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Jaime Escalante Middle

Q: Is Jaime Escalante Middle a good school?

Jaime Escalante Middle ranks 1292 nd of 2335 Texas middle schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 2 stars out of 5.

Public Grades 6-8

1292^nd

SchoolDigger Rank ?

of 2,335 Texas Middle Schools

Better than 45% of Texas middle schools

Summary

Jaime Escalante Middle in Pharr, TX, is a mid-sized school serving 554 students in grades 6-8 within the Pharr-San Juan-Alamo Independent School District (Isd), where over 98% of students qualify for free or reduced lunch. The school has shown a clear upward trajectory over the past decade, climbing from a 1-star to a consistent 2-star rating, and has maintained a near-zero dropout rate for five years.

The school's standout strength is its exceptional performance in advanced mathematics, with Algebra I End-of-Course exam proficiency rates consistently above 91%—far exceeding the state average of around 54%. This success is particularly notable when compared to nearby schools like Valley View J H (96% proficient) and Brown Middle (100% proficient) in the McAllen Independent School District (Isd). Additionally, the school has earned a 5-star rating for its support of Special Education students, ranking in the 96th percentile statewide in 2024-2025. However, a critical weakness exists in 7th-grade mathematics, where only 4.35% of students are proficient—a stark contrast to the 48.4% proficiency at Valley View J H, which serves a similar demographic. This suggests that while the school excels at accelerating top math students, the general 7th-grade math curriculum may need significant improvement.

Despite investing heavily in resources, with a low student-teacher ratio of 11:1 and high per-student spending ($15,033), the school faces challenges in maintaining consistent support for English Language Learner and Special Education students, whose ratings have recently declined. For parents, this school offers a strong pipeline for advanced math and exceptional special education support, but families should be aware of the significant gap in 7th-grade math performance and monitor their child's progress closely in that area.

554

Students ?

11.0

Student/teacher ratio ?

$16,491

Per pupil spending ?

98.2%

Free/discounted lunch ?

6123 S Cage
Pharr, TX 78577

(956) 354-2670

District: Pharr-San Juan-Alamo Independent School District (Isd)

Students who attend Jaime Escalante Middle usually attend:

High:

Psja Southwest Early College High School

Feeder schools for Jaime Escalante Middle:

Elementary:	Berta S Palacios Elementary
	Carmen Anaya Elementary
	Cesar Chavez Elementary
	Kelly-Pharr Elementary

Racial breakdown:

Hispanic:

99.5%

White:

0.4%

Asian:

0.2%

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Compare Jaime Escalante Middle to nearby middle schools!

At a glance

▲ Ranking trend: Improving — 16th percentile in 2016 → 45th in 2026

Strengths

✓Ranking is trending up — up 29 percentile points since 2016

✓Small classes — about 11 students per teacher

Worth a look

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

!Near the bottom of Pharr-San Juan-Alamo Independent School District (Isd)'s ranking

Students meeting standards (2025-2026) ?

This school43%

District avg47%

Texas avg47%

1,292^nd of 2,335

Texas public middle schools ?

Bottom 45%▲ up 29 pts since 2016

From bottom 16% (2016) to bottom 45% (2026)

See the entire ranking list of Texas Middle Schools →

★★★★★

SchoolDigger rating ?

6^th of 8Middle Schools in the Pharr-San Juan-Alamo Independent School District (Isd)

306^th of 951Pharr-San Juan-Alamo 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	42.8	1292 of 2335	44.7%	★★☆☆☆
2025	40.6	1382 of 2344	41.0%	★★☆☆☆
2024	37.3	1496 of 2372	36.9%	★★☆☆☆
2023	37.6	1474 of 2330	36.7%	★★☆☆☆
2022	34.8	1483 of 2254	34.2%	★★☆☆☆
2021	14.0	2059 of 2252	8.6%	☆☆☆☆☆
2019	27.9	1668 of 2193	23.9%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	23.6	1723 of 2080	17.2%	★☆☆☆☆
2017	21.2	1718 of 2027	15.2%	★☆☆☆☆
2016	23.5	1670 of 1987	16.0%	★☆☆☆☆
2015	23.3	1731 of 2043	15.3%	★☆☆☆☆
2014	10.7	1875 of 1987	5.6%	☆☆☆☆☆
2013	4.6	1911 of 1973	3.1%	☆☆☆☆☆
2012	9.2	1850 of 1951	5.2%	☆☆☆☆☆

