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Preparatory For Early College High School

Q: Is Preparatory For Early College High School a good school?

Preparatory For Early College High School ranks 304 th of 2009 Texas high schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 4 stars out of 5.

Public Grades 9-12

304^th

SchoolDigger Rank ?

of 2,009 Texas High Schools

Better than 85% of Texas high schools

Summary

Preparatory For Early College High School in Rio Grande City, TX, is a small, high-performing high school serving 430 students in grades 9-12 within the Rio Grande City Grulla Independent School District (Isd), where over 98% of students qualify for free or reduced lunch. This school stands out as a top academic choice in the region, consistently earning a 4-star rating and ranking in the 85th percentile statewide, far outperforming nearby schools like Rio Grande City High School (25th percentile) and Grulla High School (18th percentile).

What makes this school exceptional is its ability to achieve outstanding results across all student groups, especially those facing economic challenges. For example, in 2025-2026, 84% of students were proficient in Biology, compared to just 56% district-wide, and 80% were proficient in English I Reading versus 41% in the district. The school also excels with English Language Learners (90th percentile) and migrant students (7th in the state), while maintaining a 100% graduation rate and a 0% dropout rate. Even compared to the nearby Idea Rio Grande City College Preparatory, PECHS leads significantly, with 80% proficiency in English I Reading versus Idea's 47%.

However, there is one area for improvement: Gifted and Talented students rank in the 28th percentile, suggesting the school may not fully challenge its highest achievers. Despite this, PECHS achieves its success with lower per-student spending ($8,777) than district peers like Grulla High School ($14,515) and a favorable student-to-teacher ratio of 12.3:1. For parents seeking a focused, college-preparatory environment that delivers strong academic outcomes for all students, this school is a standout choice in the Rio Grande City area.

430

Students ?

12.3

Student/teacher ratio ?

$6,632

Per pupil spending ?

98.6%

Free/discounted lunch ?

144 Fm 3167
Rio Grande City, TX 78582

(956) 370-4254

District: Rio Grande City Grulla Independent School District (Isd)

Racial breakdown:

Hispanic:

99.3%

Asian:

0.7%

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Compare Preparatory For Early College High School to nearby high schools!

At a glance

▬ Ranking trend: Holding steady — 82nd percentile in 2019 → 85th in 2026

Strengths

✓Test scores above the Texas average (78% vs 62% meeting standards)

✓Ranks in the top 15% of Texas high schools

✓100% graduate within 4 years

Worth a look

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

Students meeting standards (2025-2026) ?

This school78%

District avg50%

Texas avg62%

304^th of 2,009

Texas public high schools ?

Top 15%▲ up 3 pts since 2019

See the entire ranking list of Texas High Schools →

★★★★★

SchoolDigger rating ?

1^st of 3High Schools in the Rio Grande City Grulla Independent School District (Isd)

375^th of 951Rio Grande City Grulla 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	75.8	304 of 2009	84.9%	★★★★☆
2025	72.9	347 of 1974	82.4%	★★★★☆
2024	75.2	313 of 1990	84.3%	★★★★☆
2023	77.9	255 of 1961	87.0%	★★★★☆
2022	70.2	380 of 1876	79.7%	★★★★☆
2021	45.1	1001 of 1861	46.2%	★★☆☆☆
2019	72.0	328 of 1857	82.3%	★★★★☆

At Risk

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Texas percentile	Rating
2021	55.0	605 of 1829	66.9%	★★★☆☆
2019	78.8	170 of 1810	90.6%	★★★★★
2018	71.8	243 of 1784	86.4%	★★★★☆

English Language Learner

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Texas percentile	Rating
2026	81.0	117 of 1195	90.2%	★★★★★
2025	82.5	102 of 1153	91.2%	★★★★★
2024	83.0	115 of 1437	92.0%	★★★★★
2023	87.5	90 of 1371	93.4%	★★★★★
2022	85.4	87 of 1278	93.2%	★★★★★
2021	70.1	181 of 1195	84.9%	★★★★☆
2019	90.1	61 of 1136	94.6%	★★★★★
2018	83.8	86 of 1113	92.3%	★★★★★

