Kennedy Middle, Pharr TX - Test Scores & Data

Original Research by School Decision on Kennedy Middle

Kennedy Middle serves grades six through eight in Pharr, a community in Hidalgo County. The school enrolls students across three grade levels, and the population is overwhelmingly Hispanic, with nearly all students qualifying for free or reduced-price lunch. This is a school serving a economically stretched community with high material need.

State testing results from the most recent school year reveal an uneven profile across grade levels and subjects. In English language arts, performance is relatively consistent across the three grades, with a modest share of students meeting or exceeding state standards at each level. Reading outcomes appear stronger than mathematics. The math results show a steep cliff in seventh grade, where proficiency drops sharply before rising substantially in eighth grade, suggesting either a significant instructional challenge at that transition point or a cohort effect worth examining. Science and social studies are tested only in eighth grade; science proficiency is moderate, while social studies shows notably lower attainment.

Overall, Kennedy Middle sits slightly above the midpoint when compared against other middle schools in Hidalgo County on proficiency across tested subjects and grades. The school is not an outlier, but it is not among the highest-performing schools in the district either. Results suggest Kennedy serves students who are progressing, though with gaps that merit attention, particularly in mathematics at the seventh-grade level and in social studies schoolwide.

The school is part of Pharr-San Juan-Alamo ISD, a district that has made a recent, visible commitment to college access. All high schools in the district, including Kennedy's feeder institutions, are now designated Early College campuses, meaning students can begin earning college credit in ninth grade and graduate with an associate degree or substantial college hours at no cost to families. This model flows down through middle school and shapes the academic pathway students enter. The district sought voter approval in November for a bond to address aging facilities with HVAC, roofing, and parking upgrades, but that measure was rejected, leaving facility condition a concern for families considering the school.

Pharr itself is a modest-income border community where home values and rents are substantially below state and national benchmarks, making housing genuinely affordable but also reflecting limited local economic growth. Community data on workforce, civic anchors, and development trajectory was not available, so the broader economic or demographic context is incomplete. What is clear from the school data is that Kennedy Middle serves a student body with significant economic hardship and, by design and placement, feeds into a district model centered on early college enrollment. Academic results are moderate and uneven by grade, suggesting the school is working with students who start middle school with mixed preparation and benefit from added structure and college focus as they progress.

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Academic performance

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

Math

Grade 632%

School 32% · District 31% · ▲ 1 pts above district

▼ 2 pts below state median · even with county median

Grade 78%

School 8% · District 15% · ▼ 7 pts below district

▼ 19 pts below state median · ▼ 22 pts below county median

Grade 861%

School 61% · District 54% · ▲ 7 pts above district

▲ 19 pts above state median · ▲ 14 pts above county median

English language arts

Grade 646%

School 46% · District 48% · ▼ 2 pts below district

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

Grade 742%

School 42% · District 47% · ▼ 5 pts below district

▼ 7 pts below state median · ▼ 7 pts below county median

Grade 847%

School 47% · District 49% · ▼ 2 pts below district

▼ 8 pts below state median · ▼ 5 pts below county median

Science

Grade 846%

School 46% · District 51% · ▼ 5 pts below district

▲ 4 pts above state median · ▲ 1 pts above county median

Social studies

Grade 828%

School 28% · District 25% · ▲ 3 pts above district

▲ 4 pts above state median · ▲ 3 pts above county median

This schoolPHARR-SAN JUAN-ALAMO ISD, 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.