At Risk

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Texas percentile	Rating
2022	59.8	602 of 2182	72.4%	★★★★☆
2021	22.6	1901 of 2118	10.2%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	44.0	1068 of 2058	48.1%	★★☆☆☆
2018	31.4	1519 of 2008	24.4%	★☆☆☆☆

English Language Learner

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Texas percentile	Rating
2026	43.2	729 of 1390	47.6%	★★☆☆☆
2025	54.0	519 of 1428	63.7%	★★★☆☆
2024	54.8	632 of 1770	64.3%	★★★☆☆
2023	46.9	818 of 1720	52.4%	★★★☆☆
2022	45.1	798 of 1643	51.4%	★★★☆☆
2021	28.6	1275 of 1592	19.9%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	50.9	549 of 1445	62.0%	★★★☆☆
2018	40.2	759 of 1376	44.8%	★★☆☆☆

Female

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Texas percentile	Rating
2026	40.9	1309 of 2240	41.6%	★★☆☆☆
2025	39.1	1129 of 1825	38.1%	★★☆☆☆
2024	39.6	1351 of 2242	39.7%	★★☆☆☆
2023	39.6	1366 of 2241	39.0%	★★☆☆☆
2022	34.7	1490 of 2221	32.9%	★★☆☆☆
2021	16.7	1930 of 2151	10.3%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	27.7	1606 of 2047	21.5%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	23.3	1695 of 2008	15.6%	★☆☆☆☆

Gifted and Talented

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Texas percentile	Rating
2026	58.4	748 of 1497	50.0%	★★★☆☆
2025	71.6	273 of 1230	77.8%	★★★★☆
2023	74.9	254 of 1481	82.8%	★★★★☆
2022	53.6	850 of 1488	42.9%	★★☆☆☆
2021	32.1	1165 of 1501	22.4%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	36.6	1110 of 1446	23.2%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	27.6	1217 of 1430	14.9%	★☆☆☆☆

Hispanic

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Texas percentile	Rating
2026	50.5	931 of 2141	56.5%	★★★☆☆
2025	51.4	736 of 1731	57.5%	★★★☆☆
2024	51.7	874 of 2119	58.8%	★★★☆☆
2023	45.6	1089 of 2116	48.5%	★★☆☆☆
2022	41.9	1180 of 2077	43.2%	★★☆☆☆
2021	18.3	1856 of 2043	9.2%	☆☆☆☆☆
2019	33.9	1354 of 1935	30.0%	★★☆☆☆
2018	28.5	1499 of 1895	20.9%	★☆☆☆☆

Low Socio Economic Status

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Texas percentile	Rating
2026	57.6	767 of 2253	66.0%	★★★☆☆
2025	58.0	595 of 1820	67.3%	★★★☆☆
2024	57.9	748 of 2235	66.5%	★★★☆☆
2023	51.6	981 of 2251	56.4%	★★★☆☆
2022	46.6	1102 of 2220	50.4%	★★★☆☆
2021	18.4	1978 of 2172	8.9%	☆☆☆☆☆
2019	37.1	1391 of 2073	32.9%	★★☆☆☆
2018	32.5	1521 of 2039	25.4%	★☆☆☆☆

Male

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Texas percentile	Rating
2026	44.0	1205 of 2253	46.5%	★★☆☆☆
2025	46.1	910 of 1818	49.9%	★★★☆☆
2024	46.4	1078 of 2246	52.0%	★★★☆☆
2023	36.1	1455 of 2245	35.2%	★★☆☆☆
2022	34.3	1493 of 2228	33.0%	★★☆☆☆
2021	13.1	2039 of 2168	6.0%	☆☆☆☆☆
2019	27.5	1607 of 2069	22.3%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	24.9	1653 of 2030	18.6%	★☆☆☆☆

Migrant

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Texas percentile	Rating
2026	21.8	54 of 60	10.0%	★☆☆☆☆
2025	53.6	20 of 59	66.1%	★★★☆☆
2023	46.0	43 of 76	43.4%	★★☆☆☆
2022	66.0	9 of 70	87.1%	★★★★☆
2019	49.5	50 of 108	53.7%	★★★☆☆
2018	46.9	64 of 125	48.8%	★★★☆☆

Special Education

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Texas percentile	Rating
2026	42.3	1007 of 1956	48.5%	★★☆☆☆
2025	86.9	58 of 1568	96.3%	★★★★★
2024	81.1	126 of 1891	93.3%	★★★★★
2023	58.5	464 of 1815	74.4%	★★★★☆
2022	31.0	1330 of 1757	24.3%	★☆☆☆☆
2021	21.8	1624 of 1712	5.1%	☆☆☆☆☆
2019	18.3	1572 of 1626	3.3%	☆☆☆☆☆
2018	27.2	1351 of 1597	15.4%	★☆☆☆☆

