Brownsville ISD

Public school district · Cameron County · Texas · NCES district ID 4811680

Brownsville ISD spent $14,041 per student on current operations in fiscal year 2022-23, more than 85% of the other Texas districts with at least 1,000 students in fall 2022 (median $12,244). Its 49 schools enrolled 36,140 students in 2024-25; 54.2% of its revenue came from the state. Census Bureau figures for 2023-24 put it at $14,406 per student, up 2.6% on the year before (U.S. $17,619 that year). Its four-year graduation rate for the class of 2023 was 94% (Texas: 90.3%).

NCES F-33 finance survey, fiscal year 2022-23 · Census Bureau school finances 2023-24 · NCES Common Core of Data 2024-25 · method

Spending per student among Texas districts of similar size

Current spending per student excludes construction and debt. The 9 districts closest to Brownsville ISD in enrollment (34,078 to 41,381 students) and Brownsville ISD itself.

Current spending per student, Texas districts closest in size to Brownsville ISD, FY23Ysleta ISD $14,175; Brownsville ISD $14,041; Alief ISD $13,388; Spring ISD $12,710; Mesquite ISD $12,223; Richardson ISD $12,101; United ISD $12,037; Keller ISD $10,925; Mansfield ISD $10,678; Clear Creek ISD $10,214; State median, 1,000+ students $12,244.8k10k12k14k16kYsleta ISD$14,175Brownsville ISD$14,041Alief ISD$13,388Spring ISD$12,710Mesquite ISD$12,223Richardson ISD$12,101United ISD$12,037Keller ISD$10,925Mansfield ISD$10,678Clear Creek ISD$10,214State median, 1,000+ students $12,244
Current spending per student, Texas districts closest in size to Brownsville ISD, FY23Ysleta ISD $14,175; Brownsville ISD $14,041; Alief ISD $13,388; Spring ISD $12,710; Mesquite ISD $12,223; Richardson ISD $12,101; United ISD $12,037; Keller ISD $10,925; Mansfield ISD $10,678; Clear Creek ISD $10,214; State median, 1,000+ students $12,244.8k10k12k14k16kYsleta ISD$14,175Brownsville ISD$14,041Alief ISD$13,388Spring ISD$12,710Mesquite ISD$12,223Richardson ISD$12,101United ISD$12,037Keller ISD$10,925Mansfield ISD$10,678Clear Creek ISD$10,214State median, 1,000+ students $12,244
Current spending per student, Texas districts closest in size to Brownsville ISD, FY23Ysleta ISD $14,175; Brownsville ISD $14,041; Alief ISD $13,388; Spring ISD $12,710; Mesquite ISD $12,223; Richardson ISD $12,101; United ISD $12,037; Keller ISD $10,925; Mansfield ISD $10,678; Clear Creek ISD $10,214; State median, 1,000+ students $12,244.8k12k16kYsleta ISD$14,175Brownsville ISD$14,041Alief ISD$13,388Spring ISD$12,710Mesquite ISD$12,223Richardson ISD$12,101United ISD$12,037Keller ISD$10,925Mansfield ISD$10,678Clear Creek ISD$10,214State median, 1,000+ students $12,244
Current spending per student, Texas districts closest in size to Brownsville ISD, FY23Ysleta ISD $14,175; Brownsville ISD $14,041; Alief ISD $13,388; Spring ISD $12,710; Mesquite ISD $12,223; Richardson ISD $12,101; United ISD $12,037; Keller ISD $10,925; Mansfield ISD $10,678; Clear Creek ISD $10,214; State median, 1,000+ students $12,244.8k12k16kYsleta ISD$14,175Brownsville ISD$14,041Alief ISD$13,388Spring ISD$12,710Mesquite ISD$12,223Richardson ISD$12,101United ISD$12,037Keller ISD$10,925Mansfield ISD$10,678Clear Creek ISD$10,214State median, 1,000+ students $12,244

Where the money came from

$605,671,000 in revenue: 54.2% state, 16.8% local and 29.0% federal. Total spending including $32,886,000 of capital outlay was $576,605,000, or $15,215 per student; the figure above leaves capital out.

