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Mcallen, Texas - 30 schools
An equity score of 68/100 ranks Mcallen Isd #208 of 1044 districts in Texas (state average 50). Derived live from how evenly resources are distributed across the district's schools.
At $13,933 per pupil, Mcallen Isd ranks #416 of 1202 Texas districts by per-pupil spending (Texas districts). NCES F-33 finance data.
20,399
Total Enrollment
30
Schools
$13,933
Per-Pupil Spending
Combined, Middle
School Types
District-Level NCES Analysis
Mcallen Isd operates 30 public schools serving 20,399 students, placing it in the mid-size range in Texas. The school portfolio breaks down into 19 combined, 6 middle, 5 high schools, giving families a clear picture of grade-band coverage before they move, rent, or enrol. These enrollment and school figures come from the NCES Common Core of Data (CCD) 2024-25 release, and the district is based in Hidalgo County.
Per-pupil expenditure runs $13,933 according to the NCES F-33 School District Finance Survey, in the upper half of 1202 Texas districts by per-pupil spending. See how Texas compares in our national per-pupil spending analysis. The funding mix is 29.7% local, 35.5% state, and 34.8% federal, a balanced mix across local, state, and federal sources, spreading budget risk across funding cycles rather than concentrating it in one. The district's equity score is 68/100, ranked #208 of 1044 in Texas against a state average of 50, notably more even than the typical district in the state for how evenly funding reaches its schools.
Academic infrastructure includes 5 of 30 schools offering Advanced Placement (83 AP courses district-wide), a 296.5:1 student-counselor ratio, somewhat above the 250:1 ASCA recommendation, and 26.0% chronic absenteeism from the 2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection. Demographically, the student body averages 94.6% Hispanic or Latino, 3.6% White, 0.9% Asian across the district's schools. Its most demographically mixed campus is Gonzalez El, with a diversity index of 34.1/100.
Its largest campus is Mcallen H S, enrolling 2,134 students (11% of the district's total enrollment). Its smallest is Lamar Academy, at 47 students, a 45x enrollment spread across the district's campuses.
Mcallen Isd school enrollment varies 45× across entities
Mcallen Isd school enrollment ranges from 47 students (lowest) to 2,134 students (highest), a spread of 2,087 students. That ratio is among the widest observed and reflects extreme enrollment heterogeneity, the district operates both small specialty programs and large comprehensive campuses inside a single budgeting unit. Per-school staffing ratios, programme availability, and capital-renovation cycles often diverge inside the same district based on enrollment shape.
Mcallen Isd has higher-than-average Title I eligibility — 76.9% of the population qualifies for free or reduced-price lunch
free or reduced-price lunch eligibility is the federal threshold for Title I funding allocations, established under the Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA, 2015). Areas above 75% eligibility — including this one — receive concentration grants on top of the basic Title I formula. Regions with eligibility this high typically draw a substantially larger federal funding share relative to their local tax base, which can either offset or reinforce existing gaps depending on allocation policy.
Mcallen Isd student-counselor ratio is 297:1 — near the typical range (US average ~408) — within the typical range for U.S. public districts
student-counselor ratio is the simplest comparative metric but it does not capture the full picture: the ratio counts FTE counselors against total enrollment, districts that contract intervention or social-emotional staff outside the counselor classification may be under-counted Variation between sub-units within Mcallen Isd is typically wider than the Mcallen Isd-aggregate figure suggests.
Mcallen Isd chronic absenteeism rate is 26.0% — near the typical range (US average ~28) — aligned with the national post-pandemic baseline of roughly 28% chronic absenteeism
chronic absenteeism rate is the simplest comparative metric but it does not capture the full picture: a student is chronically absent if they miss ≥10% of enrolled days for any reason, illness, family obligations, or disengagement Variation between sub-units within Mcallen Isd is typically wider than the Mcallen Isd-aggregate figure suggests.