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)72nd percentile+38 vs school

Low Socio Economic Status (2026)66th percentile+21 vs school

Hispanic (2026)57th percentile+12 vs school

Gifted and Talented (2026)50th percentile+5 vs school

Special Education (2026)49th percentile+4 vs school

English Language Learner (2026)48th percentile+3 vs school

Male (2026)47th percentile~ school

Female (2026)42nd percentile-3 vs school

Migrant (2026)10th percentile-35 vs school

By subject vs Texas (2025-2026) ?

Algebra I91%+37 vs state

Reading50%-6 vs state

Mathematics34%-6 vs state

Social Studies28%-3 vs state

★

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Schools Near Jaime Escalante Middle

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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 English I Reading (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 English I Reading 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
Jaime Escalante Middle	Public	6-8	6123 S Cage	Pharr	78577	Hidalgo County	Pharr-San Juan-Alamo Independent School District (Isd)	No	No	(n/a)	Yes	(956) 354-2670	554	50	11.0	98.2%	2 (0.4%)	0 (0.0%)	551 (99.5%)	1 (0.2%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	42.8	1292^nd of 2335 public middle schools	44.7%		40.6	1382^nd of 2344 public middle schools	41.0%	90	91.3		45.6	46.2	56.4	35.5	4.4	47.5	28.3	$16,491
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
Valley View J H	Public	7-8	9601 S Jackson Rd	Pharr	78577	Hidalgo County	Valley View Independent School District (Isd)	No	No	(n/a)	Yes	(956) 340-1300	516	36	14.1	93.2%	2 (0.4%)	0 (0.0%)	514 (99.6%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	61.8	707^th of 2335 public middle schools	69.7%		67	597^th of 2344 public middle schools	74.5%	110	96.1	100.0		62.4	47.7		48.4	59.6	24.9	$10,827
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
Austin Middle	Public	6-8	804 S Stewart Rd	San Juan	78589	Hidalgo County	Pharr-San Juan-Alamo Independent School District (Isd)	No	No	(n/a)	Yes	(956) 354-2570	833	69	12.1	90.3%	13 (1.6%)	2 (0.2%)	815 (97.8%)	3 (0.4%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	53.8	919^th of 2335 public middle schools	60.6%		55.7	901^st of 2344 public middle schools	61.6%	18	97.1		57.2	53.6	56.0	44.8	6.5	56.7	28.0	$13,285
Diaz J H	Public	6-8	1312 E Pirate Dr	Hidalgo	78557	Hidalgo County	Hidalgo Independent School District (Isd)	No	No	(n/a)	Yes	(956) 843-4351	615	52	11.9	87.5%	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	615 (100.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	31.2	1680^th of 2335 public middle schools	28.1%		35.3	1549^th of 2344 public middle schools	33.9%	131	85.7		44.0	47.0	43.3	25.5	14.4	39.7	18.2	$10,572
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
Jesus - Jesse - Vela Junior Middle	Public	6-8	1819 W Hwy 83	Alamo	78516	Hidalgo County	Pharr-San Juan-Alamo Independent School District (Isd)	No	No	(n/a)	Yes	(956) 354-2550	654	57	11.5	96.0%	4 (0.6%)	1 (0.2%)	649 (99.2%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	48.6	1081^st of 2335 public middle schools	53.7%		41.6	1342^nd of 2344 public middle schools	42.7%	261	95.2		44.1	52.4	60.6	29.9	4.1	61.0	30.1	$14,735
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
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

Frequently Asked Questions about Jaime Escalante Middle

What is the racial makeup of Jaime Escalante Middle?

Students at Jaime Escalante Middle are 99% Hispanic.

Is Jaime Escalante Middle a good school?

Jaime Escalante Middle ranks 1292^nd of 2335 Texas middle schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 2 stars out of 5.

What district is Jaime Escalante Middle in?

Pharr-San Juan-Alamo Independent School District (Isd)

What high school do graduates of Jaime Escalante Middle attend?

Students who attend Jaime Escalante Middle usually go on to attend Psja Southwest Early College High School

How many students attend Jaime Escalante Middle?

In the 2024-25 school year, 554 students attended Jaime Escalante Middle.

Rate Jaime Escalante Middle!

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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.