Enrollment
827
Texas · 2024-25 NCES data
Middle school (grades 6-8) · Mcallen, TX
Cathey Middle
Federal NCES profile for Cathey Middle, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators - Resource Investment Index 45/100.
2024-25 NCES dataMiddle school (grades 6-8)NCES 482967008845
👥 S:T ratio 40
🌟 Gifted program 70
🎓 Counselors 17
📋 Attendance 51
Scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC indicators, resource allocation, not test scores. Full methodology →
The verdict
Cathey Middle earns 45/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes near the Texas median. It is also less racially and ethnically mixed than most Texas schools.
- #4 of 7
- middle schools in Mcallen · Resource Index
- 45
- Resource Index · Typical
- 15:1
- students per teacher
- 68.8%
- free-lunch eligible
Cathey Middle has class sizes near the Texas median. Computed live against every Texas school reporting to NCES.
By Resource Investment Index, Cathey Middle ranks #4 of 7 middle schools in Mcallen, TX.
School address
Teachers (FTE)
55.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
15:1
vs 14.7:1 Texas avg
+2% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
68.8%
vs 61.9% Texas avg
+11% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Cathey Middle compares with Texas and U.S. medians
What stands out at Cathey Middle
Cathey Middle is a higher-need, mid-sized middle school in Mcallen, Texas, enrolling 827 students.
At 15:1, its student-teacher ratio sits close to the Texas median, within a few percentage points of the 14.7:1 state norm, neither notably crowded nor notably small.
Its free-meal eligibility rate of 68.8% lands close to the Texas typical range, neither a high- nor low-need campus by this measure.
Enrollment of 827 puts it in the larger third of Texas schools by headcount.
Its Resource Investment Index sits near the middle of the pack among 8,960 scored Texas schools.
Against 1,453 statewide peers matched on enrollment and economic need, it ranks in the upper tier at #314.
Its student body is predominantly Hispanic or Latino (94% of enrollment), among the less diverse in the state (diversity index 12/100).
Counselor access is stretched at roughly 414 students per counselor, well above the ASCA-recommended 250:1 ceiling.
Attendance runs somewhat below the norm, with 19.6% of students chronically absent per the 2021-22 civil-rights collection.
Its district draws 34.8% of revenue from federal sources, an above-typical federal share that tends to track a higher-need student population.
Mcallen Isd also operates Mcallen H S (2,134 students) and Memorial H S (2,021 students) alongside Cathey Middle.
Sourced from NCES CCD, CRDC, and F-33 (federal records, not a quality verdict). How we source and compute this.
Source: National Center for Education Statistics Common Core of Data + CRDC + F-33 · 2024-25
How Cathey Middle compares
Cathey Middle on the metrics families compare, against Texas and U.S. means.
| Metric | This school | vs Texas | Texas avg | U.S. avg |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Students per teacher | 15:1 | ▲ 2% | 14.7:1 | 15.7:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 68.8% | ▲ 11% | 61.9% | 51.7% |
| Enrollment | 827 | top 17% | - | - |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25
15:1
Leaner classes than 47% of US schools, a middle-of-the-pack class size.
827
Bigger than 86% of US schools by enrollment, a large campus nationally.
Equity indicators (what these measure)
Economic need
68.8%
free-lunch eligible
- 11% above the Texas average of 61.9%
Above the 40% Title I schoolwide threshold; federal funds support the whole school, not individual students.
Staffing depth
15:1
students per teacher
- 2% above state mean
Top 59% in Texas - lower ratio than 41% of state schools
Close to the 15:1 benchmark most often cited for individualized attention.
Engagement
19.6%
chronically absent (missed 10%+ of school days)
In the 15-20% range, nearing the "high" absenteeism threshold.
Funding equity
$13,933
per pupil, district-wide
- above Texas avg of $13,644
Somewhat below the U.S. average per-pupil spend; funding constraints may affect programs, facilities, and staffing.
Support staff
Counselors2.0 FTE
Per 414 students, the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
Discipline context
101
in-school suspensions + 22 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 12.2 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 14.9 per 100 students. Reported via the Civil Rights Data Collection.
Overview
- Common Core of Data (June 2026): enrollment, staffing, and the student-teacher ratio above.
- Civil Rights Data Collection: discipline counts and program access (AP, gifted, special education).
- F-33 School District Finance Survey: the district-wide per-pupil spending figures below.
Three separate federal collections, each on its own reporting cadence - which is why this school's numbers line up on a consistent basis against every other school and state on this site, rather than mixing figures pulled from different survey years.
