Brownsville ISD (BISD)
Brownsville, Texas · Cameron County · Grades Pre-K–12
Brownsville ISD runs 48 schools (31 elementary, 10 middle, 7 high) with 36,140 students. By enrollment it is the 33rd largest of 1210 districts in Texas, where the median district has 886 students. NCES classifies its area as city, midsize.
Source: NCES CCD 2024-25. Rank compares the 1210 Texas districts listed on this site.
District at a glance
| Schools | 48 |
| Students | 36,140 |
| Teachers (full-time equivalent) | 2,413.4 |
| Students per teacher | 15 (state 14.9) |
| Free or reduced-price lunch eligible | 89.3% (state 61.6%) |
| County | Cameron County |
| Area type | City, midsize |
| NCES district ID | 4811680 |
Source: NCES CCD 2024-25, totals of the district's schools. Students per teacher = students ÷ full-time-equivalent teachers.
Schools in Brownsville ISD
| School | Level | Grades | Students | Per teacher | Free/reduced lunch |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Aiken Elementary School | Elementary | Pre-K–5 | 630 | 16.8 | 96.3% |
| Benavides Elementary School | Elementary | Pre-K–5 | 818 | 15.3 | 78.9% |
| Besteiro Middle School | Middle | 6–8 | 558 | 12.1 | 94.4% |
| Breeden Elementary School | Elementary | Pre-K–5 | 511 | 14.2 | 83.6% |
| Brite Elementary School | Elementary | Pre-K–5 | 584 | 15.8 | 93.2% |
| Brownsville Early College High School | High | 9–12 | 311 | 20.2 | 94.2% |
| Burns Elementary School | Elementary | Pre-K–5 | 651 | 16 | 93.7% |
| Canales Elementary School | Elementary | Pre-K–5 | 630 | 16.7 | 97.9% |
| Champion Elementary School | Elementary | Pre-K–5 | 710 | 17.7 | 94.8% |
| Cromack - Castaneda Elementary School | Elementary | Pre-K–5 | 823 | 16.1 | 98.8% |
| Del Castillo - Morningside Elementary School | Elementary | Pre-K–5 | 526 | 17 | 95.8% |
| Egly Elementary School | Elementary | Pre-K–5 | 520 | 14.5 | 92.9% |
| El Jardin Elementary School | Elementary | Pre-K–5 | 389 | 16.9 | 97.4% |
| Faulk Middle School | Middle | 6–8 | 885 | 14.4 | 96.3% |
| Gallegos Elementary School | Elementary | Pre-K–5 | 390 | 15 | 98.2% |
| Garcia Middle School | Middle | 6–8 | 870 | 14.8 | 87.7% |
| Garden Park Elementary School | Elementary | Pre-K–5 | 372 | 14.7 | 98.9% |
| Garza at Southmost Elementary School | Elementary | Pre-K–5 | 524 | 14.3 | 93.5% |
| Gonzalez Elementary School | Elementary | Pre-K–5 | 596 | 15.5 | 88.8% |
| Hanna Early College High School | High | 9–12 | 2,039 | 14.9 | 91.2% |
| Hudson Elementary School | Elementary | Pre-K–5 | 751 | 16.5 | 81% |
| Keller Elementary School | Elementary | Pre-K–5 | 537 | 14.8 | 85.8% |
| Lopez Early College High School | High | 9–12 | 1,739 | 13.9 | 98.7% |
| Lucio Middle School | Middle | 6–8 | 627 | 13.5 | 99.7% |
| Manzano Middle School | Middle | 6–8 | 837 | 14 | 81.2% |
| Martin Elementary School | Elementary | Pre-K–5 | 415 | 15.4 | 87.2% |
| Oliveira Middle School | Middle | 6–8 | 699 | 12 | 94.8% |
| Ortiz Elementary School | Elementary | Pre-K–5 | 564 | 16.7 | 94.3% |
| Pace Early College High School | High | 9–12 | 1,621 | 15.5 | 94% |
| Palm Grove Elementary School | Elementary | Pre-K–5 | 294 | 14.4 | 95.6% |
| Paredes Elementary School | Elementary | Pre-K–5 | 798 | 16.5 | 80.2% |
| Pena Elementary School | Elementary | Pre-K–5 | 501 | 16.2 | 90.4% |
| Perez Elementary School | Elementary | Pre-K–5 | 615 | 15.9 | 95.4% |
| Perkins Middle School | Middle | 6–8 | 480 | 12.1 | 98.3% |
| Porter Early College High School | High | 9–12 | 1,543 | 13.8 | 93.3% |
| Pullam Elementary School | Elementary | Pre-K–5 | 889 | 17 | 67.6% |
| Putegnat Elementary School | Elementary | Pre-K–5 | 444 | 16.3 | 100% |
| Rivera Early College High School | High | 9–12 | 2,150 | 15.8 | 94.4% |
| Russell Elementary School | Elementary | Pre-K–5 | 418 | 15.4 | 97.8% |
| Sharp Elementary School | Elementary | Pre-K–5 | 432 | 15.9 | 88.4% |
| Skinner Elementary School | Elementary | Pre-K–5 | 344 | 14.4 | 99.7% |
| Stell Middle School | Middle | 6–8 | 733 | 13.2 | 91.7% |
| Stillman Middle School | Middle | 6–8 | 964 | 14.5 | 67.7% |
| Vela Middle School | Middle | 6–8 | 658 | 14.2 | 82.8% |
| Vermillion Road Elementary School | Elementary | Pre-K–5 | 654 | 15.6 | 97.9% |
| Veterans Memorial Early College High School | High | 9–12 | 2,216 | 16.6 | 64% |
| Villa Nueva Elementary School | Elementary | Pre-K–5 | 346 | 13.7 | 85.5% |
| Yturria Elementary School | Elementary | Pre-K–5 | 526 | 15.5 | 80.2% |
Source: NCES CCD 2024-25.
