South Texas ISD
Mercedes, Texas · Hidalgo County · Grades 6–12
South Texas ISD runs 7 schools (2 middle, 5 high) with 4,639 students. By enrollment it is the 220th largest of 1210 districts in Texas, where the median district has 886 students. NCES classifies its area as rural, fringe.
Source: NCES CCD 2024-25. Rank compares the 1210 Texas districts listed on this site.
District at a glance
| Schools | 7 |
| Students | 4,639 |
| Teachers (full-time equivalent) | 329.4 |
| Students per teacher | 14.1 (state 14.9) |
| Free or reduced-price lunch eligible | 58% (state 61.6%) |
| County | Hidalgo County |
| Area type | Rural, fringe |
| NCES district ID | 4837150 |
Source: NCES CCD 2024-25, totals of the district's schools. Students per teacher = students ÷ full-time-equivalent teachers.
Schools in South Texas ISD
| School | Level | Grades | Students | Per teacher | Free/reduced lunch |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| South Texas ISD Health Professions | High | 9–12 | 781 | 14.5 | 64.1% |
| South Texas ISD Medical Professions | High | 9–12 | 820 | 14.2 | 65.4% |
| South Texas ISD Preparatory Academy | Middle | 6–8 | 802 | 13.9 | 45.4% |
| South Texas ISD Rising Scholars Academy | Middle | 6–8 | 781 | 15.9 | 57% |
| South Texas ISD Science Academy | High | 9–12 | 840 | 12.9 | 54.8% |
| South Texas ISD Virtual Academy | High | 6–12 | 212 | 13.7 | 63.7% |
| South Texas ISD World Scholars | High | 9–12 | 403 | 13.2 | 61.3% |
Source: NCES CCD 2024-25.
Map of South Texas ISD schools
Locations: NCES EDGE. Map data © OpenStreetMap contributors.
South Texas ISD in context
Size
South Texas ISD enrolls 0.1% of Texas' 5,544,769 public school students and is larger than the median district (886 students). The largest of its schools is South Texas ISD Science Academy with 840 students, and the smallest is South Texas ISD Virtual Academy with 212; the average is 663, against 626 statewide.
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 796 students this year. Grade 12 has 695 students and grade 6 has 521, 33% more in the later grade. Each grade is a different group of students, so this is not a dropout or growth rate. NCES reports no pre-K students in South Texas ISD.
Source: NCES CCD 2024-25 membership by grade, all schools in the district.
Students
Hispanic students are the largest group in South Texas ISD at 86.9%, above their 53.5% share of Texas public school students. White students make up 6%.
58% of students qualify for free or reduced-price lunch, against 61.6% statewide. By school, the share runs from 45.4% at South Texas ISD Preparatory Academy to 65.4% at South Texas ISD Medical Professions.
Source: NCES CCD 2024-25 membership and school lunch program data. District and state shares weight each school by its enrollment.
Staff
Its 329.4 full-time-equivalent teachers work out to 14.1 students per teacher, close to the state's 14.9. With 15.9 counselors it has 292 students per counselor; the median Texas district has 379, and the American School Counselor Association recommends no more than 250. It reports 3 librarians or media specialists and 6 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 South Texas ISD's area as rural, fringe: in rural territory within 5 miles of an urbanized area or 2.5 miles of a town. The nearest district is Mercedes ISD, 1.7 miles away with 4,207 students. 24 districts are within 25 miles, and 9 of them enroll more students than South Texas ISD. Hidalgo County has 24 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 | 255.3 | 18 |
| School counselors | 15.9 | 292 |
| Librarians and media specialists | 3 | 1,546 |
| School psychologists | 6 | 773 |
| Instructional aides | 40.1 | 116 |
| Other student support staff | 14.9 | 311 |
| School administrators | 20.2 | 230 |
| District administrators | 8 | 580 |
| All staff | 727.3 |
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 | 86.9% |
| White | 6% |
| Asian | 5.1% |
| Black | 1.1% |
| Two or more races | 0.8% |
| American Indian or Alaska Native | 0.1% |
Source: NCES CCD 2024-25 membership, all schools in the district.
Students by grade
| Grade 6 | 521 |
| Grade 7 | 576 |
| Grade 8 | 582 |
| Grade 9 | 695 |
| Grade 10 | 796 |
| Grade 11 | 774 |
| Grade 12 | 695 |
Source: NCES CCD 2024-25 membership.
Nearby school districts
| District | Distance | Students | Per teacher | Calendar 2026–2027 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mercedes ISD | 2 mi | 4,207 | 14.2 | – |
| Weslaco ISD | 5 mi | 16,300 | 19.2 | – |
| Progreso ISD | 6 mi | 1,339 | 13.8 | – |
| La Feria ISD | 7 mi | 2,842 | 14.1 | – |
| Triumph Public High Schools-Rio Grande Valley | 7 mi | 457 | 19.3 | – |
| Santa Rosa ISD | 8 mi | 874 | 10.7 | – |
| La Villa ISD | 8 mi | 512 | 10.3 | – |
| Santa Maria ISD | 8 mi | 512 | 9.5 | – |
Distance between the average locations of each district's schools (NCES EDGE).
Other school districts in Hidalgo County
- IDEA Public Schools (79,430 students)
- Edinburg CISD (33,343 students)
- Pharr-San Juan-Alamo ISD (29,613 students)
- La Joya ISD (22,942 students)
- McAllen ISD (19,890 students)
- Weslaco ISD (16,300 students)
- Mission CISD (13,765 students)
- Donna ISD (12,937 students)
- Sharyland ISD (9,844 students)
- Premier High Schools (7,948 students)
- Vanguard Academy (6,814 students)
- Edcouch-Elsa ISD (4,349 students)
- Mercedes ISD (4,207 students)
- Valley View ISD (3,444 students)
- Hidalgo ISD (2,918 students)
- Progreso ISD (1,339 students)
- Horizon Montessori Public Schools (1,164 students)
- Monte Alto ISD (819 students)
- La Villa ISD (512 students)
- Triumph Public High Schools-Rio Grande Valley (457 students)
- Texas Works (446 students)
- Brillante Academy (354 students)
- Excellence in Leadership Academy (183 students)
Source: NCES CCD 2024-25, county of each district's office.
Contact
7001 E Expy 83, Mercedes, TX 78570
Phone: (956)565-2454
Website: stisd.net
Source: NCES CCD 2024-25 directory.