Female

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Texas percentile	Rating
2026	68.2	450 of 1936	76.8%	★★★★☆
2025	55.6	553 of 1504	63.2%	★★★☆☆
2024	63.5	518 of 1880	72.4%	★★★★☆
2023	70.3	394 of 1891	79.2%	★★★★☆
2022	59.0	630 of 1841	65.8%	★★★☆☆
2021	42.7	1052 of 1815	42.0%	★★☆☆☆
2019	60.5	623 of 1798	65.4%	★★★☆☆
2018	60.4	613 of 1781	65.6%	★★★☆☆

Gifted and Talented

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Texas percentile	Rating
2026	47.1	873 of 1206	27.6%	★☆☆☆☆
2025	33.4	766 of 964	20.5%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	47.1	843 of 1182	28.7%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	46.9	825 of 1172	29.6%	★☆☆☆☆
2021	23.9	1018 of 1177	13.5%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	37.4	930 of 1145	18.8%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	37.3	921 of 1137	19.0%	★☆☆☆☆

Hispanic

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Texas percentile	Rating
2026	79.5	185 of 1860	90.1%	★★★★★
2025	74.0	188 of 1453	87.1%	★★★★☆
2024	75.6	222 of 1805	87.7%	★★★★☆
2023	82.0	155 of 1820	91.5%	★★★★★
2022	74.2	247 of 1762	86.0%	★★★★☆
2021	50.6	758 of 1743	56.5%	★★★☆☆
2019	76.0	228 of 1714	86.7%	★★★★☆
2018	76.6	228 of 1691	86.5%	★★★★☆

Low Socio Economic Status

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Texas percentile	Rating
2026	82.5	150 of 1937	92.3%	★★★★★
2025	77.8	143 of 1513	90.5%	★★★★★
2024	79.3	161 of 1884	91.5%	★★★★★
2023	84.4	123 of 1897	93.5%	★★★★★
2022	77.5	187 of 1847	89.9%	★★★★☆
2021	53.9	696 of 1848	62.3%	★★★☆☆
2019	77.2	194 of 1818	89.3%	★★★★☆
2018	78.5	182 of 1794	89.9%	★★★★☆

Male

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Texas percentile	Rating
2026	78.9	225 of 1954	88.5%	★★★★☆
2025	80.0	151 of 1515	90.0%	★★★★★
2024	78.3	217 of 1891	88.5%	★★★★☆
2023	83.5	154 of 1913	91.9%	★★★★★
2022	79.5	199 of 1853	89.3%	★★★★☆
2021	43.7	982 of 1840	46.6%	★★☆☆☆
2019	79.8	208 of 1824	88.6%	★★★★☆
2018	81.6	175 of 1803	90.3%	★★★★★

Migrant

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Texas percentile	Rating
2026	92.9	7 of 74	90.5%	★★★★★
2025	96.9	3 of 81	96.3%	★★★★★
2024	92.6	6 of 95	93.7%	★★★★★
2023	92.6	7 of 93	92.5%	★★★★★
2022	87.8	9 of 114	92.1%	★★★★★
2021	62.8	27 of 97	72.2%	★★★★☆
2019	85.6	12 of 113	89.4%	★★★★★
2018	89.0	7 of 131	94.7%	★★★★★

Special Education

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Texas percentile	Rating
2026	75.4	191 of 1581	87.9%	★★★★☆
2025	82.2	88 of 1299	93.2%	★★★★★
2024	68.9	273 of 1548	82.4%	★★★★☆
2019	94.3	38 of 1357	97.2%	★★★★★
2018	22.9	1168 of 1347	13.3%	★☆☆☆☆

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)

Low Socio Economic Status (2026)92nd percentile+7 vs school

Migrant (2026)91st percentile+6 vs school

English Language Learner (2026)90th percentile+5 vs school

Hispanic (2026)90th percentile+5 vs school

Male (2026)88th percentile+4 vs school

Special Education (2026)88th percentile+3 vs school

Female (2026)77th percentile-8 vs school

At Risk (2021)67th percentile+21 vs school

Gifted and Talented (2026)28th percentile-57 vs school

By subject vs Texas (2025-2026) ?

