Mission Collegiate ranked among top RGV STEM schools

Mission Collegiate High School landed on several “best of” lists, earning recognition as a high-performing STEM campus among schools in the Rio Grande Valley and Hidalgo County.

Niche, a company that rates and reviews K-12 schools in the U.S., provides report cards of school districts and individual campuses at the end of every school year. The site calculates the grades based on public data and reviews from students, parents, area residents and employees. MCHS received an A- on their 2024-25 Niche report card. It was the only Mission CISD campus to receive an A-tiered rating.

Based on the rating, Mission Collegiate also ranked highly on several Niche lists:

• 7 of 65 in Best Public High School Teachers in Hidalgo County
• 9 of 60 in Best High Schools for STEM in Hidalgo County
• 10 of 101 in Best Public High School Teachers in the RGV
• 12 of 96 in Best High Schools for STEM in the RGV
• 24 of 98 in Best College Prep Public High Schools in the RGV

Principal Ana Lisa Flores said she was incredibly proud when she learned about the campus recognitions.

“It just means a lot to know the hard work of our students and our staff is being noticed and celebrated,” Flores said. “As campus principal, this recognition is incredibly meaningful because it says a lot about the dedication, the talent and the collaborative effort of our entire school community. It is just a great honor and it affirms our commitment to the academic rigor, the innovations and the challenge that comes along with college readiness, and the impact that it’s making on our campus.”

Flores boasted about other MCHS accolades from 2024-25. It was a standout year for UIL academics — the team won regional sweepstakes and advanced several kids to state. Almost 30 Mission Collegiate students earned the scholar honor after passing three or more advanced placement exams. The campus also surpassed its goal of a 95% daily attendance rate for the year. And in STAAR testing, preliminary results show Mission Collegiate will once again earn an A rating from the Texas Education Agency.

Although the MCHS principal enjoys the recognition and accolades, she said her driving factor is student success.

“I want to provide the best education I can for our kiddos because I was one of those kids. The kids that we serve at our school are kids that are considered to be economically disadvantaged and kids that are considered to be at risk. But I know that it doesn’t matter where you come from,” Flores said. “We all have the ability and the potential to succeed in life and I feel that, as a campus principal, I am going to provide that opportunity for every single student.”

With Niche ranking Mission Collegiate’s teaching staff as top-tier, the principal had nothing but praise for the campus employees and the collaborative culture they’ve built.

“I value my teachers, I value their input. Every decision that I make as campus principal, I keep them in mind, I bring them in,” she said. “I’m only as good a principal as my teachers are, so I give them that autonomy to provide the direction that the campus will go. And so far they have not failed me.”

When asked what sets Mission Collegiate apart from other schools, Flores said it’s the people.

“It’s our staff, it’s our teachers, our kiddos, our students who rise to every challenge. We push them as hard as we can and they meet the challenges,” the MCHS principal said. “It’s the culture that we’ve built at Mission Collegiate High School, the academic success that we’ve had and the relationships that have been built among students and teachers.”