Pharr-San Juan-Alamo Independent School District is a public

school district A school district is a special-purpose district that operates local public primary and secondary schools in various nations. North America United States In the U.S, most K–12 public schools function as units of local school districts, wh ...

based in Pharr,

Texas Texas (, ; Spanish: ''Texas'', ''Tejas'') is a state in the South Central region of the United States. At 268,596 square miles (695,662 km2), and with more than 29.1 million residents in 2020, it is the second-largest U.S. state by ...

(U.S.) in the

Rio Grande Valley The Lower Rio Grande Valley ( es, Valle del Río Grande), commonly known as the Rio Grande Valley or locally as the Valley or RGV, is a region spanning the border of Texas and Mexico located in a floodplain of the Rio Grande near its mouth. Th ...

. The district serves Pharr, San Juan, and Alamo as well as a small portion of

McAllen McAllen is the largest city in Hidalgo County, Texas, United States, and the 22nd-most populous city in Texas. It is located at the southern tip of the state in the Rio Grande Valley, on the Mexico–United States border. The city limits extend ...

. PSJA ISD's total student enrollment for 2010 was 31,329 according to the Texas Education Agency's website. In 2009, the school district was rated "

academically acceptable The Texas Education Agency (TEA) is the branch of the government of Texas responsible for public education in Texas in the United States.

" by the

Texas Education Agency The Texas Education Agency (TEA) is the branch of the government of Texas responsible for public education in Texas in the United States.

. PSJA ISD's current superintendent is Dr. Jorge Arredondo. In 2018, Carman Elementary in San Juan and Chavez Elementary in Pharr were named National Education Association Blue Ribbon Schools.

History

On March 15, 1919, Common School District No. 4 in Hidalgo County became Pharr-San Juan Independent School District. Forty years later in 1959, Alamo merged with the district, establishing what is now known as the Pharr-San Juan-Alamo Independent School District, a district that caters to over 31,000 students in the tri-city area. PBS NewsHour showcased PSJA ISD nationally in a two-part series featuring the district's dropout recovery program success and early college high school work (July 2012). On June 6, 2007, ''

The Dallas Morning News ''The Dallas Morning News'' is a daily newspaper serving the Dallas–Fort Worth area of Texas, with an average print circulation of 65,369. It was founded on October 1, 1885 by Alfred Horatio Belo as a satellite publication of the '' Galvest ...

'' reported that Arturo Guajardo, the superintendent of PSJA ISD, and board members Raul Navarro, Evangelina De Leon, and Rogelio Rodriguez, were indicted on corruption charges. On January 24, 2011, former PSJA superintendent Arturo Guajardo and board members Rogelio "Little Roy" Rodriguez, Rogelio "Big Roy" Navarro, and Evangelina "Vangie" De Leon pled guilty and were sentenced to probation, fines, and prison terms. Also, Arnulfo "Arnie" Olivarez (former insurance agent) and George Hernandez (former Donna ISD board president) pleaded guilty and were sentenced to probation, fines, and prison term for their role in the bribery and extortion scandal involving PSJA ISD's finances.

Service area

The district serves portions of the cities of Pharr, San Juan, Alamo, and McAllen,SCHOOL DISTRICT REFERENCE MAP (2010 CENSUS): Hidalgo County, TX
"

U.S. Census Bureau The United States Census Bureau (USCB), officially the Bureau of the Census, is a principal agency of the U.S. Federal Statistical System, responsible for producing data about the American people and economy. The Census Bureau is part of the ...

. Retrieved on January 2, 2017. as well as the

census-designated place A census-designated place (CDP) is a Place (United States Census Bureau), concentration of population defined by the United States Census Bureau for statistical purposes only. CDPs have been used in each decennial census since 1980 as the count ...

(CDP) of North Alamo, and a portion of the Lopezville CDP.Lopezville Census Bureau map

. Retrieved on January 2, 2017.

