PHARR, Texas — Riding momentum from its top-tier state accountability results, Pharr-San Juan-Alamo ISD is leveraging academic success, aggressive dropout recovery, and expanding higher education partnerships to drive student achievement and stabilize enrollment across the district.
According to the 2026 Texas Accountability Ratings released by the Texas Education Agency, PSJA ISD earned an overall "A" rating with a score of 90. Out of the district’s 44 campuses, 27 earned an A, with the remaining 17 securing high B ratings. Not a single campus received a C, D, or F.
The performance places PSJA ISD tied for third statewide among public school systems serving more than 25,000 students, alongside United ISD, Prosper ISD, and Frisco ISD. Within Region One, PSJA ISD and United ISD hold the highest scores for large urban districts.
The academic performance attracted statewide attention when Texas Gov. Greg Abbott cited PSJA ISD’s results during remarks on educator effectiveness and student outcomes. Abbott noted that over 60 percent of PSJA campuses earned an A rating, contrasting it with smaller percentages in other large metropolitan districts like Austin ISD. He also pointed to PSJA ISD’s robust participation in the Texas Teacher Incentive Allotment (TIA), where 82 percent of eligible PSJA educators hold designations—generating nearly $87 million in additional compensation for local teachers since the 2022-2023 school year and placing more than 340 teachers on six-figure salary tracks.
In a recent podcast interview with the Rio Grande Guardian, PSJA ISD Superintendent Dr. Alejandro Elias attributed the rating to hyper-focused data analysis and systemic teamwork across all staff levels.
“As far as our accountability ranking right now, we are ranked at number three here in the region, and even throughout the state out of the 25,000 or more student population-sized districts,” Elias said. “It was a surprise, but I know it was also a lot of hard work because we know where we’re heading. We do a lot of data desegregation. Our teachers do it, our coordinators, our directors, principals... It doesn’t happen by chance to be an A district.”
Elias emphasized that maintaining safe environments and adequate resources relies on the district's total workforce. “We have over 4,500 employees, but it takes every employee—if it’s our bus drivers, if it’s our maintenance department—everybody contributes because everybody has a role to play in order for our students to come feel safe and have the adequate resources,” Elias said.
The district’s academic standing has directly impacted student enrollment trends. While school systems across Texas face declining enrollment driven by lower birth rates, PSJA ISD’s current student head count stands at approximately 28,600—surpassing internal projections of 28,200.
In public school finance, exceeding enrollment projections provides vital operational revenue through state basic allotment calculations. Under current state formulas, Texas public school districts receive $6,215 per student in basic allotment, a figure school leaders statewide have urged lawmakers to adjust for inflation during upcoming legislative sessions.
“As student enrollment declines in every district, it affects you with your basic allotment per student, and if you’re not receiving the adequate funding, of course, as a district, you can’t move forward with many of the resources that you purchase,” Elias told the Guardian. “Since we’re 400 above [projection], that means a little extra money for the district that we can use for more resources for the students... At the end, it’s affirming that we are doing good financially, and we’re a healthy district.”
Elias noted that state basic allotment levels ought to sit higher to reflect real-time operational inflation. “Right now, we should be receiving as a district a little bit over $7,000 as basic allotment per student, and we’re actually at $6,215,” Elias explained. “So it’s a difference, but like at home, we learn to budget ourselves. We learn to not overspend.”
Alongside districtwide academic gains, PSJA ISD has systematically scaled down its dropout numbers through its revived "Countdown to Zero" program.
Originally pioneered under former superintendent Dr. Daniel King, the dropout recovery initiative deploys district staff, administrators, and volunteers directly into neighborhoods to conduct door-to-door home visits with un-enrolled students and high school leavers. Elias restored the initiative after taking the administrative helm.
At the start of the 2026–2027 school year, district tracking identified roughly 82 students who had not returned to class. That figure was reduced to 49 prior to the district's first recovery walk on Sept. 12, and further declined ahead of a second recovery effort held Sept. 19 at PSJA Early College High School.
District data shows that four years ago, overall dropout figures hovered near 800 students. Today, active dropout counts among the core 17-to-26 age bracket have been trimmed to approximately 12 students.
“When I saw the numbers, we look at data very closely, and when I saw that we were at over 800 students that needed to come back or needed a second chance in life, to me it was alarming,” Elias told the Guardian. “We’ve been able to knock it down from 800 students to currently only 12 students that are considered dropouts in PSJA.”
Recovered students are connected with non-traditional academic avenues, including the PSJA College & Career Technical Academy (CCTA) for adult learners up to age 26, as well as the district's asynchronous virtual model, PSJA iLearn.
“Every student deserves an opportunity to come back, graduate, and at the same time, while they’re getting those courses to graduate, we enroll them in certificates. They’re taking already STC college hours, and it’s putting them on a path for success,” Elias added. “Life happens to everybody... but that sends a message that PSJA is here with open doors.”
The dropout recovery framework feeds directly into PSJA ISD’s secondary and postsecondary pipelines. According to Fall 2026 census data, dual credit enrollment across the district surged by 24 percent year-over-year.
A total of 3,505 PSJA ISD high school students are currently taking college-level coursework through South Texas College (STC)—an increase of 681 students compared to Fall 2025 (2,824 students). The district's growth rate outpaced STC’s institution-wide dual enrollment growth of 12.67 percent over the same period.
Campus-level data shows double-digit increases across high school sites:
The district relies on its wall-to-wall Early College High School design alongside Pathways in Technology Early College High School (P-TECH) structures to deliver coursework leading to associate degrees, field of study certificates, and industry credentials prior to high school graduation. During the previous academic cycle, 807 PSJA ISD students graduated from STC with an associate degree, field certificate, or technical credential alongside their high school diploma.
“This growth represents 681 more students who have access to opportunities that can change the trajectory of their future,” Elias said in a statement accompanying the census release. “At PSJA, we believe every student deserves access to college and career opportunities.”
Dr. Linda Uribe, PSJA ISD Executive Officer for College Readiness, emphasized that academic monitoring remains tied to enrollment expansion. “It is not enough to simply enroll more students in college courses,” Uribe said. “We want them to succeed in those courses, earn the credit, complete their credentials, and leave PSJA prepared to continue their education or enter the workforce with a competitive advantage.”
To share its structural framework with peer institutions, PSJA ISD will host its annual PSJA Cradle to College Conference on Nov. 4–5 at the Mission Event Center, drawing educational administrators and policy leadership from across Texas.