Biology84%+14 vs state

U.S. History80%+10 vs state

English I Reading80%+24 vs state

English II Reading77%+18 vs state

Algebra I64%+10 vs state

★

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Schools Near Preparatory For Early College High School

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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 Social Studies 8th Grade	Total
Preparatory For Early College High School	Public	9-12	144 Fm 3167	Rio Grande City	78582	Starr County	Rio Grande City Grulla Independent School District (Isd)	No	No	(n/a)	Yes	(956) 370-4254	430	35	12.3	98.6%	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	427 (99.3%)	3 (0.7%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	75.8	304^th of 2009 public high schools	84.9%		72.9	347^th of 1974 public high schools	82.4%	43	63.6	84.0	79.7	77.5	80.0							$6,632
Idea Rio Grande City College Preparatory	Public, Charter	6-12	2803 W Monarch Ln	Rio Grande City	78582	Starr County	Idea Public Schools	Yes	No	(n/a)	Yes	(956) 263-4900	695	45	15.5	90.1%	22 (3.2%)	1 (0.1%)	668 (96.1%)	2 (0.3%)	2 (0.3%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	43.1	1147^th of 2009 public high schools	42.9%		49.9	909^th of 1974 public high schools	54.0%	238	52.5	64.0	47.1	58.8	64.4	53.9	60.0	61.1	40.0	42.5	37.6	$12,091
Rio Grande City High School	Public	9-12	5726 Fm 755	Rio Grande City	78582	Starr County	Rio Grande City Grulla Independent School District (Isd)	No	No	(n/a)	Yes	(956) 488-6000	1,670	122	13.6	96.2%	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	1,665 (99.7%)	3 (0.2%)	1 (0.1%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (0.1%)	28.7	1507^th of 2009 public high schools	25.0%		25.5	1505^th of 1974 public high schools	23.8%	2	43.9	53.8	37.1	42.8	60.8							$9,621
Instructional & Guidance Center	Public	6-12	120 Luciano Rd	Roma	78584	Starr County	Roma Independent School District (Isd)	No	No	(n/a)	No	(956) 849-8900	33	6	5.1	87.9%	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	33 (100.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)								(n/a)												$35,426
Roma High School	Public	9-12	2021 N Us Hwy 83	Roma	78584	Starr County	Roma Independent School District (Isd)	No	No	(n/a)	Yes	(956) 849-1333	1,721	133	12.9	86.8%	4 (0.2%)	0 (0.0%)	1,715 (99.7%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	2 (0.1%)	56.9	766^th of 2009 public high schools	61.9%		53	830^th of 1974 public high schools	58.0%	64	75.8	75.6	57.1	55.7	65.6							$14,390
Grulla High School	Public	8-12	6884 E Hwy 83	Rio Grande City	78582	Starr County	Rio Grande City Grulla Independent School District (Isd)	No	No	(n/a)	Yes	(956) 370-4294	716	54	13.2	96.8%	1 (0.1%)	0 (0.0%)	715 (99.9%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	19.8	1652^nd of 2009 public high schools	17.8%		29.9	1400^th of 1974 public high schools	29.1%	252	46.2	44.4	30.2	32.3	51.2							$10,198

Frequently Asked Questions about Preparatory For Early College High School

How many students attend Preparatory For Early College High School?

In the 2024-25 school year, 430 students attended Preparatory For Early College High School.

Is Preparatory For Early College High School a good school?

Preparatory For Early College High School ranks 304^th of 2009 Texas high schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 4 stars out of 5.

What is the racial makeup of Preparatory For Early College High School?

Students at Preparatory For Early College High School are 99% Hispanic.

What district is Preparatory For Early College High School in?

Rio Grande City Grulla Independent School District (Isd)

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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.