Brownsville ISD revenue by source, fiscal year 2022-23State $328,490,000; Local $101,706,000; Federal $175,475,000; total $605,671,000.
  • State$328,490,000 54%
  • Local$101,706,000 17%
  • Federal$175,475,000 29%

Source: NCES F-33 school district finance survey, fiscal year 2022-23: current expenditures for elementary and secondary education divided by fall membership; the state median covers 577 districts with at least 1,000 students in fall 2022. Revenue by source (TOTALREV, TFEDREV, TSTREV, TLOCREV).

Enrollment fell from 2022-23 to 2024-25

37,898 students in 2022-23, 37,065 students in 2023-24, 36,132 students in 2024-25, counted across the schools that reported each year.

Brownsville ISD enrollment by school year2022-23: 37,898, 2023-24: 37,065, 2024-25: 36,132010k20k30k40k2022-2337,8982023-2437,0652024-2536,132
Brownsville ISD enrollment by school year2022-23: 37,898, 2023-24: 37,065, 2024-25: 36,132010k20k30k40k2022-2337,8982023-2437,0652024-2536,132
Brownsville ISD enrollment by school year2022-23: 37,898, 2023-24: 37,065, 2024-25: 36,132010k20k30k40k2022-2337,8982023-2437,0652024-2536,132
Brownsville ISD enrollment by school year2022-23: 37,898, 2023-24: 37,065, 2024-25: 36,132010k20k30k40k2022-2337,8982023-2437,0652024-2536,132

Teachers and students per teacher

School yearStudentsTeachers (FTE)Per teacher
2022-2337,8982536.414.9
2023-2437,0652476.615.0
2024-2536,1322392.215.1

Source: NCES Common Core of Data membership and staff files, 2022-23, 2023-24, 2024-25; sums over the schools reporting each year.

$162,339,000 in teacher salaries in fiscal year 2022-23, $4,284 per student

Brownsville ISD booked $162,339,000 of teacher salaries in its 2022-23 finance report and counted 2,576 full-time teachers in its Common Core of Data district staff file for 2022-23 (the school files behind the staffing figures on this page count teachers separately, so the two can differ), or $63,023 of salary spending per teacher. That is more than 96 in 100 Texas districts with a figure (state median $50,660, 1,054 districts). It is spending, not what a teacher is paid: the salary lines and the teacher count come from different files, so the result can differ widely from the average salary the district publishes (its salary schedule gives pay); benefits are left out, and states book salaries differently, so compare districts within one state. For pay, the National Education Association put the average Texas teacher salary at $58,887 in 2021-22 (NCES Digest table 211.60).

ProgramTeacher salariesShare
Regular programs$120,579,00074.3%
Special education$19,834,00012.2%
Vocational$9,852,0006.1%
Other programs$12,074,0007.4%

Teacher salaries per student, fiscal years 2018-19 to 2022-23

The district's teacher salary bill divided by its fall enrollment each year: $3,642 in 2018-19, $3,896 in 2019-20, $4,010 in 2020-21, $4,250 in 2021-22, $4,284 in 2022-23.

Brownsville ISD teacher salaries per student by fiscal year2018-19: $3,642, 2019-20: $3,896, 2020-21: $4,010, 2021-22: $4,250, 2022-23: $4,28402k4k6k2018-19$3,6422019-20$3,8962020-21$4,0102021-22$4,2502022-23$4,284
Brownsville ISD teacher salaries per student by fiscal year2018-19: $3,642, 2019-20: $3,896, 2020-21: $4,010, 2021-22: $4,250, 2022-23: $4,28402k4k6k2018-19$3,6422019-20$3,8962020-21$4,0102021-22$4,2502022-23$4,284
Brownsville ISD teacher salaries per student by fiscal year2018-19: $3,642, 2019-20: $3,896, 2020-21: $4,010, 2021-22: $4,250, 2022-23: $4,28402k4k6k2018-19$3,6422019-20$3,8962020-21$4,0102021-22$4,2502022-23$4,284
Brownsville ISD teacher salaries per student by fiscal year2018-19: $3,642, 2019-20: $3,896, 2020-21: $4,010, 2021-22: $4,250, 2022-23: $4,28402k4k6k2018-19$3,6422019-20$3,8962020-21$4,0102021-22$4,2502022-23$4,284

Source: NCES F-33 school district finance survey, fiscal years 2019 to 2023: teacher salaries in regular, special, vocational and other programs (Z35 to Z38) and fall membership (V33); NCES Common Core of Data LEA staff file 2022-23, teachers (full-time equivalent).

