Enrollment
450
Texas · 2024-25 NCES data
Other / mixed grade configuration · Houston, TX
Atherton El
Federal NCES profile for Atherton El, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators - Resource Investment Index 40/100.
2024-25 NCES dataOther / mixed grade configurationNCES 482364002391
👥 S:T ratio 31
🌟 Gifted program 70
🎓 Counselors 10
📋 Attendance 47
Scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC indicators, resource allocation, not test scores. Full methodology →
The verdict
Atherton El earns 40/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes larger than 82% of Texas schools.
- #218 of 435
- schools in Houston · Resource Index
- 40
- Resource Index · Typical
- 17.3:1
- large classes for Texas
- 96.1%
- free-lunch eligible
Atherton El has class sizes larger than 82% of Texas schools. Computed live against every Texas school reporting to NCES.
By Resource Investment Index, Atherton El ranks #218 of 435 schools in Houston, TX.
School address
Teachers (FTE)
26.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
17.3:1
vs 14.7:1 Texas avg
+18% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
96.1%
vs 61.9% Texas avg
+55% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Atherton El compares with Texas and U.S. medians
What stands out at Atherton El
Atherton El is a high-poverty, mid-sized combined-grade school in Houston, Texas, enrolling 450 students.
Class loads run somewhat heavier than typical: 17.3:1 puts it in the larger third of Texas schools by student-teacher ratio.
Economic need is high: 96.1% of students qualify for free meals, 55% above the Texas average, a Title I-weighted population that federal funding formulas prioritise.
With 450 students, its enrollment sits close to the Texas median campus size.
Its Resource Investment Index lands in the lower third of 8,960 scored Texas schools.
Against 1,400 statewide peers matched on enrollment and economic need, it ranks mid-pack at #574.
Its student body is led by African American (75%) and Hispanic or Latino (22%) (diversity index 39/100).
Counselor access is stretched at roughly 450 students per counselor, well above the ASCA-recommended 250:1 ceiling.
Attendance runs somewhat below the norm, with 21.1% of students chronically absent per the 2021-22 civil-rights collection.
Its district draws 23.2% of revenue from federal sources, an above-typical federal share that tends to track a higher-need student population.
Houston Isd also operates Texas Connections Academy at Houston (8,641 students) and Bellaire H S (3,216 students) alongside Atherton El.
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 Atherton El compares
Atherton El on the metrics families compare, against Texas and U.S. means.
| Metric | This school | vs Texas | Texas avg | U.S. avg |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Students per teacher | 17.3:1 | ▲ 18% | 14.7:1 | 15.7:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 96.1% | ▲ 55% | 61.9% | 51.7% |
| Enrollment | 450 | top 57% | - | - |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25
17.3:1
Leaner classes than 29% of US schools, heavier class loads than most.
450
Bigger than 55% of US schools by enrollment, mid-sized for the country.
Equity indicators (what these measure)
Economic need
96.1%
free-lunch eligible
- 55% above the Texas average of 61.9%
Well above the 40% Title I schoolwide threshold, among the highest-need profiles in the state; federal funds support the whole school, not individual students.
Staffing depth
17.3:1
students per teacher
- 18% above state mean
Top 82% in Texas - lower ratio than 18% of state schools
Between 16:1 and 20:1, squarely in the typical U.S. public-school staffing range.
Engagement
21.1%
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
$12,031
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
Counselors1.0 FTE
Per 450 students, the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
Discipline context
0
in-school suspensions + 0 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 0.0 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 0.0 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
African American 75.1%
Hispanic or Latino 22.4%
White 1.3%
Two or More 1.1%
Largest group: African American at 75.1% of enrollment.
Student-body diversity index 38.6/100
Simpson diversity index - at 38.6, Atherton El is less mixed than the Texas school average of 44.7.
Programs
Gifted & talented Yes
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Houston Isd, which includes Atherton El.
$12,031
Per student
-12%
vs Texas
Avg $13,644
-27%
vs U.S.
Avg $16,593
Revenue mix
Local 68.8%
State 8.0%
Federal 23.2%
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 Atherton El Compares to District-Mates
| School | Enrollment | Economic Profile | Student-Teacher Ratio |
|---|---|---|---|
| Texas Connections Academy at Houston | Larger | No free-lunch data | Higher S:T ratio |
| Bellaire H S | Larger | Lower economic need | Similar S:T ratio |
| Lamar H S | Larger | Lower economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| Westside H S | Larger | Lower economic need | Similar S:T ratio |
| Heights H S | Larger | Lower economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
Comparisons are relative to Atherton El's own figures; each column derives from NCES Common Core of Data.
Other Schools in This District
- Enrollment
- 8,641
- Students per teacher
- 28:1
- Resource Index
- 24/100
- Enrollment
- 3,216
- Students per teacher
- 18.6:1
- Resource Index
- 38/100
- Enrollment
- 2,968
- Students per teacher
- 20.9:1
- Resource Index
- 43/100
- Enrollment
- 2,729
- Students per teacher
- 17.5:1
- Resource Index
- 50/100
- Enrollment
- 2,426
- Students per teacher
- 19:1
- Resource Index
- 30/100
Similar other 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 (~450 students)
Next steps
Verify locally before acting on Atherton El's federal record.
- Compare Atherton El against another school. Compare schools
- Houston 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 Atherton El
How many students attend Atherton El?
Atherton El has 450 students enrolled. It is a public school in Houston, TX.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Atherton El?
The student-teacher ratio at Atherton El is 17.3:1, which is 18% higher than the Texas average of 14.7:1 and 10% higher than the national average of 15.7:1.
What percentage of students receive free lunch at Atherton El?
96.1% of students at Atherton El are eligible for free lunch, compared to the Texas average of 61.9%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Atherton El?
The largest demographic group at Atherton El is African American at 75.1% of enrollment, in Houston, TX.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Atherton El?
Atherton El has a Resource Investment Index of 40/100 (typical 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 Atherton El rank among schools in Houston?
By Resource Investment Index, Atherton El ranks #218 of 435 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 schools in Houston on the city page.
Is Atherton El a good school?
Atherton El earns 40/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes larger than 82% 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 Houston Isd?
Besides Atherton El, Houston Isd also operates Texas Connections Academy at Houston (8,641 students), Bellaire H S (3,216 students), and Lamar H S (2,968 students). See the Houston 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.