Enviromental Scan

Environmental Scan

Pharr San Juan Alamo Independent School District (PSJA ISD) is an open enrollment district serving over 30,000 students in 43 elementary, middle, and high school campuses.  According to the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES), 94% of the students are Hispanic or Latino, five percent are White, and the remaining one percent consists of Black or African American, Asian, American Indian, or Native Hawaiian students. With the majority of the population being Hispanic, it is important to note that almost a fifth of the population (18.2%) speaks English less than well, and this is evident with the number of Emergent Bilingual students in a typical classroom. According to the US Census website, the median household income for a student attending PSJA is $41,675, almost $33,000 under the national median household income (Guzman, G. and Kollar, M., 2023).  Of these families, 33.1% of families attending PSJA live below the poverty level, and 41.4% of families have food stamps and SNAP benefits.  With this brief overview, it is easy to see that PSJA serves a socially and economically disadvantaged area.  

The NCES also states that  29% of PSJA parents have less than a high school degree, 26.1% have a high school degree, 29% have some college or an associate degree, and only 16% have a Bachelor’s Degree or higher.  PSJA is trying to break the stigma, as PSJA offers an early college program where students can take college classes in high school to earn college credit and an associate's degree by the time they graduate as seniors.  According to the PSJA website, “over 3,000 high school students are enrolled in college-level courses through dual and concurrent enrollment initiatives through partnerships with South Texas College and other higher education institutes [each year]” (Pharr-San Juan-Alamo ISD, n.d.).

With PSJA being a large district, students have many choices about where to attend.  There are the more “traditional’ high schools:  PSJA Early College High School, PSJA Memorial Early College High School, PSJA North Early College High School, PSJA Southwest Early College High School, and PSJA T. Jefferson Early College High School, where students can earn Dual Credit.  There are also specialty high schools such as PSJA Collegiate School of Health Professions, PSJA Elvis J. Ballew School of Business and Energy, and PSJA College, Career and Technology Academy, where students can attend if they know the pathway they want for college.  Students can access different technologies at all campuses, such as laptops, NewLine TVs, iPads, and more.  After the COVID-19 pandemic, PSJA became a 1 to 1 district, where each child received either a computer or iPad to take home so they could learn virtually at home, and now, post-pandemic, these devices have stuck as each child has one to use during the school day and at home.  Despite only 64.6% of households having broadband Internet (according to NCES), PSJA does offer hotspots that students can check out at their school library.  Teachers are expected to use various technologies in the regular classroom setting.  

In the summers, when temperatures regularly reach over 100 degrees Fahrenheit, and the feels like temperatures over 110, PSJA offers enrichment camps that go through to the end of June and restart at the end of July until the first day of school, providing a cool, safe space for students to go in the blistering summer heat.  Additionally, PSJA offers complimentary breakfast and lunch to students under 18 and to students with disabilities younger than 21 years old through June 27th.  While most students look forward to summer, it can be difficult for the 23.5% of parents who are outside the labor force.  By providing opportunities such as enrichment camps and free breakfasts and lunches, PSJA is lessening the stress some families may feel as the temperature rises, and the consistent free meals breakfasts and lunches end at the end of the year.  

PSJA services a wide variety of students in the Rio Grande Valley, many of whom do not always have the best living conditions.  Despite this, PSJA students continue to flourish with the promise of college hours, free breakfasts and lunches, and the use of different technologies for students to use in the classroom and at home.  With a 97% graduation rate, PSJA is doing what it can to prepare its students for success.

Citations

About Us. Pharr-San Juan-Alamo ISD. (n.d.-a). https://www.psjaisd.us/about-us/about-us/inside-psja-isd 

National Center for Education Statistics. (n.d.). Education Demographic and Geographic Estimates. ACS School District Profile 2018-22 Pharr-San Juan-Alamo Independent School District. https://nces.ed.gov/Programs/Edge/ACSDashboard/4834860 

College for all department. Pharr-San Juan-Alamo ISD. (n.d.). https://www.psjaisd.us/about-us/departments/college-for-all-department 

Guzman, G., & Kollar, M. (2023, September 12). Income in the United States: 2022. United States Census Bureau. https://www.census.gov/library/publications/2023/demo/p60-279.html#:~:text=Highlights,and%20Table%20A%2D1). 

Pharr-San Juan-Alamo Independent School District. Pharr-San Juan-Alamo ISD. (n.d.-c). https://www.psjaisd.us/ 

United States Department of Agriculture. (2016, December). Environmental scan of educational ... USDA. https://www.mcgrc.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/11/Report-Environmental-_-Final12.22.2016.pdf