South Texas ISD Rising Scholars Academy
Public middle school in San Benito, Texas · South Texas ISD · Grades 6–8
South Texas ISD Rising Scholars Academy serves 781 students in grades 6–8 in San Benito (Cameron County). It is one of 7 schools in South Texas ISD. By enrollment it is the 596th largest of 1,719 public middle schools in Texas (median 639 students). With 15.9 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 ÷ 49.22 full-time-equivalent teachers.
School facts
| School type | Regular School |
| Level | Middle |
| Grades | 6–8 |
| District | South Texas ISD |
| County | Cameron County |
| Area type | Suburb, midsize |
| School meals | National School Lunch Program, free or reduced price for eligible students |
| NCES school ID | 483715013137 |
Source: NCES CCD 2024-25 directory and school characteristics; area type from NCES EDGE locale codes.
Compared with the district and Texas
| This school | South Texas ISD | Texas middle schools (median) | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Students | 781 | 4,639 | 639 |
| Students per teacher | 15.9 | 14.1 | 14.4 |
| Free or reduced-price lunch eligible | 57% | 58% | 65.6% |
Source: NCES CCD 2024-25. District figures add up its schools. 72% 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.
South Texas ISD Rising Scholars Academy in context
Size
South Texas ISD Rising Scholars Academy is the smallest of South Texas ISD's 2 middle schools; its 781 students are 16.8% of district enrollment. Its 8 closest middle schools sit a median 2.9 miles away with a median enrollment of 691; South Texas ISD Rising Scholars Academy 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 7 with 289 students, and its smallest is grade 6 with 228, against an average of 260 per grade. This year grade 8 has 16% more students than grade 6 (264 against 228). Each grade is a different group of students, so the gap is not a dropout or growth rate.
Source: NCES CCD 2024-25 membership by grade.
Students
The largest group is Hispanic students: 93.3% here and 86.9% across South Texas ISD. Students from 5 of the 7 race and ethnicity groups NCES reports are enrolled.
57% of its students are eligible for free or reduced-price lunch, against 58% across South Texas ISD and a median of 65.6% for Texas middle schools. Families apply for free or reduced-price meals, and eligibility depends on household income.
Source: NCES CCD 2024-25 membership and school lunch program data. District shares weight each school by its enrollment.
Teachers
With 49.22 full-time-equivalent teachers for 781 students, South Texas ISD Rising Scholars Academy has 15.9 students per teacher. At the median Texas middle school ratio of 14.4, a school with 781 students would have about 54.2 teachers, so South Texas ISD Rising Scholars Academy has 5 fewer.
Source: NCES CCD 2024-25. Expected teachers = this school's students ÷ the median students per teacher of Texas middle schools (14.4).
Location
South Texas ISD Rising Scholars Academy is in an urbanized area of 100,000 to 250,000 people, outside its principal city, which NCES calls suburb, midsize. The nearest other middle school is Berta Cabaza Middle School, 0.4 miles away in San Benito CISD. Within 10 miles there are 12 other middle schools, 6 of them within 5 miles.
Source: NCES EDGE school locations and locale codes, 2024-25. Distances are straight lines.
Students by race and ethnicity
| Hispanic | 93.3% |
| White | 3.3% |
| Asian | 2.3% |
| Black | 0.6% |
| Two or more races | 0.4% |
53.8% of students are girls and 46.2% are boys.
Source: NCES CCD 2024-25 membership.
Students by grade
| Grade 6 | 228 |
| Grade 7 | 289 |
| Grade 8 | 264 |
Source: NCES CCD 2024-25 membership.
Location and contact
151 S Helen Moore Rd, San Benito, TX 78586
Phone: (956)399-4358
Website: risingscholars.stisd.net
Locations: NCES EDGE. Map data © OpenStreetMap contributors.
Red: South Texas ISD Rising Scholars Academy. Blue: the nearest middle schools.
Nearby middle schools
| School | District | Distance | Students | Per teacher | Free/reduced lunch |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Berta Cabaza Middle School | San Benito CISD | 0.4 mi | 695 | 15 | 80% |
| Collegiate Academy | San Benito CISD | 1.8 mi | 117 | 12.6 | 70.1% |
| Coakley Middle School | Harlingen CISD | 2.5 mi | 687 | 12.5 | 82.8% |
| Vernon Middle School | Harlingen CISD | 2.8 mi | 631 | 10.8 | 86.5% |
| Miller Jordan Middle School | San Benito CISD | 3.0 mi | 477 | 11.7 | 94.5% |
| Memorial Middle School | Harlingen CISD | 4.1 mi | 705 | 12.2 | 89.2% |
| Moises Vela Middle School | Harlingen CISD | 5.2 mi | 761 | 13.3 | 66.4% |
| Gutierrez Middle School | Harlingen CISD | 5.8 mi | 747 | 12.4 | 69.7% |
Source: NCES CCD 2024-25. Distance in a straight line between NCES EDGE locations.
Other schools in South Texas ISD
| School | Level | Grades | Students |
|---|---|---|---|
| South Texas ISD Health Professions | High | 9–12 | 781 |
| South Texas ISD Medical Professions | High | 9–12 | 820 |
| South Texas ISD Preparatory Academy | Middle | 6–8 | 802 |
| South Texas ISD Science Academy | High | 9–12 | 840 |
| South Texas ISD Virtual Academy | High | 6–12 | 212 |
| South Texas ISD World Scholars | High | 9–12 | 403 |