State test results, 2021-22

In 2021-22, the students tested in Brownsville ISD scored proficient or above: 50% in reading and 40% in math, against 52% in reading and 42% in math across Texas. Each state writes its own test and sets its own proficiency bar, so compare these within Texas, not across states. Where a state published results by grade only, the grades tested are combined, weighted by the students tested in each.

Students proficient or above, 2021-22
SubjectThis districtTexasStudents tested
Reading and language arts50%52%16,164
Math40%42%16,251

Source: U.S. Department of Education, EDFacts state assessment results 2021-22, all students, from ED Data Express (the Data Rescue Project archive; ED has no 2022-23 result for this district): ED shows district results as ranges (for example 20-24%) to protect small groups.

Graduation rate, class of 2023

94% of the 3,051 students in Brownsville ISD's class of 2023 graduated within four years, against 90.3% across Texas. The four-year rate follows the students who started ninth grade in fall 2019, adjusted for those who moved in or out, and counts those who earned a regular diploma by 2023. Every state computes it the same way under federal law, though each sets its own diploma requirements.

Four-year adjusted-cohort graduation rate, class of 2023
This districtTexas
Four-year graduation rate94%90.3%
Students in the class3,051403,301

Source: U.S. Department of Education, EDFacts four-year adjusted-cohort graduation rates 2022-23, all students, from ED Data Express: ED shows district rates as ranges (for example 90-94%) and leaves out small classes.

31 elementary schools, 17,202 students

SchoolStudentsPer teacherFree lunchTitle I, 2021‑22
Pullam Elementary88917.067.6%Schoolwide program
Castaneda Elementary82316.198.7%Schoolwide program
Benavides Elementary81815.378.7%Schoolwide program
Paredes Elementary79816.580.1%Schoolwide program
Hudson Elementary75116.581.0%Schoolwide program
Champion Elementary71017.794.8%Schoolwide program
Vermillion Road Elementary65415.697.9%Schoolwide program
Burns Elementary65116.093.7%Schoolwide program
Canales Elementary63016.797.9%Schoolwide program
Aiken Elementary63016.896.3%Schoolwide program
Perez Elementary61515.995.1%Schoolwide program
Gonzalez Elementary59615.588.8%Schoolwide program
The other 19 elementary schools
SchoolStudentsPer teacherFree lunchTitle I, 2021‑22
Brite Elementary58415.893.2%Schoolwide program
Ortiz Elementary56416.794.3%Schoolwide program
Keller Elementary53714.885.8%Schoolwide program
Yturria Elementary52615.579.8%Schoolwide program
Morningside Elementary52617.095.8%Schoolwide program
Southmost Elementary52414.393.5%Schoolwide program
Egly Elementary52014.592.9%Schoolwide program
Breeden Elementary51114.283.6%Schoolwide program
Pena Elementary50116.290.2%Schoolwide program
Putegnat Elementary44416.3100.0%Schoolwide program
Sharp Elementary43215.988.4%Schoolwide program
Russell Elementary41815.497.8%Schoolwide program
Martin Elementary41515.487.2%Schoolwide program
Gallegos Elementary39015.098.2%Schoolwide program
El Jardin Elementary38916.997.2%Schoolwide program
Garden Park Elementary37214.798.9%Schoolwide program
Villa Nueva Elementary34613.785.5%Schoolwide program
Skinner Elementary34414.498.8%Schoolwide program
Palm Grove Elementary29414.495.6%Schoolwide program

Source: NCES Common Core of Data 2024-25; Title I status CCD 2021-22, the last year NCES published it. All free (CEP): every student eats free under the Community Eligibility Provision, so the school reports no free-lunch count; not reported: the school sent NCES no meal count.

