Enrollment
159
Texas · 2024-25 NCES data
High school (grades 9-12) · San Antonio, TX
Alternative H S
Federal NCES profile for Alternative H S, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators - Resource Investment Index 60/100.
2024-25 NCES dataHigh school (grades 9-12)NCES 483312006149
👥 S:T ratio 72
📚 AP courses 15
🌟 Gifted program 70
🎓 Counselors 84
Scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC indicators, resource allocation, not test scores. Full methodology →
The verdict
Alternative H S earns 60/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes smaller than 97% of Texas schools.
- #4 of 79
- high schools in San Antonio · Resource Index
- 60
- Resource Index · Higher
- 6.9:1
- small classes for Texas
- 66.5%
- free-lunch eligible
Alternative H S has class sizes smaller than 97% of Texas schools. Computed live against every Texas school reporting to NCES.
By Resource Investment Index, Alternative H S ranks #4 of 79 high schools in San Antonio, TX.
School address
District: Northside Isd · Texas
NCES ID 483312006149 Verify on NCES CCD record →
Teachers (FTE)
23.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
6.9:1
vs 14.7:1 Texas avg
-53% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
66.5%
vs 61.9% Texas avg
+7% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Alternative H S compares with Texas and U.S. medians
What stands out at Alternative H S
Alternative H S is a higher-need, small high school in San Antonio, Texas, enrolling 159 students.
Classes run notably small here: at 6.9:1, Alternative H S is leaner than roughly 97% of Texas schools and 53% under the state's 14.7:1 norm, more adult attention per pupil than most peers.
Its free-meal eligibility rate of 66.5% lands close to the Texas typical range, neither a high- nor low-need campus by this measure.
Enrollment of 159 puts it in the smaller third of Texas schools by headcount.
Its Resource Investment Index outscores 99% of the 8,960 Texas schools with a score on record, a top-tier result on this measure.
Among 383 similarly sized, similarly resourced-need Texas schools statewide, it ranks #7, a top-tier result once campus size and economic need are matched.
Its student body is led by Hispanic or Latino (69%) and White (12%) (diversity index 49/100).
On the academic-pipeline side it reports 3 Advanced Placement courses.
Counselor coverage is strong, about 80 students per counselor, inside the American School Counselor Association's recommended 250:1.
The surrounding Northside Isd spends $10,615 per pupil, 22% below the Texas average, a leaner-resourced district than most.
Its district draws 17.6% of revenue from federal sources, an above-typical federal share that tends to track a higher-need student population.
Discipline events run high: 301 in- and out-of-school suspensions were reported for 159 students in the 2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection.
The federal civil-rights collection also records 17 expulsions at this campus for 2021-22.
Northside Isd also operates Brennan H S (2,965 students) and Harlan H S (2,778 students) alongside Alternative H S.
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 Alternative H S compares
Alternative H S on the metrics families compare, against Texas and U.S. means.
| Metric | This school | vs Texas | Texas avg | U.S. avg |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Students per teacher | 6.9:1 | ▼ 53% | 14.7:1 | 15.7:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 66.5% | ▲ 7% | 61.9% | 51.7% |
| Enrollment | 159 | top 88% | - | - |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25
6.9:1
Leaner classes than 97% of US schools, among the more generously staffed nationally.
159
Bigger than 15% of US schools by enrollment, a small campus.
Equity indicators (what these measure)
Economic need
66.5%
free-lunch eligible
- 7% 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
6.9:1
students per teacher
- 53% below state mean
Top 3% in Texas - lower ratio than 97% of state schools
Well under the widely cited 15:1 individualized-attention benchmark, among the leaner class loads nationally.
Funding equity
$10,615
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
Counselors2.0 FTE
Per 80 students, the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
Discipline context
147
in-school suspensions + 154 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 92.5 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 189.3 per 100 students. Reported via the Civil Rights Data Collection. Includes 17 expulsions.
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 69.2%
White 11.9%
African American 11.9%
Asian 4.4%
Two or More 1.9%
Native Hawaiian / Pacific Islander 0.6%
Largest group: Hispanic or Latino at 69.2% of enrollment.
Student-body diversity index 49.0/100
Simpson diversity index - at 49.0, Alternative H S is more mixed than the Texas school average of 44.7.
Programs
AP courses offered 3
Gifted & talented Yes
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Northside Isd, which includes Alternative H S.
$10,615
Per student
-22%
vs Texas
Avg $13,644
-36%
vs U.S.
Avg $16,593
Revenue mix
Local 60.8%
State 21.6%
Federal 17.6%
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 Alternative H S Compares to District-Mates
| School | Enrollment | Economic Profile | Student-Teacher Ratio |
|---|---|---|---|
| Brennan H S | Larger | Lower economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| Harlan H S | Larger | Lower economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| Clark H S | Larger | Lower economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| Taft H S | Larger | Lower economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| Brandeis H S | Larger | Lower economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
Comparisons are relative to Alternative H S's own figures; each column derives from NCES Common Core of Data.
Other Schools in This District
- Enrollment
- 2,965
- Students per teacher
- 16.9:1
- Resource Index
- 32/100
- Enrollment
- 2,778
- Students per teacher
- 18.9:1
- Resource Index
- 38/100
- Enrollment
- 2,750
- Students per teacher
- 16.9:1
- Resource Index
- 37/100
- Enrollment
- 2,670
- Students per teacher
- 16.6:1
- Resource Index
- 43/100
- Enrollment
- 2,657
- Students per teacher
- 16.8:1
- Resource Index
- 41/100
Similar high 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 (~159 students)
Similar student-teacher ratio (~6.9:1)
Next steps
Verify locally before acting on Alternative H S's federal record.
- Compare Alternative H S against another school. Compare schools
- Northside 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 Alternative H S
How many students attend Alternative H S?
Alternative H S has 159 students enrolled. It is a high school in San Antonio, TX.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Alternative H S?
The student-teacher ratio at Alternative H S is 6.9:1, which is 53% lower than the Texas average of 14.7:1 and 56% 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 Alternative H S?
66.5% of students at Alternative H S are eligible for free lunch, compared to the Texas average of 61.9%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Alternative H S?
The largest demographic group at Alternative H S is Hispanic or Latino at 69.2% of enrollment, in San Antonio, TX.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Alternative H S?
Alternative H S has a Resource Investment Index of 60/100 (higher reported resources relative to schools nationally) based on 4 factors: student-teacher ratio, AP course offerings, counselor availability. Not a test-score or academic measure (national median ~41/100, see methodology).
How does Alternative H S rank among high schools in San Antonio?
By Resource Investment Index, Alternative H S ranks #4 of 79 high schools in San Antonio, TX. This compares federal resource and staffing data among local peers; it is not a test-score or academic ranking. See all high schools in San Antonio on the city page.
Is Alternative H S a good school?
Alternative H S earns 60/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes smaller than 97% of Texas schools. 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 Northside Isd?
Besides Alternative H S, Northside Isd also operates Brennan H S (2,965 students), Harlan H S (2,778 students), and Clark H S (2,750 students). See the Northside 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.