SAN ANTONIO — When you think of a drop-out, you probably think of a teenager who quits high school.
However, according to the Texas Education Agency, eight percent of students who dropped out of school in Texas were in the 7th or 8th grade.
That's approximately 2,500 students.
The most recent numbers from T.E.A. are from the 2014-2015 school year.
They reveal that in the Northside Independent School District, San Antonio's largest school district, 24 students in grades 7-8 dropped out.
253 NISD students quit in high school.
"I think when you look at the raw numbers, on the surface it can seem very alarming," Barry Perez, spokesman for Northside ISD said.
Northside leaders said it's not likely the middle school students just quit school.
"What this number reflects is a group of students who left Northside, and we have not been able to verify where they are at," Perez said.
In North East ISD, 33 middle school students dropped out. Another 411 reportedly dropped out in high school.
The numbers are higher in San Antonio ISD, where 94 middle school students dropped out. 593 San Antonio ISD high school students also quit.
SAISD runs what it calls the "middle school partners program" at each of its junior highs.
It targets at-risk students with a goal of keeping them engaged and in school
"This is for our 8th graders who have been retained one year, some two years during their time in school. They're older and struggling academically. Often they don't see the light at the end of the tunnel," Leslie Price, spokewoman for SAISD said.
Statistics show that most drop-outs statewide quit in 9th grade, so targeting students in middle school only makes sense.
"It really gives them the confidence they need and just that little extra support to help them know they can move ahead and graduate close to, if not with, their peers," Price said.
Perez added it's possible some of the students who dropped out in middle school may have moved out of state or started at private or charter schools and just never had their records transferred.