South Texas ISD
South Texas ISD is a public school district based in Mercedes, Texas, serving 4,639 students in 7 schools. By enrollment it ranks #199 of the 510 Texas districts with 1,000 or more students, larger than about 61% of them. Its schools average 663 students each, more than the Texas median of 550. Its superintendent is Dr Sandra Garza Ochoa. It spends about $14,494 per student on day-to-day operations, 31% more than the Texas median. It has roughly 14.1 students per teacher.
How South Texas compares
Spending and staffing
| Measure | South Texas | Texas median | Year |
|---|---|---|---|
| Current spending per student | $14,494 | $11,095 | FY2020-21 |
| Instruction spending per student | $7,563 | $6,638 | FY2020-21 |
| Total spending | $68.2 million | n/a | FY2020-21 |
| Total revenue | $78.1 million | n/a | FY2020-21 |
| Teachers (full-time equivalent) | 329 | n/a | 2024-25 |
| Total staff (full-time equivalent) | 727 | n/a | 2024-25 |
| Students per teacher | 14.1 | 14.4 | 2024-25 |
| Students per counselor | 309 | 402 | 2024-25 |
Spending: NCES school district finance survey (F-33), FY2020-21. Staffing and enrollment: NCES Common Core of Data, 2024-25. Via the Urban Institute Education Data Portal. The Texas median compares districts with 1,000 or more students.
Leadership
Moves tracker →Dr Sandra Garza Ochoa
Source: Texas Education Agency, AskTED, checked 2026-10-19. Report a change
In the news
0 stories matchedWe haven't matched any stories to South Texas ISD yet. Recent Texas coverage is on the Texas page.
Peer districts in Texas
Compare side by side →| District | Students | Schools | Spending per student | Students per teacher | Rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jacksonville ISDJacksonville | 4,700 | 8 | $11,206 | 13.8 | #197 |
| Whitehouse ISDWhitehouse | 4,676 | 8 | $9,666 | 13.8 | #198 |
| South Texas ISDMercedes · this district | 4,639 | 7 | $14,494 | 14.1 | #199 |
| Lindale ISDLindale | 4,606 | 6 | $10,150 | 14.4 | #200 |
| Kerrville ISDKerrville | 4,600 | 9 | $9,316 | 15.1 | #201 |
Similar-size districts nationally
| District | Students | Spending per student | Students per teacher |
|---|---|---|---|
| Niles Twp HSD 219Skokie, IL | 4,645 | $31,186 | 12.3 |
| Mountain View WhismanMountain View, CA | 4,644 | $18,061 | 19.4 |
| Lakewood Township School DistrictLakewood, NJ | 4,643 | $42,210 | 10.0 |
| Gadsden CountyQuincy, FL | 4,633 | $12,304 | 16.8 |
Peers are the districts closest in enrollment, so they can still differ in many other ways. Enrollment, school counts and phone numbers are from the NCES Common Core of Data, 2024-25.
Printed from Superintendent's Corner: https://superintendentscorner.com/district-tx-south-texas-isd