Mission Consolidated Independent School District is a public school district

School district

School districts are a form of special-purpose district which serves to operate the local public primary and secondary schools.-United States:...

 based in Mission

Mission, Texas

Mission is a city in Hidalgo County, Texas, United States. The population was 77,058 at the 2010 census Mission is part of the McAllen–Edinburg–Mission and Reynosa–McAllen metropolitan areas.-Geography:Mission is located at ....

, Texas

Texas

Texas is the second largest U.S. state by both area and population, and the largest state by area in the contiguous United States.The name, based on the Caddo word "Tejas" meaning "friends" or "allies", was applied by the Spanish to the Caddo themselves and to the region of their settlement in...

 (USA

United States

The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...

), in the lower Rio Grande Valley

Rio Grande Valley

The Rio Grande Valley or the Lower Rio Grande Valley, informally called The Valley, is an area located in the southernmost tip of South Texas...

.

In addition to Mission, the district serves most of Alton

Alton, Texas

Alton is a city in Hidalgo County, Texas, United States. The population was 12,341 at the 2010 census. It is part of the McAllen–Edinburg–Mission and Reynosa–McAllen metropolitan areas.-Geography:Alton is located at ....

, part of Palmhurst

Palmhurst, Texas

Palmhurst is a city in Hidalgo County, Texas, United States. The population was 2,607 at the 2010 census. It is part of the McAllen–Edinburg–Mission and Reynosa–McAllen metropolitan areas.-Geography:Palmhurst is located at ....

, and the unincorporated community of Alton North

Alton North, Texas

Alton North is a former census-designated place in Hidalgo County, Texas, United States. The population was 5,051 at the 2000 census. It is part of the McAllen–Edinburg–Mission Metropolitan Statistical Area.-Geography:...

.

In 2009, the school district was rated "academically acceptable

Texas Education Agency accountability ratings system

The Texas Education Agency accountability ratings system rates all public schools, charter schools, and school districts in the State of Texas.The criteria are the same for schools and districts, and are discussed below...

" by the Texas Education Agency

Texas Education Agency

The Texas Education Agency is a branch of the state government of Texas in the United States responsible for public education. The agency is headquartered in the William B...

.

History

In 1998 96% of the district's students were Hispanic, and many had limited English proficiency. That year, the district tested 77% of its elementary school students for the Texas Assessment of Knowledge and Skills

Texas Assessment of Knowledge and Skills

The Texas Assessment of Knowledge and Skills is a standardized test used in Texas primary and secondary schools to assess students' attainment of reading, writing, math, science, and social studies skills required under Texas education standards. It is developed and scored by Pearson Educational...

 (TAAS) test. Victor Benavidez, the district's director of assessment, said "If we really wanted to play the game and exempt 5 percent more, then we could easily be exemplary. But we'd rather not. I think there is more respect from the community if you are testing more kids, even though your ratings are a little lower."

High Schools (Grades 9-12)

• Mission High
  Mission High School (Mission, Texas)
  Mission High School is a secondary school located in Mission, Texas.Mission High School, which serves grades 9 through 12, is a part of the Mission Consolidated Independent School District....
  
  
• Veterans Memorial High

Junior High Schools (Grades 6-8)

• Alton Memorial Junior High
• Rafael Cantu Junior High
• Kenneth White Junior High
• Mission Junior High

Elementary Schools (Grades PK-5)

• Alton Elementary
• Bryan Elementary
• Cantu Elementary
• Castro Elementary
• Cavazos Elementary
• Leal Elementary
• Marcell Elementary
• Midkiff Elementary
• Mims Elementary
  • 2005 National Blue Ribbon School
• O'Grady Elementary
• Pearson Elementary
• Salinas Elementary
• Waitz Elementary

School Bus Tragedy

On the morning of September 21, 1989, one of the school district's buses was struck by a Dr. Pepper truck owned and operated by Valley Coca-Cola, in Alton, Texas. After impact with the truck, the school bus left the roadway and plunged into a caliche pit. Twenty-one students drowned in the accident and another sixty being injured.