ZAPATA COUNTY ISD operates 6 public schools serving 3,376 students, placing it among the smaller districts in Texas. The school portfolio breaks down into 4 other, 1 high, 1 middle schools, giving families a clear picture of grade-band coverage before they move, rent, or enrol. Aggregated across those campuses, enrollment totals 3,290 pupils using the NCES Common Core of Data (CCD) 2022-23 release, and the district is geographically located in Zapata County County.
Per-pupil expenditure runs $15,496 according to the NCES F-33 School District Finance Survey, which aggregates every revenue and spending line reported under federal accounting standards. The funding mix is 30.5% local, 42.2% state, and 27.3% federal — a breakdown that matters because districts leaning heavily on local revenue are more exposed to property-tax swings, while higher federal shares typically track Title I concentration. Average teacher compensation clocks in at $78,217 per NCES F-33, a signal of the district's ability to recruit and retain staff against neighbouring districts. The district's equity score — 61/100, ranked #297 of 1044 in Texas against a state average of 50 — measures how evenly funding reaches schools within its boundaries.
Academic infrastructure includes 1 of 6 schools offering Advanced Placement (7 AP courses district-wide), a 381:1 student-counselor ratio, above the 250:1 ASCA recommendation, and 48.3% chronic absenteeism from the 2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection. Demographically, the student body averages 99.7% Hispanic or Latino, 0.1% White, 0.1% African American across the district's schools.
Zapata H S accounts for 32.4% of all ZAPATA COUNTY ISD student enrollment
That concentration — well above the 8.4% national median for largest-entity share — means ZAPATA COUNTY 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.
ZAPATA COUNTY ISD school enrollment varies 21× across entities
ZAPATA COUNTY ISD school enrollment ranges from 51 students (lowest) to 1,065 students (highest), a spread of 1,014 students. That spread reflects typical mixed-portfolio variation between specialty programs and large neighbourhood schools. Per-school staffing ratios, programme availability, and capital-renovation cycles often diverge inside the same district based on enrollment shape.
ZAPATA COUNTY ISD has higher-than-average Title I eligibility — 87.8% 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.
ZAPATA COUNTY ISD student-counselor ratio is 381:1 — 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.
ZAPATA COUNTY ISD chronic absenteeism rate is 48.3% — 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.
ZAPATA COUNTY ISD has 6 schools, including 1 high, 1 middle, 4 other. Total enrollment is 3,376 students.
How much does ZAPATA COUNTY ISD spend per student?
ZAPATA COUNTY ISD spends $15,496 per student. The district has an equity score of 61/100, ranking #297 in Texas.
What is the average teacher salary in ZAPATA COUNTY ISD?
The average teacher salary in ZAPATA COUNTY ISD is $78,217 per year, according to the NCES CCD F-33 Finance Survey.
What is the average rent near ZAPATA COUNTY ISD?
The HUD Fair Market Rent for a 2-bedroom in Zapata County County is $N/A/month (2026). This affects housing affordability for families in the district.
What is the demographic composition of ZAPATA COUNTY ISD?
ZAPATA COUNTY ISD students are 99.7% Hispanic or Latino, 0.1% White, 0.1% African American, averaged across 6 schools. Source: NCES CCD Membership 2024-25.
What is the equity score for ZAPATA COUNTY ISD?
ZAPATA COUNTY ISD has an equity score of 61/100, ranking #297 out of 1044 districts in Texas. This score measures resource distribution fairness across schools in the district.