Liberty Memorial Middle, San Benito TX

Original Research by School Decision on Liberty Memorial Middle

Liberty Memorial Middle serves a small student body in grades six through eight in San Benito, a small city in the Rio Grande Valley located near the U.S.-Mexico border. The school draws nearly its entire enrollment from a town with a residential, family-oriented character and a defined commercial core centered around Route 77, with a historic downtown that includes local shops, taquerias, and the Resaca de los Fresnos waterway and trail system.

The student body is predominantly Hispanic, and a substantial share of students qualify for free or reduced-price lunch, indicating economic hardship across much of the community. Specific data on special education enrollment and English learner population were not available, which makes it difficult to assess the full scope of student support needs.

In state testing across 2024-25, the school shows uneven results across grade levels and subjects. English language arts performance is more stable, with about half the students reaching proficiency in grades six and eight, though seventh grade dips lower. Mathematics presents a marked split: sixth and seventh graders show proficiency rates well below half, while eighth graders reach proficiency at a substantially higher rate, suggesting either stronger instruction at that level or selection effects as students progress. Science proficiency in eighth grade sits near the midpoint. Social studies is notably weaker, with only a small minority of eighth graders meeting the standard. Overall across all tested subjects and grades, the school's proficiency index places it in the top quartile among districts in Cameron County, a positioning that reflects the school's standing relative to its immediate regional neighbors.

The comparison to county districts is important context. Liberty Memorial is working in a region where most middle schools face similar economic and demographic conditions. The school's stronger performance relative to that local set suggests it is making progress with the students it serves, though growth remains needed in mathematics for younger grades and across social studies.

The school offers a band program. Information about other coursework, special programs, or support services was limited in the available data. The Los Fresnos school district, of which Liberty Memorial is a part, completed a new Career and Technical Education Center and Performing Arts Center in fall 2025, funded by a bond approved in 2021. These district-level facilities expand pathways available to students who advance to high school, offering hands-on training in welding, health sciences, engineering, and other fields, with opportunities to earn industry certifications and college credit. The district has also reduced its property tax rate over multiple consecutive years, a factor that affects the overall cost of homeownership in the area.

San Benito itself is experiencing active residential development as part of one of the fastest-growing regions in the country. Median home values are below the state average, and the city is positioned as a regional hub with industrial warehousing, retail, and growing multifamily investment tied to regional employment drivers including nearby SpaceX operations and logistics infrastructure. The town's civic life centers around a recognizable downtown with the public library, cultural center, and parks including the Resaca trail greenway.

A parent considering Liberty Memorial would encounter a middle school working with a largely economically disadvantaged student population in a region with limited historical school resources, now benefiting from recent facility expansion at the district level. The school's performance relative to its county peers suggests it is competing effectively within its immediate context, though the wide variation in proficiency by grade and subject indicates areas where individualized attention to student progress would matter.

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Academic performance

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

Math

Grade 633%

School 33% · District 39% · ▼ 6 pts below district

▼ 1 pts below state median · ▲ 1 pts above county median

Grade 732%

School 32% · District 39% · ▼ 7 pts below district

▲ 5 pts above state median · ▲ 9 pts above county median

Grade 859%

School 59% · District 48% · ▲ 11 pts above district

▲ 17 pts above state median · ▲ 22 pts above county median

English language arts

Grade 651%

School 51% · District 60% · ▼ 9 pts below district

▼ 1 pts below state median · ▲ 1 pts above county median

Grade 740%

School 40% · District 57% · ▼ 17 pts below district

▼ 9 pts below state median · ▼ 12 pts below county median

Grade 853%

School 53% · District 59% · ▼ 6 pts below district

▼ 2 pts below state median · even with county median

Science

Grade 849%

School 49% · District 52% · ▼ 3 pts below district

▲ 7 pts above state median · ▲ 10 pts above county median

Social studies

Grade 821%

School 21% · District 23% · ▼ 2 pts below district

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

This schoolLOS FRESNOS 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-income47%Higher-income75%28 pp gap

Grade 7Lower-income35%Higher-income59%24 pp gap

Grade 8Lower-income49%Higher-income71%22 pp gap

Mathematics

Grade 6Lower-income26%Higher-income76%50 pp gap

Grade 7Lower-income26%Higher-income55%29 pp gap

Grade 8Lower-income58%Higher-income66%8 pp gap