Student demographics
Hispanic or Latino 93.5%
White 4.2%
Asian 1.5%
African American 0.5%
Two or More 0.2%
American Indian / Alaska Native 0.1%
Largest group: Hispanic or Latino at 93.5% of enrollment.
Student-body diversity index 12.4/100
Simpson diversity index - at 12.4, Cathey Middle is less mixed than the Texas school average of 44.7.
Programs
Gifted & talented Yes
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Mcallen Isd, which includes Cathey Middle.
$13,933
Per student
+2%
vs Texas
Avg $13,644
-16%
vs U.S.
Avg $16,593
Revenue mix
Local 29.7%
State 35.5%
Federal 34.8%
Source: NCES F-33 School District Finance Survey District-level finance · FY 2021-22 Per-pupil expenditure reflects the district-wide average. Individual school budgets are not reported at the federal level.
How Cathey Middle Compares to District-Mates
| School | Enrollment | Economic Profile | Student-Teacher Ratio |
|---|---|---|---|
| Mcallen H S | Larger | Similar economic need | Lower S:T ratio |
| Memorial H S | Larger | Similar economic need | Similar S:T ratio |
| Rowe H S | Larger | Similar economic need | Similar S:T ratio |
| Morris Middle | Similar size | Lower economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| Gonzalez El | Similar size | Lower economic need | Similar S:T ratio |
Comparisons are relative to Cathey Middle's own figures; each column derives from NCES Common Core of Data.
Other Schools in This District
- Enrollment
- 2,134
- Students per teacher
- 12.1:1
- Resource Index
- 40/100
- Enrollment
- 2,021
- Students per teacher
- 13.9:1
- Resource Index
- 43/100
- Enrollment
- 1,905
- Students per teacher
- 13.7:1
- Resource Index
- 47/100
- Enrollment
- 999
- Students per teacher
- 16.9:1
- Resource Index
- 36/100
- Enrollment
- 818
- Students per teacher
- 16:1
- Resource Index
- 56/100
Similar middle schools statewide
Matched by enrollment size and by staffing ratio across all of Texas, not just this city - a different peer set than the local comparisons above.
Similar enrollment (~827 students)
Similar student-teacher ratio (~15:1)
Next steps
Verify locally before acting on Cathey Middle's federal record.
- Compare Cathey Middle against another school. Compare schools
- Mcallen Isd's spending and staffing shape this school. District profile
- Confirm current enrollment and boundaries with the school. Choosing guide
Federal record (CCD 2024-25, CRDC 2021-22) - PlainSchools assigns no subjective rating; the composite quality score is a transparent, reproducible index computed from this cited federal data.
Frequently asked questions about Cathey Middle
How many students attend Cathey Middle?
Cathey Middle has 827 students enrolled. It is a middle school in Mcallen, TX.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Cathey Middle?
The student-teacher ratio at Cathey Middle is 15:1, which is 2% higher than the Texas average of 14.7:1 and 4% lower than the national average of 15.7:1.
What percentage of students receive free lunch at Cathey Middle?
68.8% of students at Cathey Middle are eligible for free lunch, compared to the Texas average of 61.9%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Cathey Middle?
The largest demographic group at Cathey Middle is Hispanic or Latino at 93.5% of enrollment, in Mcallen, TX.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Cathey Middle?
Cathey Middle has a Resource Investment Index of 45/100 (typical reported resources relative to schools nationally) based on 4 factors: student-teacher ratio, counselor availability, attendance rates. Not a test-score or academic measure (national median ~41/100, see methodology).
How does Cathey Middle rank among middle schools in Mcallen?
By Resource Investment Index, Cathey Middle ranks #4 of 7 middle schools in Mcallen, TX. This compares federal resource and staffing data among local peers; it is not a test-score or academic ranking. See all middle schools in Mcallen on the city page.
Is Cathey Middle a good school?
Cathey Middle earns 45/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes near the Texas median. It is also less racially and ethnically mixed than most Texas schools. This is a resource snapshot, not an academic rating; see the Resource Investment Index question above for what the number does and doesn't measure.
What other schools are in Mcallen Isd?
Besides Cathey Middle, Mcallen Isd also operates Mcallen H S (2,134 students), Memorial H S (2,021 students), and Rowe H S (1,905 students). See the Mcallen Isd district page for the complete list.
Related tools
Every figure on PlainSchools is rendered directly from the source NCES, CRDC and F-33 federal records, no number is typed in by an editor. Each school's figures reflect its most recent NCES/CRDC submission on file. See our editorial standards & corrections policy, the methodology behind these numbers, or report a data error. Data current as of June 2026.