Map of Brownsville ISD schools
Locations: NCES EDGE. Map data © OpenStreetMap contributors.
Brownsville ISD in context
Size
Brownsville ISD enrolls 0.7% of Texas' 5,544,769 public school students and is larger than the median district (886 students). Its schools average 753 students, against 626 for a Texas public school. The largest is Veterans Memorial Early College High School (2,216) and the smallest is Palm Grove Elementary School (294).
Source: NCES CCD 2024-25 enrollment. Share = district students ÷ all students in Texas schools listed here; averages = students ÷ schools.
Grades
Grade 10 is its largest grade, with 3,009 students this year. Grade 12 has 2,621 students and kindergarten has 2,118, 24% more in the later grade. Each grade is a different group of students, so this is not a dropout or growth rate. Brownsville ISD enrolls 3,307 children in pre-K.
Source: NCES CCD 2024-25 membership by grade, all schools in the district.
Students
Hispanic students are the largest group in Brownsville ISD at 98.5%, above their 53.5% share of Texas public school students.
89.3% of students qualify for free or reduced-price lunch, against 61.6% statewide. By school, the share runs from 64% at Veterans Memorial Early College High School to 100% at Putegnat Elementary School. All 48 of its schools serve free breakfast and lunch to every student under the Community Eligibility Provision or Provision 2 or 3, with no application.
Source: NCES CCD 2024-25 membership and school lunch program data. District and state shares weight each school by its enrollment.
Staff
Its 2,413.4 full-time-equivalent teachers work out to 15 students per teacher, close to the state's 14.9. With 125 counselors it has 289 students per counselor; the median Texas district has 379, and the American School Counselor Association recommends no more than 250. It reports 50.2 librarians or media specialists and 7.8 school psychologists.
Source: NCES CCD 2024-25 district staff file (full-time equivalents). Students per counselor = district students ÷ counselors. Benchmark: American School Counselor Association, 250 students per counselor.
Location
NCES classifies Brownsville ISD's area as city, midsize: inside a principal city of 100,000 to 250,000 people. The nearest district is Los Fresnos CISD, 10.3 miles away with 10,357 students. 8 districts are within 25 miles, and 0 of them enroll more students than Brownsville ISD. Cameron County has 9 districts on this site.
Source: NCES EDGE locations and locale codes, 2024-25. Distances are straight lines between the average locations of each district's schools.
Staff
| Role | Full-time equivalent | Students per staff member |
|---|---|---|
| Teachers | 2,209.6 | 16 |
| School counselors | 125 | 289 |
| Librarians and media specialists | 50.2 | 720 |
| School psychologists | 7.8 | 4,633 |
| Instructional aides | 705 | 51 |
| Other student support staff | 218.9 | 165 |
| School administrators | 166.2 | 217 |
| District administrators | 11 | 3,285 |
| All staff | 5,686.4 |
Source: NCES CCD 2024-25 district staff file. Students per staff member = district students ÷ full-time-equivalent staff in that role. The median Texas district has 379 students per counselor.
Students by race and ethnicity
| Hispanic | 98.5% |
| White | 1% |
| Asian | 0.2% |
| Black | 0.1% |
Source: NCES CCD 2024-25 membership, all schools in the district.
Students by grade
| Pre-K | 3,307 |
| Kindergarten | 2,118 |
| Grade 1 | 2,317 |
| Grade 2 | 2,232 |
| Grade 3 | 2,432 |
| Grade 4 | 2,423 |
| Grade 5 | 2,373 |
| Grade 6 | 2,363 |
| Grade 7 | 2,391 |
| Grade 8 | 2,559 |
| Grade 9 | 3,008 |
| Grade 10 | 3,009 |
| Grade 11 | 2,987 |
| Grade 12 | 2,621 |
Source: NCES CCD 2024-25 membership.
Nearby school districts
| District | Distance | Students | Per teacher | Calendar 2026–2027 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Los Fresnos CISD | 10 mi | 10,357 | 15.5 | – |
| Point Isabel ISD | 15 mi | 1,786 | 13.5 | – |
| San Benito CISD | 17 mi | 9,073 | 14.3 | – |
| Rio Hondo ISD | 21 mi | 1,437 | 14.4 | – |
| Harlingen CISD | 22 mi | 16,471 | 14.3 | – |
| Santa Maria ISD | 25 mi | 512 | 9.5 | – |
| Triumph Public High Schools-Rio Grande Valley | 25 mi | 457 | 19.3 | – |
| La Feria ISD | 25 mi | 2,842 | 14.1 | – |
Distance between the average locations of each district's schools (NCES EDGE).
Other school districts in Cameron County
- Harlingen CISD (16,471 students)
- Los Fresnos CISD (10,357 students)
- San Benito CISD (9,073 students)
- La Feria ISD (2,842 students)
- Point Isabel ISD (1,786 students)
- Rio Hondo ISD (1,437 students)
- Santa Rosa ISD (874 students)
- Santa Maria ISD (512 students)
Source: NCES CCD 2024-25, county of each district's office.
Contact
1900 Price Rd, Brownsville, TX 78521
Phone: (956)548-8011
Website: bisd.us
Source: NCES CCD 2024-25 directory.