South Texas ISD Science Academy
Public high school in Mercedes, Texas · South Texas ISD · Grades 9–12
South Texas ISD Science Academy serves 840 students in grades 9–12 in Mercedes (Hidalgo County). It is one of 7 schools in South Texas ISD. By enrollment it is the 664th largest of 1,920 public high schools in Texas (median 457 students). With 12.9 students per full-time teacher, it has fewer students per teacher than the typical Texas high school (14).
Source: NCES CCD 2024-25. Rank and medians compare all 1,920 Texas high schools with enrollment listed on this site.
Source: NCES CCD 2024-25. Students per teacher = students ÷ 65.12 full-time-equivalent teachers.
School facts
| School type | Regular School |
| Level | High |
| Grades | 9–12 |
| District | South Texas ISD |
| County | Hidalgo County |
| Area type | Suburb, large |
| School meals | National School Lunch Program, free or reduced price for eligible students |
| NCES school ID | 483715000429 |
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 high schools (median) | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Students | 840 | 4,639 | 457 |
| Students per teacher | 12.9 | 14.1 | 14 |
| Free or reduced-price lunch eligible | 54.8% | 58% | 63.8% |
Source: NCES CCD 2024-25. District figures add up its schools. 40% of Texas high 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 Science Academy in context
Size
Of the 5 high schools in South Texas ISD, South Texas ISD Science Academy is the largest, with 18.1% of the district's students. Its 8 closest high schools sit a median 1.6 miles away with a median enrollment of 162; South Texas ISD Science Academy is larger than most of them.
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 10 with 228 students, and its smallest is grade 12 with 178, against an average of 210 per grade. This year grade 12 has 15% fewer students than grade 9 (178 against 209). 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: 82.9% here and 86.9% across South Texas ISD. Students from 5 of the 7 race and ethnicity groups NCES reports are enrolled.
54.8% of its students are eligible for free or reduced-price lunch, against 58% across South Texas ISD and a median of 63.8% for Texas high 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 65.12 full-time-equivalent teachers for 840 students, South Texas ISD Science Academy has 12.9 students per teacher. At the median Texas high school ratio of 14, a school with 840 students would have about 60 teachers, so South Texas ISD Science Academy has 5.1 more.
Source: NCES CCD 2024-25. Expected teachers = this school's students ÷ the median students per teacher of Texas high schools (14).
Location
South Texas ISD Science Academy is in an urbanized area of 250,000 people or more, outside its principal city, which NCES calls suburb, large. The nearest other high school is South Texas ISD Health Professions, 0.1 miles away in the same district. Within 10 miles there are 25 other high schools, 16 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 | 82.9% |
| White | 8.2% |
| Asian | 6.4% |
| Black | 1.7% |
| Two or more races | 0.8% |
34.2% of students are girls and 65.8% are boys.
Source: NCES CCD 2024-25 membership.
Students by grade
| Grade 9 | 209 |
| Grade 10 | 228 |
| Grade 11 | 225 |
| Grade 12 | 178 |
Source: NCES CCD 2024-25 membership.
Location and contact
900 Med High Dr., Mercedes, TX 78570
Phone: (956)565-4620
Website: scitech.stisd.net
Locations: NCES EDGE. Map data © OpenStreetMap contributors.
Red: South Texas ISD Science Academy. Blue: the nearest high schools.
Nearby high schools
| School | District | Distance | Students | Per teacher | Free/reduced lunch |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| South Texas ISD Health Professions | South Texas ISD | 0.1 mi | 781 | 14.5 | 64.1% |
| South Texas ISD Virtual Academy | South Texas ISD | 0.2 mi | 212 | 13.7 | 63.7% |
| South Palm Gardens High School | Weslaco ISD | 1.0 mi | 72 | 14.8 | 93.1% |
| Mercedes Early College Academy | Mercedes ISD | 1.4 mi | 355 | 16 | 80% |
| Triumph Public High Schools-Mercedes | Triumph Public High Schools-Rio Grande Valley | 1.8 mi | 109 | 22.1 | – |
| Weslaco East High School | Weslaco ISD | 1.9 mi | 2,066 | 16.3 | 86% |
| Premier H S of Weslaco | Premier High Schools | 2.1 mi | 112 | 25.4 | 95.5% |
| Texasworks - Weslaco | Texas Works | 2.1 mi | 29 | 29 | – |
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 Rising Scholars Academy | Middle | 6–8 | 781 |
| South Texas ISD Virtual Academy | High | 6–12 | 212 |
| South Texas ISD World Scholars | High | 9–12 | 403 |