Summary:
In zip code 78570 (Mercedes, TX), there are two middle schools serving grades 6-8: Sgt Manuel Chacon Middle and Sgt William G Harrell Middle, both part of the Mercedes Independent School District (Isd), which is ranked in the 15th percentile statewide.
Both schools serve high-poverty communities, with Sgt William G Harrell Middle having a 97.69% free/reduced lunch rate compared to 85.91% at Sgt Manuel Chacon Middle. While both schools rank in the bottom 10% of Texas middle schools (9th and 8th percentiles, respectively), they show a fascinating split in performance. In advanced coursework, both schools dramatically outperform state averages: Sgt Manuel Chacon Middle achieved a perfect 100% proficiency on the English I Reading EOC and 92.86% on Algebra I, while Sgt William G Harrell Middle posted 79.41% and 83.33% in those same exams. However, grade-level proficiency is a major challenge—for example, only 9.64% of 6th graders at Chacon and 17.69% at Harrell were proficient in math, compared to the state average of 37.68%. Sgt William G Harrell Middle does show a relative strength in 7th-grade Reading (41.18% proficient), outperforming both the district and its sister school.
Notably, Sgt Manuel Chacon Middle reported a perfect 0.0% dropout rate for 2023-2024, an impressive achievement given its low overall test scores. Sgt William G Harrell Middle had a 1.3% dropout rate, still below the district average of 1.8%. Spending per student is slightly higher at Harrell ($11,807 vs. $11,317 at Chacon), and student-teacher ratios are 14.1:1 at Chacon and 12.4:1 at Harrell. The data suggests both schools have strong programs for advanced learners but face significant challenges bringing the majority of students to grade-level proficiency, creating a "bimodal" performance pattern where a small group excels while most students struggle to meet state benchmarks.
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