Penitas’s public schools score below 65% of Texas districts on tests and graduation
40% of students in Penitas’s public schools are proficient in reading, below the Texas average (51%). The grade covers the public school district serving Penitas, from kindergarten through graduation, on state tests and graduation. Each state writes its own tests, so this is the one TownRatings grade compared within Texas, not nationally.
From Texas state tests taken in spring 2022, when 98% of students in the tested grades sat them, and the class of 2023’s four-year graduation rate, as reported to the U.S. Department of Education.
Penitas’s schools, in brief
Results trail the state
In spring 2022, 40% of tested students were proficient in reading and 39% in math, against 51% and 41% statewide; 98% of students in the tested grades sat the tests. The grade ↓
Graduation
92% of the class of 2023 graduated in four years, against 90% across Texas. Districts ↓
Spending, and where it came from
The district spent $13,608 per student in FY2024, against $12,815 across Texas. 26% of its revenue that year was federal (Texas 13%), in the last year of pandemic relief. Districts ↓
One elementary school, then eight middle and five high schools
Which school depends on the address at the later steps. Enrollment is down 11% since 2020–21. See the path ↓
Written from the figures on this page. Tests are from 2021–22, graduation from the class of 2023; each school’s own letter uses 2020–21 results.
What’s behind Penitas’s grade
C+: better than 35% of Texas school districts, #445 of 642 Texas towns. Graduation is above the Texas average; test scores are below it.
Where will my kid go?
Pick a grade. These are the public schools that serve Penitas, with each school’s own grade.
Kindergarten in Penitas
John F Kennedy El
Grades PK–5 · 676 students · 17:1 students per teacher
1st grade in Penitas
John F Kennedy El
Grades PK–5 · 676 students · 17:1 students per teacher
2nd grade in Penitas
John F Kennedy El
Grades PK–5 · 676 students · 17:1 students per teacher
3rd grade in Penitas
John F Kennedy El
Grades PK–5 · 676 students · 17:1 students per teacher
4th grade in Penitas
John F Kennedy El
Grades PK–5 · 676 students · 17:1 students per teacher
5th grade in Penitas
John F Kennedy El
Grades PK–5 · 676 students · 17:1 students per teacher
Penitas’s public schools are run by La Joya Independent School District, which also serves La Joya, Mission, Palmview and Sullivan City. To confirm the school for a specific address, ask the district.
The district
Spending and class size are shown but don’t count toward the grade. Each district’s own page has every school.
Well below the state in reading
Penitas vs. its neighbors
Schools grades for the Texas towns that share Penitas’s borders.
Every school in Penitas
14 schools. Each public school’s letter compares its own 2020–21 reading and math results with Texas’s other public schools (the newest school-level results we have).
Questions about Penitas’s schools
Are Penitas’s schools good?
On Texas’s tests they score below most of the state: the public schools Penitas children attend score below 65% of Texas’s school districts on tests and graduation, a C+ Schools grade, #445 of 642 Texas towns. Among towns with similar incomes they beat 38%. Tests are from 2021–22, graduation from the class of 2023.
What school district is Penitas in?
La Joya Independent School District, which runs grades PK–12 and enrolls 22,942 students in 36 schools (2024–25).
Where do Penitas kids go to high school?
One of 5 high schools, depending on your address: La Joya H S, La Joya Palmview H S, Juarez-Lincoln H S, Thelma Rosa Salinas STEM Early College H S and Jimmy Carter Early College H S.
What is Penitas’s graduation rate?
92% of the class of 2023 in La Joya Independent School District graduated in four years, against 90% across Texas.
How much does Penitas spend per student?
$13,608 in La Joya Independent School District (FY2024), against $12,815 across Texas. Spending doesn’t count toward the grade.
Parents talk
What Penitas families are saying about school.
Looking for colleges? Colleges near Penitas → They have their own page.
School data: state test results (2021–22, with participation) and four-year graduation rates (class of 2023) reported to the U.S. Department of Education (EDFacts via ED Data Express); each school’s own letter uses its 2020–21 results (EDFacts via the Urban Institute); schools and enrollment from NCES (2024–25; private schools 2023–24); spending from the Census Bureau’s school finance survey (FY2024). The School Grade is our own summary, graded within Texas. Stars are from neighbors.