10 middle schools, 7,311 students

SchoolStudentsPer teacherFree lunchTitle I, 2021‑22
Stillman Middle96414.567.7%Schoolwide program
Faulk Middle88514.496.3%Schoolwide program
Garcia Middle87014.887.5%Schoolwide program
Manzano Middle83714.081.2%Schoolwide program
Stell Middle73313.291.7%Schoolwide program
Oliveira Middle69912.094.8%Schoolwide program
Vela Middle65814.282.7%Schoolwide program
Lucio Middle62713.598.9%Schoolwide program
Besteiro Middle55812.190.1%Schoolwide program
Perkins Middle48012.197.7%Schoolwide program

Source: NCES Common Core of Data 2024-25; Title I status CCD 2021-22, the last year NCES published it. All free (CEP): every student eats free under the Community Eligibility Provision, so the school reports no free-lunch count; not reported: the school sent NCES no meal count.

8 high schools, 11,627 students

SchoolStudentsPer teacherFree lunchTitle I, 2021‑22
Veterans Memorial Early College High School2,21616.664.0%Schoolwide program
Rivera Early College High School2,15015.894.4%Schoolwide program
Hanna Early College High School2,03914.991.2%Schoolwide program
Lopez Early College High School1,73913.998.7%Schoolwide program
Pace Early College High School1,62115.594.0%Schoolwide program
Porter Early College High School1,54313.893.1%Schoolwide program
Brownsville Early College High School31120.294.2%Schoolwide program
Cameron Co J J a E P8not reported76.2%Not Title I

Source: NCES Common Core of Data 2024-25; Title I status CCD 2021-22, the last year NCES published it. All free (CEP): every student eats free under the Community Eligibility Provision, so the school reports no free-lunch count; not reported: the school sent NCES no meal count.

4 more schools on file: small, closed or in an earlier directory

These records carry fewer federal fields than a full school page needs, so each is summarized here with what NCES reports.

Cromack Elementary

School in Brownsville; last listed in the 2024-25 NCES directory (closed); 501 students; 16.1 students per teacher.

Garza Elementary

School in Brownsville; last listed in the 2024-25 NCES directory (closed); 238 students; 11.5 students per teacher.

Del Castillo Elementary

School in Brownsville; last listed in the 2024-25 NCES directory (closed); 228 students; 14.0 students per teacher.

Cameron Co J J a E P

High school in San Benito; open in 2024-25; 8 students.

Source: NCES Common Core of Data 2024-25 and earlier directories: the last year each school was listed, its students and its teachers.

Contact Brownsville ISD

Source: NCES Common Core of Data, local education agency directory 2024-25. Enrollment, boundaries and school assignment are the district's to confirm.

What to look at next about Brownsville ISD

  1. Texas districts by spending per studentBrownsville ISD ranks 89 of 577 Texas districts with at least 1,000 students in fall 2022 on current spending per student in fiscal year 2022-23 ($14,041).#89 of 577
  2. Every school district in TexasBrownsville ISD is the number 32 by size of 1,212 Texas districts, with 37,898 students in fall 2022 (F-33).#32 of 1,212
  3. Mesquite ISDThe next larger Texas district: 38,356 students in fall 2022, $12,223 per student in fiscal year 2022-23.$12,223
  4. Richardson ISDThe next smaller Texas district: 37,260 students in fall 2022, $12,101 per student in fiscal year 2022-23.$12,101
  5. Compare Brownsville ISD with Mesquite ISDEnrollment, spending, revenue sources and schools, side by side.
  6. Veterans Memorial Early College High School, its largest high school2,216 students in 2024-25, 16.6 per teacher.2,216
  7. Teacher salary spending across TexasBrownsville ISD spent $63,023 in salaries per full-time teacher in fiscal year 2022-23 (state median $50,660); spending, not a salary.$63,023
  8. Find the school district for an addressA home's district decides which public schools it can enroll in.

Source: NCES F-33 finance survey, fiscal year 2022-23 (spending per student and fall 2022 membership; ranks among the state's districts that reported them); NCES Common Core of Data 2024-25 (schools).

