Roma Middle, Roma TX - Test Scores & Data

Original Research by School Decision on Roma Middle

Roma Middle serves students in grades six through eight as a regular public school in Roma, a small border city on the Rio Grande in Starr County. The school draws its enrollment from a deeply economically disadvantaged community where most families qualify for free or reduced-price lunch. The student body is entirely Hispanic and reflects the bicultural character of the city, which sits directly across from Ciudad Miguel Aleman, Mexico, and has long-standing family roots in the borderland region.

The school's academic performance shows a clear progression across the three grades. In grade six, proficiency is weak, particularly in math where fewer than one-third of students reach proficiency. English language arts is stronger at grade six. By grade seven, math proficiency rises substantially to about half of students. By grade eight, math proficiency reaches a substantially higher level, and English language arts improves to about one-half. In science, tested only at grade eight, roughly one-half reach proficiency. Social studies shows the softest results, with only three in ten students proficient at grade eight. Overall, the school's proficiency index places it above the midpoint among other districts in Starr County.

This pattern suggests that Roma Middle faces a real challenge at the entry level of sixth grade, where incoming students arrive with gaps in foundational math skills. The upward trajectory through seventh and eighth grade indicates the school does move students forward, though substantial shares remain below proficiency even at eighth grade. Math instruction appears to be a strength relative to social studies. Parents evaluating this school might want to look into the school's sixth-grade intervention supports and how they address students entering below grade level.

Roma ISD as a whole is investing in its students' futures through a recent school bond that funds new facilities, including a new multipurpose building with a Black Box Theater and career-and-technical-education classrooms. More consequentially for college and career readiness, the district is part of a multistate Gates Foundation grant beginning in 2025 that will expand free early-college and dual-credit pathways at Roma High School, with the aim that students earn at least fifteen college credits before graduating. The district has also received state funding to establish a licensed practical and vocational nursing credential pathway in partnership with South Texas College, giving students an industry-recognized qualification before graduation. These commitments signal a district working to broaden economic mobility for families in a community where employment and household resources are limited.

Roma itself is a tight-knit residential community with deep roots, where many families own their homes and have lived in the city for generations. It is heavily car-dependent, with commercial activity along U.S. Highway 83, though the preserved historic town center on a bluff overlooking the Rio Grande is walkable and anchors civic life. Population growth has been modest, and recent employment declined slightly from 2023 to 2024, reflecting the uneven economic ground on which the community stands. Schools are distributed across dispersed campuses rather than centered in the historic downtown. Cross-border trade through the international bridge and growth in industrial logistics are structural parts of the local economy, as is employment in education, health care, and construction.

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Academic performance

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

Math

Grade 626%

School 26% · District 24% · ▲ 2 pts above district

▼ 8 pts below state median

Grade 757%

School 57% · District 49% · ▲ 8 pts above district

▲ 30 pts above state median

Grade 874%

School 74% · District 68% · ▲ 6 pts above district

▲ 32 pts above state median

English language arts

Grade 652%

School 52% · District 49% · ▲ 3 pts above district

even with state median

Grade 746%

School 46% · District 47% · ▼ 1 pts below district

▼ 3 pts below state median

Grade 855%

School 55% · District 52% · ▲ 3 pts above district

even with state median

Science

Grade 850%

School 50% · District 47% · ▲ 3 pts above district

▲ 8 pts above state median

Social studies

Grade 830%

School 30% · District 30%

▲ 6 pts above state median

This schoolROMA 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.

Proficiency by household income

English language arts

Grade 6Lower-income49%Higher-income86%37 pp gap

Grade 7Lower-income46%Higher-income48%2 pp gap

Grade 8Lower-income54%Higher-income67%13 pp gap

Mathematics

Grade 6Lower-income23%Higher-income55%32 pp gap

Grade 7Lower-income54%Higher-income77%23 pp gap

Grade 8Lower-income72%Higher-income92%20 pp gap