Enrollment
821
Texas · 2024-25 NCES data
Middle school (grades 6-8) · Houston, TX
Alief Middle
Federal NCES profile for Alief Middle, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators - Resource Investment Index 54/100.
2024-25 NCES dataMiddle school (grades 6-8)NCES 480783000105
👥 S:T ratio 48
🌟 Gifted program 70
🎓 Counselors 64
📋 Attendance 35
Scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC indicators, resource allocation, not test scores. Full methodology →
The verdict
Alief Middle earns 54/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes near the Texas median.
- #11 of 116
- middle schools in Houston · Resource Index
- 54
- Resource Index · Higher
- 13:1
- students per teacher
- 78.8%
- free-lunch eligible
Alief Middle has class sizes near the Texas median. Computed live against every Texas school reporting to NCES.
By Resource Investment Index, Alief Middle ranks #11 of 116 middle schools in Houston, TX.
School address
Teachers (FTE)
63.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
13:1
vs 14.7:1 Texas avg
-12% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
78.8%
vs 61.9% Texas avg
+27% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Alief Middle compares with Texas and U.S. medians
What stands out at Alief Middle
Alief Middle is a high-poverty, mid-sized middle school in Houston, Texas, enrolling 821 students.
Class sizes run a bit leaner than typical: 13:1 puts it in the smaller third of Texas schools by student-teacher ratio.
Economic need runs somewhat above the state's typical profile, with 78.8% of students eligible for free meals.
Enrollment of 821 puts it in the larger third of Texas schools by headcount.
Its Resource Investment Index lands in the upper third of 8,960 scored Texas schools.
Among 1,690 similarly sized, similarly resourced-need Texas schools statewide, it ranks #37, a top-tier result once campus size and economic need are matched.
Its student body is led by Hispanic or Latino (71%) and Asian (15%) (diversity index 46/100).
Counselor coverage is strong, about 182 students per counselor, inside the American School Counselor Association's recommended 250:1.
Chronic absenteeism is elevated: 25.9% of students missed 10% or more of school days (2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection).
Its district draws 25.3% of revenue from federal sources, an above-typical federal share that tends to track a higher-need student population.
Discipline events run high: 359 in- and out-of-school suspensions were reported for 821 students in the 2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection.
Alief Isd also operates Elsik H S (4,057 students) and Hastings H S (3,786 students) alongside Alief Middle.
Sourced from NCES CCD, CRDC, and F-33 (federal records, not a quality verdict). How we source and compute this.
Source: National Center for Education Statistics Common Core of Data + CRDC + F-33 · 2024-25
How Alief Middle compares
Alief Middle on the metrics families compare, against Texas and U.S. means.
| Metric | This school | vs Texas | Texas avg | U.S. avg |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Students per teacher | 13:1 | ▼ 12% | 14.7:1 | 15.7:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 78.8% | ▲ 27% | 61.9% | 51.7% |
| Enrollment | 821 | top 18% | - | - |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25
13:1
Leaner classes than 67% of US schools, among the more generously staffed nationally.
821
Bigger than 86% of US schools by enrollment, a large campus nationally.
Equity indicators (what these measure)
Economic need
78.8%
free-lunch eligible
- 27% above the Texas average of 61.9%
Above the 40% Title I schoolwide threshold; federal funds support the whole school, not individual students.
Staffing depth
13:1
students per teacher
- 12% below state mean
Top 34% in Texas - lower ratio than 66% of state schools
Well under the widely cited 15:1 individualized-attention benchmark, among the leaner class loads nationally.
Engagement
25.9%
chronically absent (missed 10%+ of school days)
At or above 20%, the commonly used threshold for "high" chronic absenteeism, signaling significant barriers to regular attendance.
Funding equity
$13,241
per pupil, district-wide
- below Texas avg of $13,644
Well below the U.S. average per-pupil spend, a notably leaner funding position that may affect programs, facilities, and staffing.
Support staff
Counselors4.5 FTE
Per 182 students, the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
Discipline context
158
in-school suspensions + 201 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 19.2 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 43.7 per 100 students. Reported via the Civil Rights Data Collection.
Overview
- Common Core of Data (June 2026): enrollment, staffing, and the student-teacher ratio above.
- Civil Rights Data Collection: discipline counts and program access (AP, gifted, special education).
- F-33 School District Finance Survey: the district-wide per-pupil spending figures below.
