 (2.2%)	1 (0.2%)	435 (97.5%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	41	1372^nd of 2335 public middle schools	41.2%		37.7	1466^th of 2344 public middle schools	37.5%	94	45.1	53.3	47.1	60.0	74.1	37.8	46.0	47.0	35.4	33.3		33.3	$17,367
Memorial Middle	Public	6-8	2610 N Moorefield Rd	Mission	78572	Hidalgo County	La Joya Independent School District (Isd)	No	No	(n/a)	Yes	(956) 323-2820	663	48	13.9	83.3%	1 (0.2%)	1 (0.2%)	661 (99.7%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	70.7	498^th of 2335 public middle schools	78.7%		61.7	757^th of 2344 public middle schools	67.7%	259	100.0					57.9	61.9	69.1	50.8	27.1	64.2	40.3	$10,174

Frequently Asked Questions about Rafael A Cantu J H

What district is Rafael A Cantu J H in?

Mission Consolidated Independent School District

How many students attend Rafael A Cantu J H?

In the 2024-25 school year, 591 students attended Rafael A Cantu J H.

Is Rafael A Cantu J H a good school?

Rafael A Cantu J H ranks 1402^nd of 2335 Texas middle schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 2 stars out of 5.

What high school do graduates of Rafael A Cantu J H attend?

Students who attend Rafael A Cantu J H usually go on to attend Mission Collegiate High School

What is the racial makeup of Rafael A Cantu J H?

Students at Rafael A Cantu J H are 97% Hispanic, 2% White.

Rate Rafael A Cantu J H!

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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.