Every figure on PlainSchools is rendered directly from the source NCES, CRDC and F-33 federal
records, no number is typed in by an editor. District totals are aggregated directly from the schools reporting under this district in the source records. See our
editorial standards & corrections policy, the
methodology behind these numbers, or
report a data error. Data current as of June 2026.
Port Arthur, Texas - 13 schools
An equity score of 56/100 ranks Port Arthur Isd #416 of 1044 districts in Texas (state average 50). Derived live from how evenly resources are distributed across the district's schools.
At $13,670 per pupil, Port Arthur Isd ranks #463 of 1202 Texas districts by per-pupil spending (Texas districts). NCES F-33 finance data.
8,152
Total Enrollment
13
Schools
$13,670
Per-Pupil Spending
Combined, High
School Types
District-Level NCES Analysis
Port Arthur Isd operates 13 public schools serving 8,152 students, placing it among the smaller districts in Texas. The school portfolio breaks down into 8 combined, 2 high, 2 middle, 1 elementary schools, a compact enough portfolio that families can compare every campus directly before they move, rent, or enrol. These enrollment and school figures come from the NCES Common Core of Data (CCD) 2024-25 release, and the district is based in Jefferson County.
Per-pupil expenditure runs $13,670 according to the NCES F-33 School District Finance Survey, in the upper half of 1202 Texas districts by per-pupil spending. See how Texas compares in our national per-pupil spending analysis. The funding mix is 52.9% local, 26.2% state, and 20.9% federal, a local-revenue-heavy mix that leaves the district more exposed to property-tax swings and local ballot measures than state-funded peers. The district's equity score is 56/100, ranked #416 of 1044 in Texas against a state average of 50, in line with the typical spread seen across the state for how evenly funding reaches its schools.
Academic infrastructure includes 1 of 13 schools offering Advanced Placement (9 AP courses district-wide), a 459.9:1 student-counselor ratio, above both the ASCA benchmark and the roughly 408:1 national average, and 33.2% chronic absenteeism from the 2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection. Demographically, the student body averages 47.9% Hispanic or Latino, 45.3% African American, 2.1% White across the district's schools. Its most demographically mixed campus is Port Acres El, with a diversity index of 59.7/100.
Its largest campus is Memorial H S, enrolling 2,140 students (27% of the district's total enrollment). Its smallest is Jefferson Co Youth Acad, at 2 students, a 1070x enrollment spread across the district's campuses.
Memorial H S accounts for 26.3% of all Port Arthur Isd student enrollment
That concentration means Port Arthur Isd-wide averages can mask substantial variation outside the dominant entity. Grade band: high. A single dominant campus often anchors a district's program offerings and staffing patterns; the share helps explain why district-wide averages may not reflect the typical neighbourhood-school experience. When one entity dominates a region's footprint, its programmatic and budget decisions effectively set policy for a majority of the affected population.
Port Arthur Isd school enrollment varies 1070× across entities
Port Arthur Isd school enrollment ranges from 2 students (lowest) to 2,140 students (highest), a spread of 2,138 students. That ratio is an extreme outlier spread — among the widest gaps observed anywhere in this dataset. Per-school staffing ratios, programme availability, and capital-renovation cycles often diverge inside the same district based on enrollment shape.
Port Arthur Isd has higher-than-average Title I eligibility — 86.8% of the population qualifies for free or reduced-price lunch
free or reduced-price lunch eligibility is the federal threshold for Title I funding allocations, established under the Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA, 2015). Areas above 75% eligibility — including this one — receive concentration grants on top of the basic Title I formula. Regions with eligibility this high typically draw a substantially larger federal funding share relative to their local tax base, which can either offset or reinforce existing gaps depending on allocation policy.
Port Arthur Isd student-counselor ratio is 460:1 — high (typically associated with staffing constraints that limit per-student counselor time; CRDC data shows higher ratios cluster in larger urban systems)
student-counselor ratio is the simplest comparative metric but it does not capture the full picture: the ratio counts FTE counselors against total enrollment, districts that contract intervention or social-emotional staff outside the counselor classification may be under-counted Higher values may reflect larger urban scale or recent resource constraints that have widened the gap.
Port Arthur Isd chronic absenteeism rate is 33.2% — high (typically associated with higher-than-average disruption; recent CRDC data showed elevated rates persisting after pandemic-era schooling changes)
chronic absenteeism rate is the simplest comparative metric but it does not capture the full picture: a student is chronically absent if they miss ≥10% of enrolled days for any reason, illness, family obligations, or disengagement Higher values may reflect larger urban scale or recent resource constraints that have widened the gap.
Port Arthur Isd has 13 schools, including 2 high, 2 middle, 8 combined, 1 elementary. Total enrollment is 8,152 students.
How much does Port Arthur Isd spend per student?
Port Arthur Isd spends $13,670 per student. The district has an equity score of 56/100, ranking #416 in Texas.
What is the demographic composition of Port Arthur Isd?
Port Arthur Isd students are 47.9% Hispanic or Latino, 45.3% African American, 2.1% White, 1.5% Asian, averaged across 13 schools. Source: NCES CCD Membership 2024-25.
What is the equity score for Port Arthur Isd?
Port Arthur Isd has an equity score of 56/100, ranking #416 out of 1044 districts in Texas.