Three separate federal collections, each on its own reporting cadence - which is why this school's numbers line up on a consistent basis against every other school and state on this site, rather than mixing figures pulled from different survey years.
Student demographics
Hispanic or Latino 71.4%
Asian 14.5%
African American 10.6%
White 2.3%
American Indian / Alaska Native 1.2%
Largest group: Hispanic or Latino at 71.4% of enrollment.
Student-body diversity index 45.7/100
Simpson diversity index - at 45.7, Alief Middle is about as mixed as the Texas school average of 44.7.
Programs
Gifted & talented Yes
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Alief Isd, which includes Alief Middle.
$13,241
Per student
-3%
vs Texas
Avg $13,644
-20%
vs U.S.
Avg $16,593
Revenue mix
Local 34.8%
State 39.8%
Federal 25.3%
Source: NCES F-33 School District Finance Survey District-level finance · FY 2021-22 Per-pupil expenditure reflects the district-wide average. Individual school budgets are not reported at the federal level.
How Alief Middle Compares to District-Mates
| School | Enrollment | Economic Profile | Student-Teacher Ratio |
|---|---|---|---|
| Elsik H S | Larger | Similar economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| Hastings H S | Larger | Similar economic need | Similar S:T ratio |
| Taylor H S | Larger | Similar economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| O'donnell Middle | Larger | Similar economic need | Similar S:T ratio |
| Budewig Int | Larger | Similar economic need | Similar S:T ratio |
Comparisons are relative to Alief Middle's own figures; each column derives from NCES Common Core of Data.
Other Schools in This District
- Enrollment
- 4,057
- Students per teacher
- 16.6:1
- Resource Index
- 50/100
- Enrollment
- 3,786
- Students per teacher
- 13.7:1
- Resource Index
- 59/100
- Enrollment
- 2,838
- Students per teacher
- 16.1:1
- Resource Index
- 52/100
- Enrollment
- 1,214
- Students per teacher
- 13.8:1
- Resource Index
- 48/100
- Enrollment
- 1,054
- Students per teacher
- 13.2:1
- Resource Index
- 46/100
Similar middle schools statewide
Matched by enrollment size and by staffing ratio across all of Texas, not just this city - a different peer set than the local comparisons above.
Similar enrollment (~821 students)
Similar student-teacher ratio (~13:1)
Next steps
Verify locally before acting on Alief Middle's federal record.
- Compare Alief Middle against another school. Compare schools
- Alief Isd's spending and staffing shape this school. District profile
- Confirm current enrollment and boundaries with the school. Choosing guide
Federal record (CCD 2024-25, CRDC 2021-22) - PlainSchools assigns no subjective rating; the composite quality score is a transparent, reproducible index computed from this cited federal data.
Frequently asked questions about Alief Middle
How many students attend Alief Middle?
Alief Middle has 821 students enrolled. It is a middle school in Houston, TX.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Alief Middle?
The student-teacher ratio at Alief Middle is 13:1, which is 12% lower than the Texas average of 14.7:1 and 17% lower than the national average of 15.7:1. Lower ratios generally mean more individual attention per student.
What percentage of students receive free lunch at Alief Middle?
78.8% of students at Alief Middle are eligible for free lunch, compared to the Texas average of 61.9%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Alief Middle?
The largest demographic group at Alief Middle is Hispanic or Latino at 71.4% of enrollment, in Houston, TX.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Alief Middle?
Alief Middle has a Resource Investment Index of 54/100 (higher reported resources relative to schools nationally) based on 4 factors: student-teacher ratio, counselor availability, attendance rates. Not a test-score or academic measure (national median ~41/100, see methodology).
How does Alief Middle rank among middle schools in Houston?
By Resource Investment Index, Alief Middle ranks #11 of 116 middle schools in Houston, TX. This compares federal resource and staffing data among local peers; it is not a test-score or academic ranking. See all middle schools in Houston on the city page.
Is Alief Middle a good school?
Alief Middle earns 54/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes near the Texas median. This is a resource snapshot, not an academic rating; see the Resource Investment Index question above for what the number does and doesn't measure.
What other schools are in Alief Isd?
Besides Alief Middle, Alief Isd also operates Elsik H S (4,057 students), Hastings H S (3,786 students), and Taylor H S (2,838 students). See the Alief Isd district page for the complete list.
Related tools
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. Each school's figures reflect its most recent NCES/CRDC submission on file. See our editorial standards & corrections policy, the methodology behind these numbers, or report a data error. Data current as of June 2026.