Pharr-san Juan-alamo Isd, TX

Original Research by School Decision on Pharr-san Juan-alamo Isd

Pharr-San Juan-Alamo ISD serves a large student population across a four-city region in the Rio Grande Valley. The district spans Pharr, San Juan, Alamo, and surrounding areas in Hidalgo County, drawing from a community that is overwhelmingly Hispanic, with family roots and economic ties deep in the region. Housing is affordable relative to national benchmarks, with median home values and rents well below the Texas and national medians, making the area accessible to working families. The district operates a full PreK through 12 structure with about forty schools, including multiple specialized campuses.

Academic performance across the district shows mixed terrain. In English language arts, the district demonstrates solid ground in fourth, fifth, sixth, seventh, and eighth grades, with proficiency concentrated in the "meets" and "approaches" bands rather than the "masters" level. Math presents a steeper slope. Early grades—third through fifth—show limited proficiency in the small Spanish-language test cohorts. By sixth grade, performance drops sharply in the broader English-language cohort, with seventh grade particularly weak. Performance recovers in eighth grade to a stronger level. Science proficiency in the tested grades follows a similar pattern: fifth grade scores low, and eighth grade performance is solid. Social studies proficiency at eighth grade lags other subjects. Overall, the district's proficiency index sits below the county median among Hidalgo County's districts, a positioning that reflects broad academic gaps, especially in elementary and early middle school mathematics and in subjects tested in upper elementary grades.

One concrete strength is chronic absenteeism. The district reports a rate that places it in the top quartile of its county peers, meaning families can expect stronger attendance culture and accountability than most nearby districts. Per-pupil spending is in the upper-middle range for the county, indicating a resource base above several district neighbors.

The district made headlines recently when voters rejected two bond propositions in November 2025. The failed bonds totaled a substantial sum and were designed to fund facility upgrades including HVAC replacements, roofing repairs, parking improvements, and renovation of fine arts spaces. With those projects now unfunded, families should anticipate that campus buildings will continue to operate with deferred maintenance. This is a direct, ongoing condition that affects the school environment, especially as summers in South Texas are hot and humid. The superintendent acknowledged that the general fund budget cannot absorb these capital needs, so this funding gap will likely persist.

A defining programmatic feature is the Early College designation now applied across every PSJA ISD high school. Each campus, including specialized and alternative schools, enrolls students in college coursework beginning in ninth grade. Students can graduate with an associate degree or up to sixty college credit hours at no cost to families, earned through partnerships with South Texas College. This model is a material advantage: it reduces college costs, shortens time to degree for students who complete the pathway, and embeds postsecondary options into secondary education as a default rather than an add-on. The district reports thousands of students per semester in dual-credit coursework. For families prioritizing college readiness and cost containment, this is a genuine district-level commitment that differentiates the academic experience.

Enrollment is substantial and stable, drawn from a predominantly Spanish-speaking community. The district serves dual-language learners and English learners as a core part of its demographic, and some assessment data reflect Spanish-language STAAR administrations, signaling ongoing bilingual or heritage-language instruction in lower elementary grades. Special populations counts are not separately reported in the available data.

A parent or resident should view PSJA ISD as a district that has built a strong early-college pipeline and maintains good attendance discipline, but whose elementary and middle school proficiency outcomes lag county peers, particularly in mathematics. The facility condition issue from the failed bond is real and ongoing. The early-college model and college-cost benefits are genuine strengths for families planning toward higher education. The fit depends on whether a family can work with current facility conditions while their student benefits from embedded college access and lower post-secondary costs.

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District Context

Officially reported figures, 2024-25.

Enrollment

30,008

Grades

PK–12

Schools

Student body

Hispanic 99%

Black 0%

White 1%

Asian 0%

Am. Indian / AK Native 0%

By economic status

Percent proficient by grade, as reported

Economically disadvantaged

Not disadvantaged

ELA

Gr 3

45%

67%

Gr 4

50%

81%

Gr 5

53%

85%

Gr 6

46%

76%

Gr 7

45%

75%

Gr 8

47%

77%

Math

Gr 3

21%

64%

Gr 4

33%

80%

Gr 5

26%

64%

Gr 6

29%

56%

Gr 7

15%

13%

Gr 8

52%

74%

Science

Gr 5

30%

55%

Gr 8

50%

77%

Social studies

Gr 8

24%

41%

all_subjects_approaches

Gr ALL

50%

—

all_subjects_masters

Gr ALL

12%

—

all_subjects_meets

Gr ALL

28%

—

ela_approaches

Gr ALL

47%

—

ela_masters

Gr ALL

10%

—

ela_meets

Gr ALL

26%

—

math_approaches

Gr ALL

52%

—

math_masters

Gr ALL

14%

—

math_meets

Gr ALL

31%

—

science_approaches

Gr ALL

52%

—

science_masters

Gr ALL

15%

—

science_meets

Gr ALL

27%

—

social_studies_approaches

Gr ALL

54%

—

social_studies_masters

Gr ALL

—

social_studies_meets

Gr ALL

27%

—

Schools in this District

47 schools are officially reported under this district.

