Best Public Schools in Zip Code 78574

The 13 schools in zip code 78574, serving elementary through high school grades in the Mission, Texas area, are managed by four districts—La Joya Independent School District (Isd), Mission Consolidated Independent School District, Idea Public Schools, and Sharyland Independent School District (Isd)—and are characterized by high economic disadvantage, with an average free/reduced lunch rate of about 87%.

For parents, the standout school for academic excellence is Enrique Kiki Camarena Elementary (La Joya ISD), a 4-star school where test scores far exceed state averages despite 81.4% of students being economically disadvantaged. In contrast, Juarez-Lincoln High School (La Joya ISD) struggles significantly, with the lowest test scores and a 92.3% graduation rate. A better high school option is Veterans Memorial High School (Mission CISD), which outperforms Juarez-Lincoln in every subject and has a higher graduation rate (95.2%) and lower dropout rate (0.5%). The charter Idea North Mission College Preparatory (Idea Public Schools) also stands out with a 96.5% graduation rate and strong advanced coursework performance. At the middle school level, Juan De Dios Salinas Middle (La Joya ISD) presents a paradox: while overall math scores are low, it achieves a remarkable 96.3% proficiency in Algebra I, indicating a strong advanced program.

Key metrics show an average student-teacher ratio of 15.4:1 and per-student spending averaging $11,341, with La Joya ISD schools spending more than Mission CISD schools. An interesting finding is that high poverty does not preclude high performance, as seen at Enrique Kiki Camarena Elementary and Idea North Mission College Preparatory. However, performance varies widely within the same district; for example, La Joya ISD has both a 4-star school and 1-star schools like Juan Seguin Elementary and Elodia R Chapa Elementary. Additionally, at some elementary schools like John H Shary Elementary (Sharyland ISD), students taking the STAAR test in Spanish perform significantly worse than those taking it in English, suggesting potential barriers for these learners.