The La Joya Independent School District, located in the western portion of Hidalgo County, Texas, consist of more than 226 square miles (590 square kms) stretching west of Mission (small portions of Mission are in LJISD) to Sullivan City, including the smaller communities of La Joya Palmview, and Penitas. Boundaries extend from the United States border formed by the Rio Grande River to the 13-mile (21 km) line near McCook.

La Joya ISD also serves other unincorporated communities include Abram-Perezville, Citrus City, Cuevitas, Doffing, Havana, La Homa, Los Ebanos, and Palview South.

The first schools were established during the 1800s to provide educational opportunities for the people living in western Hidalgo County who did not have access to existing educational institutions. One of the first of these schoolhouses was build in Havana in 1849 when citizens from the towns and villages of Abram-Perezville (Ojo de Agua), Penitas, Tabasco (now La Joya), Havana, Los Ebanos and Cuevitas established a place of learning. Although far from the little red schoolhouse one might envision, the structure of rock and adobe sheltered the students of this area and gave them a solid education. This building would later become known as the La Joya Independent School District.