LYNDON B JOHNSON MIDDLE

PSJA EARLY COLLEGE H S

JESUS - JESSE - VELA JR MIDDLE

KELLY-PHARR EL

EDITH & ETHEL CARMAN EL

PSJA NORTH EARLY COLLEGE H S

SANTOS LIVAS EL

ELVIS J BALLEW H S

PSJA MEMORIAL EARLY COLLEGE H S

SGT LEONEL TREVINO EL

CARMEN ANAYA EL

PSJA SOUTHWEST EARLY COLLEGE H S

KENNEDY MIDDLE

ALLEN & WILLIAM ARNOLD EL

PSJA THOMAS JEFFERSON T-STEM EARLY COLLEGE H S

PSJA EARLY START

PSJA SOTOMAYOR BUILDING BLOCKS ACADEMY

JAIME ESCALANTE MIDDLE

PSJA SONIA M SOTOMAYOR H S

LIBERTY MIDDLE

PSJA COLLEGIATE SCHOOL OF HEALTH PROFESSIONS

Academic Performance

Percent of students meeting or exceeding state standards, by grade.

Mathematics

6 grades reported

21%

Grade 3

33%

Grade 4

26%

Grade 5

31%

Grade 6

15%

Grade 7

54%

Grade 8

English Language Arts

6 grades reported

31%

Grade 3

56%

Grade 4

55%

Grade 5

48%

Grade 6

47%

Grade 7

49%

Grade 8

Science

2 grades reported

13%

Grade 5

51%

Grade 8

Social Studies

1 grade reported

25%

Grade 8

Housing & Real Estate

Data as of April 2026 | District-weighted from constituent ZIP codes

Home Values

Typical home value$173,850

Year-over-year change+0.2%

Range across 8 ZIP codes$164K to $265K

vs. state typical0.58x

vs. national typical0.47x

Home value trend (12 months)

ZIP code home values (8 ZIP codes)

ZIP	City	Value	YoY	Weight
78577	Pharr	$164K	-1.7%	36.1%
78589	San Juan	$183K	-0.2%	32.4%
78516	Alamo	$170K	+3.7%	23.6%
78503	McAllen	$181K	-0.5%	4.0%
78557	Hidalgo	$191K	-1.3%	1.8%
78501	McAllen	$197K	-0.6%	1.6%
78504	McAllen	$265K	+0.7%	0.5%
78542	Edinburg	$205K	+3.2%	0.1%

Rental Market

Typical monthly rent$1,210/mo

Year-over-year change+1.7%

Range across 6 ZIP codes$1,158 to $1,556/mo

Rent trend (12 months)

ZIP code rents (6 ZIP codes)

ZIP	City	Rent/mo	YoY	Weight
78577	Pharr	$1,158	+2.1%	36.1%
78516	Alamo	$1,263	—	23.6%
78503	McAllen	$1,340	-1.9%	4.0%
78501	McAllen	$1,171	+2.3%	1.6%
78504	McAllen	$1,556	+1.5%	0.5%
78542	Edinburg	$1,178	+6.0%	0.1%

Affordability

Est. monthly mortgage (20% down at 6.48%)$877/mo

Home price / national median income2.1x

Annual rent / national median income17.3%

Rent exceeds est. mortgage by$333/mo

Comparison

State typical home value$302,187 (-2.0% YoY)

National typical home value$368,198 (+0.6% YoY)

State ZHVI trend (12 months)

National ZHVI trend (12 months)

Economic Context

30-year fixed mortgage rate6.48%

National unemployment rate4.3%

National median household income$83,730

CPI: Rent of shelter (index)447.05

30-year fixed mortgage rate (12 months)

National unemployment rate (12 months)

National median household income (12 months)

CPI: Rent of shelter (index) (12 months)

Sources: Zillow Home Value Index and Zillow Observed Rent Index (Zillow Group), Realtor.com via Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis (FRED)

Data Currently Unavailable

Civil Rights Data (CRDC)

This profile is derived exclusively from publicly available federal and state datasets. It may not reflect the most current information available. We encourage parents and families to supplement this data with information published directly on the school’s website, which may include more recent figures, additional programs, or updated enrollment data.