Questions about Brownsville ISD

  1. How many schools and students are in Brownsville ISD?
    49 schools were open in 2024-25 (31 elementary, 10 middle, 8 high), enrolling 36,140 students, according to the NCES Common Core of Data.
  2. How much does Brownsville ISD spend per student?
    $14,041 per student on current operations in fiscal year 2022-23 (NCES F-33), which leaves out construction and debt; the Texas median for districts with at least 1,000 students in fall 2022 is $12,244 and the U.S. figure is $16,260. Census Bureau figures for 2023-24 put it at $14,406 per student, up 2.6% on the year before (U.S. $17,619 that year).
  3. Where does Brownsville ISD's money come from?
    $605,671,000 in revenue in fiscal year 2022-23: 54.2% state, 16.8% local and 29.0% federal (NCES F-33).
  4. How many children in Brownsville ISD live in poverty?
    The Census Bureau estimates that 14,304 of the 41,866 children aged 5 to 17 living within the district's boundaries in 2024, 34.2%, were in families in poverty (Small Area Income and Poverty Estimates). It is a model-based estimate for everyone living in the district, not a count of its students; the free-meal shares in the school tables are counts of enrolled students.
  5. How much does Brownsville ISD spend on teacher salaries?
    $162,339,000 in fiscal year 2022-23 (NCES F-33), or $4,284 per student. Divided by the 2,576 full-time teachers in the NCES Common Core of Data for 2022-23 that is $63,023 per teacher, more than 96 in 100 Texas districts (state median $50,660). That is spending, not what a teacher is paid: the salary lines and the teacher count come from different files, and the result can differ widely from the average salary a district publishes. The district's salary schedule gives pay. For pay, the National Education Association put the average Texas teacher salary at $58,887 in 2021-22 (NCES Digest table 211.60).
  6. How do students in Brownsville ISD do on state tests?
    In 2021-22, the students tested in Brownsville ISD scored proficient or above: 50% in reading and 40% in math, against 52% in reading and 42% in math across Texas. Texas's own test sets what proficient means, so results compare within the state, not across states. Source: U.S. Department of Education, EDFacts state assessment results, 2021-22.
  7. What is the graduation rate in Brownsville ISD?
    94% of the 3,051 students in Brownsville ISD's class of 2023 graduated within four years, against 90.3% across Texas. The four-year rate follows the students who started ninth grade in fall 2019, adjusted for those who moved in or out. Source: U.S. Department of Education, EDFacts four-year adjusted-cohort graduation rates, 2022-23.
  8. What is Brownsville ISD's NCES district ID?
    4811680. Each of its schools' 12-digit NCES IDs begins with these seven digits.

Reading these figures: how to choose a school district, what Title I means and what an absenteeism rate means. They are for information and are not a substitute for the school's or district's own records.

Sources

Every federal file behind this record
  • NCES Common Core of Data, 2024-25: directory, membership, staff and lunch files. nces.ed.gov
  • NCES Common Core of Data, 2021-22 school characteristics: Title I status. nces.ed.gov
  • Civil Rights Data Collection, 2021-22: AP courses, gifted programs, counselors, discipline. civilrightsdata.ed.gov
  • EDFacts, 2022-23: chronic absenteeism. ed.gov
  • EDFacts four-year adjusted-cohort graduation rates, 2022-23: the class of 2023 for the district and its state (ED Data Express). eddataexpress.ed.gov
  • EDFacts state assessment results, 2021-22: reading and math proficiency for the district and its state (ED Data Express). eddataexpress.ed.gov
  • NCES Digest of Education Statistics, table 211.60 (2021-22): the state's average teacher salary, from the National Education Association. nces.ed.gov
  • U.S. Census Bureau, Small Area Income and Poverty Estimates, 2024: children aged 5 to 17 and those in families in poverty, by school district. census.gov
  • U.S. Census Bureau, Annual Survey of School System Finances, fiscal year 2023-24: per pupil current spending for 2023-24 and 2022-23. census.gov
  • NCES F-33 School District Finance Survey, fiscal year 2022-23: district spending and revenue. nces.ed.gov
  • U.S. Census Bureau geocoder and TIGER school districts: the district boundary used by the district finder. census.gov

Source: U.S. Census Bureau, Annual Survey of School System Finances Per pupil current spending by school system · FY 2023-24

Source: NCES F-33 School District Finance Survey Revenue and expenditures by district · FY 2022-23

Source: NCES Common Core of Data School directory, membership, staff and lunch files · 2024-25

Compiled from official source data by .