Cathey Middle School
Public middle school in McAllen, Texas · McAllen ISD · Grades 6–8
Cathey Middle School serves 827 students in grades 6–8 in McAllen (Hidalgo County). It is one of 30 schools in McAllen ISD. By enrollment it is the 519th largest of 1,719 public middle schools in Texas (median 639 students). With 15.4 students per full-time teacher, it has more students per teacher than the typical Texas middle school (14.4).
Source: NCES CCD 2024-25. Rank and medians compare all 1,719 Texas middle schools with enrollment listed on this site.
Source: NCES CCD 2024-25. Students per teacher = students ÷ 53.79 full-time-equivalent teachers.
McAllen ISD calendar 2026–2027
Cathey Middle School follows the district calendar. First day Mon, Aug 17. Spring break Mon, Mar 15 – Fri, Mar 19. Last day Wed, Jun 2.
School facts
| School type | Regular School |
| Level | Middle |
| Grades | 6–8 |
| District | McAllen ISD |
| County | Hidalgo County |
| Area type | City, midsize |
| School meals | Free meals for every student (Community Eligibility Provision) |
| NCES school ID | 482967008845 |
Source: NCES CCD 2024-25 directory and school characteristics; area type from NCES EDGE locale codes.
Compared with the district and Texas
| This school | McAllen ISD | Texas middle schools (median) | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Students | 827 | 19,890 | 639 |
| Students per teacher | 15.4 | 13.9 | 14.4 |
| Free or reduced-price lunch eligible | 70% | 70% | 65.6% |
Source: NCES CCD 2024-25. District figures add up its schools. 65% of Texas middle schools have fewer students per teacher than this school (share of schools with a lower ratio). State test results aren't published here yet.
Cathey Middle School in context
Size
Of the 6 middle schools in McAllen ISD, Cathey Middle School is the 2nd largest, with 4.2% of the district's students. The 8 nearest middle schools are a median 3.5 miles away and have a median of 703 students, so Cathey Middle School is close to their typical size.
Source: NCES CCD 2024-25 enrollment and school type. Share of district students = this school's students ÷ the district's students. Nearest schools by straight-line distance between NCES EDGE locations.
Grades
Its largest grade is grade 8 with 288 students, and its smallest is grade 6 with 268, against an average of 276 per grade. Its first and last grades are close in size: 268 in grade 6 and 288 in grade 8.
Source: NCES CCD 2024-25 membership by grade.
Students
Hispanic students are the largest group, at 93.5% of enrollment, about the same share as across McAllen ISD (93.8%). Students from 6 of the 7 race and ethnicity groups NCES reports are enrolled.
70% of students qualify for free or reduced-price lunch, against 70% across McAllen ISD and a median of 65.6% for Texas middle schools. Under the Community Eligibility Provision, every student can eat breakfast and lunch at no charge, and families fill out no meal application.
Source: NCES CCD 2024-25 membership and school lunch program data. District shares weight each school by its enrollment.
Teachers
Cathey Middle School has 53.79 full-time-equivalent teachers, or 15.4 students per teacher. At the median Texas middle school ratio of 14.4, a school with 827 students would have about 57.4 teachers, so Cathey Middle School has 3.6 fewer.
Source: NCES CCD 2024-25. Expected teachers = this school's students ÷ the median students per teacher of Texas middle schools (14.4).
Location
NCES classifies its location as city, midsize, which means it is inside a principal city of 100,000 to 250,000 people. The nearest other middle school is Travis Middle School, 1.8 miles away in the same district. There are 11 middle schools within 5 miles and 33 within 10 miles.
Source: NCES EDGE school locations and locale codes, 2024-25. Distances are straight lines.
Students by race and ethnicity
| Hispanic | 93.5% |
| White | 4.2% |
| Asian | 1.5% |
| Black | 0.5% |
| Two or more races | 0.2% |
| American Indian or Alaska Native | 0.1% |
48.7% of students are girls and 51.3% are boys.
Source: NCES CCD 2024-25 membership.
Students by grade
| Grade 6 | 268 |
| Grade 7 | 271 |
| Grade 8 | 288 |
Source: NCES CCD 2024-25 membership.
Location and contact
1800 N Cynthia, McAllen, TX 78501
Phone: (956)971-4300
Website: cathey.mcallenisd.org
Locations: NCES EDGE. Map data © OpenStreetMap contributors.
Red: Cathey Middle School. Blue: the nearest middle schools.
Nearby middle schools
| School | District | Distance | Students | Per teacher | Free/reduced lunch |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Travis Middle School | McAllen ISD | 1.8 mi | 505 | 11.5 | 95.4% |
| Lyndon B Johnson Middle School | Pharr-San Juan-Alamo ISD | 2.5 mi | 1,006 | 14.2 | 87.9% |
| De Leon Middle School | McAllen ISD | 2.9 mi | 664 | 11.9 | 87% |
| Liberty Middle School | Pharr-San Juan-Alamo ISD | 3.3 mi | 742 | 11.8 | 93.9% |
| Morris Middle School | McAllen ISD | 3.6 mi | 999 | 14.9 | 45% |
| Kennedy Middle School | Pharr-San Juan-Alamo ISD | 3.6 mi | 519 | 10.5 | 96.7% |
| Brown Middle School | McAllen ISD | 4.0 mi | 580 | 11.5 | 87.2% |
| Sharyland North Junior High School | Sharyland ISD | 4.4 mi | 791 | 16.1 | 69.4% |
Source: NCES CCD 2024-25. Distance in a straight line between NCES EDGE locations.