West RGV News

The majority of students in Hidalgo County school districts were Hispanic in the 2023-24 school year, according to the Texas Education Agency.

Of the 294,394 students attending Hidalgo County schools, 89.5% were Hispanic. White students comprised the second-largest ethnic group in the county, making up 5.3% of the student body.

In the previous school year, Hispanic students were also the most represented group in Hidalgo County school districts, comprising 89.9% of the student body.

Idea Public Schools, Premier High Schools and Texas College Preparatory Academies had the most diverse student body in the county, including white, American Indian, Black, Asian, Hispanic, Pacific Islander, and multiracial students.

In the 2023-24 school year, the total number of students enrolled in the county increased 0.9% compared to the previous year.

The main offices of all districts mentioned in the story are located in cities associated with Hidalgo County.

Texas is found to be one of the least educated states in the U.S. A study from WalletHub ranked Texas 41st out of 50 states in terms of the quality of the educational system and how successful students were.

More than 5.4 million students are enrolled in public schools across Texas. Nearly one million of them live in rural areas where options for local public schools are few and far between.

Education in Texas is often a hot button issue, especially as test scores lag behind other states.

“The problems commonly cited are flaws in the school financing system, relatively low teacher salary, poor test performance by students…dropouts from traditional schools in favor of charter schools…gun violence, and mental health issues,” claimed the Texas Almanac.

District	Most prevalent ethnic group	Percent of Total Student Body	Total enrollment
Brillante Academy	Hispanic	94.4%	196
Donna ISD	Hispanic	99.5%	13,131
Edcouch-Elsa ISD	Hispanic	99.8%	4,398
Edinburg CISD	Hispanic	97.8%	33,810
Excellence in Leadership Academy	Hispanic	99.5%	220
Hidalgo ISD	Hispanic	100%	3,019
Horizon Montessori Public Schools	Hispanic	81.3%	1,424
Idea Public Schools	Hispanic	85.6%	76,819
La Joya ISD	Hispanic	99.8%	23,998
La Villa ISD	Hispanic	99.4%	538
Mcallen ISD	Hispanic	93.6%	20,095
Mercedes ISD	Hispanic	97.7%	4,393
Mission CISD	Hispanic	97.4%	14,068
Monte Alto ISD	Hispanic	99.4%	820
Pharr-San Juan-Alamo ISD	Hispanic	98.9%	30,008
Premier High Schools	Hispanic	55.6%	7,851
Progreso ISD	Hispanic	99.4%	1,405
Sharyland ISD	Hispanic	93.1%	9,742
South Texas ISD	Hispanic	85.2%	4,531
Texas College Preparatory Academies	White	37.4%	16,918
Triumph Public High Schools-Rio Grande Valley	Hispanic	98.7%	465
Valley View ISD	Hispanic	99.8%	3,515
Vanguard Academy	Hispanic	98.6%	6,600
Weslaco ISD	Hispanic	98.2%	16,430