Gutierrez Middle, Harlingen TX - Test Scores & Data

Original Research by School Decision on Gutierrez Middle

Gutierrez Middle sits in Harlingen, a city anchored by healthcare, education, and aerospace in the Rio Grande Valley. The school serves sixth through eighth grade, drawing from a diverse and economically stretched community. Most students come from households qualifying for free or reduced-price lunch, a marker of resource constraint at home that shapes what students carry into the classroom.

Academically, Gutierrez shows a mixed picture. In English language arts, the school performs at roughly the midpoint among county districts. Sixth and seventh graders show stronger ELA proficiency; eighth grade slips a bit. The reading and writing foundation is solidly there for a majority. Math tells a different story. Sixth and seventh graders hold steady at about the same proficiency level as ELA peers, but eighth-grade math proficiency drops noticeably, suggesting students either struggle with the content intensification or do not retain gains. Science proficiency at eighth grade is weak, with only a small share of students meeting the state standard. Social studies proficiency is the softest point across the school, with just a small minority meeting the benchmark. A parent may want to look into further with the school how it addresses the gap between what students can do in ELA versus their command of quantitative, scientific, and historical reasoning.

The school's overall proficiency index places it in the top quartile among the nine school districts in Cameron County. That ranking reflects Gutierrez's relative strength in reading compared to some peers in the county, but it does not mean the school's absolute performance in math, science, or social studies is robust. The math and STEM weakness appears consistent with patterns across the district and region.

Harlingen CISD itself faces a significant financial headwind. A prior administration depleted cash reserves, and the district dropped from its long-standing "superior" financial rating to a "C" rating in recent months. The district is in a multi-year recovery, with staffing cuts and a tighter budget environment. That instability ripples into schools: fewer support staff, tighter resources, and uncertainty. For a school serving students with high economic need, those constraints matter. On the positive side, the district launched the Capturing Kids' Hearts social-emotional learning program across schools, emphasizing relationship-building and classroom culture. Several of the district's elementary schools earned recognition for the work. Whether that framework reaches middle grades and sustains depends on the district's capacity to support it during its financial recovery.

The community's housing market is relatively modest, with purchase prices and rental rates well below state and national benchmarks. That affordability drew residents but also reflects the economic base. The major employers in Harlingen center on healthcare, call centers, education, and manufacturing, many offering steady jobs but not always high wages. A family considering Gutierrez should expect a school serving a predominantly Hispanic student body with substantial material hardship, a solid ELA curriculum, emerging questions about math and science instruction, and a district working through financial retrenchment while trying to maintain school culture.

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Academic performance

How students perform on state tests, by grade, set against the district.

Math

Grade 647%

School 47% · District 38% · ▲ 9 pts above district

▲ 13 pts above state median · ▲ 15 pts above county median

Grade 747%

School 47% · District 41% · ▲ 6 pts above district

▲ 20 pts above state median · ▲ 24 pts above county median

Grade 834%

School 34% · District 30% · ▲ 4 pts above district

▼ 8 pts below state median · ▼ 3 pts below county median

English language arts

Grade 665%

School 65% · District 57% · ▲ 8 pts above district

▲ 13 pts above state median · ▲ 15 pts above county median

Grade 767%

School 67% · District 56% · ▲ 11 pts above district

▲ 18 pts above state median · ▲ 15 pts above county median

Grade 859%

School 59% · District 58% · ▲ 1 pts above district

▲ 4 pts above state median · ▲ 6 pts above county median

Science

Grade 836%

School 36% · District 41% · ▼ 5 pts below district

▼ 6 pts below state median · ▼ 3 pts below county median

Social studies

Grade 821%

School 21% · District 27% · ▼ 6 pts below district

▼ 3 pts below state median · ▼ 1 pts below county median

This schoolHARLINGEN CISD, same grade

Graduation rate (ACGR) reflects the federally published Adjusted Cohort Graduation Rate for the most recent year available. We refresh this data annually at the close of each academic year in June. The federal source publishes a banded rate (for example, "90-94%") instead of an exact number for cohorts small enough to risk identifying individual students. The state distribution chart, where shown, plots every school in the state with a published rate or band; schools whose rate is federally suppressed are excluded. Where the federal source publishes a band rather than an exact rate, the school is placed within its band using a stable, ID-derived offset, so its position is consistent across visits.

Proficiency by household income

English language arts

Grade 6Lower-income58%Higher-income87%29 pp gap

Grade 7Lower-income61%Higher-income81%20 pp gap

Grade 8Lower-income49%Higher-income81%32 pp gap

Mathematics

Grade 6Lower-income40%Higher-income67%27 pp gap

Grade 7Lower-income41%Higher-income60%19 pp gap

Grade 8Lower-income37%Higher-income23%14 pp gap