Student Information

In 2010 the district had 32,000 students, and in 2012 8,000 of them were attending senior high school. the student body at PSJA ISD was 99% Hispanic, and 41% of the students were classified as

English as a second language English as a second or foreign language is the use of English by speakers with different native languages. Language education for people learning English may be known as English as a second language (ESL), English as a foreign language (EFL ...

students; with Spanish being the language spoken at home.

TEA Academic Status

For the 2009–2010 school year the Texas Education Agency designated 11 PSJA campuses with an "Exemplary" status and 19 as "Recognized," and the district was also designated as a "Recognized" School District. PSJA ISD believes all children can learn and within that motto it is focused on performance by having highly qualified teaching staff, effective research-based curriculum, plus state-of-the art technology to meet all instructional needs.

Curriculum

By 2012 PSJA ISD began using an early college model to encourage university admission among first-time, low income, Hispanic and

students. It is a model derived from that of the Hidalgo Independent School District; Superintendent Daniel P. King spearheaded this effort. After the initiative started, PSJAISD had an increase in its university matriculation rates, and in a three-year span, the four year graduation rate from the high schools increased to 87% as of 2012 from 62%. By 2012 about 2,000 students, making up 25% of all PSJAISD high school students, took university-level courses. PSJA has been identified as a national model for putting dropouts “Back on Track to College” by Jobs for the Future (JFF) out of Boston, MA. JFF is working to expand key components of the model to other states across the country. They also released a report in March 2012 featuring PSJA's College3 initiative and “College for All” strategy. PSJA ISD has increased the number of yearly graduates by almost 100% from 966 in 2006–07 to over 1,900 in 2011–2012.

Schools

High Schools (Grades 9-12)

* Pharr-San Juan-Alamo Early College High School (San Juan) * Pharr-San Juan-Alamo Memorial Early College High School (Alamo) * Pharr-San Juan-Alamo North Early College High School (Pharr) * Pharr-San Juan-Alamo Southwest Early College High School (Pharr) * Pharr-San Juan-Alamo Thomas Jefferson T-STEM Early College High School (Pharr)

Middle Schools (Grades 6-8)

*Alamo Middle School (Alamo) *Austin Middle School (San Juan) *Audie Murphy Middle School (Alamo) *Jaime Escalante Middle School (Pharr) *Kennedy Middle School (Pharr) *LBJ Middle School (Pharr) *Liberty Middle School (Pharr) *R. Yzaguirre Middle School (San Juan)

Elementary Schools (Grades PK-5)

*PSJA Early Start Pre-K School (Pharr) *Allen & William Arnold Elementary School (Pharr) *Bowie Elementary School (Alamo) *Buckner Elementary School (Pharr) *Carman Elementary School (San Juan) *Chavez Elementary School (Pharr) *Clover Elementary School (San Juan) *Doedyns Elementary School (San Juan) *Dr.William Long Elementary School (Pharr) *Farias Elementary School (Alamo) *Ford Elementary School (Pharr) *Marcia R. Garza Elementary School (Alamo) *Garcia Elementary School (Pharr) *Garza-Pena Elementary School (San Juan) *Guerra Elementary School (Alamo) *Kelly-Pharr Elementary School (Pharr) *Long Elementary School (Pharr) *Longoria Elementary School (Pharr) *Napper Elementary School (Pharr) *Santos Livas Elementary School (Alamo) *Arnoldo Cantu Sr. Elementary School (San Juan) *Palmer Elementary School (Pharr) *Ramirez Elementary School (Pharr) *Reed & Mock Elementary School (San Juan) *Sorensen Elementary School (San Juan) *South Pharr Elementary (Pharr) *Trevino Elementary School (San Juan) *Aida C. Escobar Elementary School (Pharr)

References

External links

* {{Authority control School districts in Hidalgo County, Texas Education in McAllen, Texas Pharr, Texas