Enrollment
489
Texas · 2024-25 NCES data
Other / mixed grade configuration · Magnolia, TX
Bear Branch El
Federal NCES profile for Bear Branch El, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators - Resource Investment Index 46/100.
2024-25 NCES dataOther / mixed grade configurationNCES 482874005895
👥 S:T ratio 56
🌟 Gifted program 70
🎓 Counselors 2
📋 Attendance 57
Scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC indicators, resource allocation, not test scores. Full methodology →
The verdict
Bear Branch El earns 46/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes smaller than 85% of Texas schools.
- #3 of 9
- schools in Magnolia · Resource Index
- 46
- Resource Index · Typical
- 10.9:1
- small classes for Texas
- 25.4%
- free-lunch eligible
Bear Branch El has class sizes smaller than 85% of Texas schools. Computed live against every Texas school reporting to NCES.
By Resource Investment Index, Bear Branch El ranks #3 of 9 schools in Magnolia, TX.
School address
Teachers (FTE)
45.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
10.9:1
vs 14.7:1 Texas avg
-26% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
25.4%
vs 61.9% Texas avg
-59% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Bear Branch El compares with Texas and U.S. medians
What stands out at Bear Branch El
Bear Branch El is a mid-sized combined-grade school in Magnolia, Texas, enrolling 489 students.
Classes run notably small here: at 10.9:1, Bear Branch El is leaner than roughly 85% of Texas schools and 26% under the state's 14.7:1 norm, more adult attention per pupil than most peers.
Comparatively few students face economic hardship here, 25.4% free-meal eligibility runs 59% below the Texas average.
With 489 students, its enrollment sits close to the Texas median campus size.
Its Resource Investment Index sits near the middle of the pack among 8,960 scored Texas schools.
Against 668 statewide peers matched on enrollment and economic need, it ranks mid-pack at #347.
Its student body is led by White (70%) and Hispanic or Latino (18%) (diversity index 47/100).
Counselor access is stretched at roughly 489 students per counselor, well above the ASCA-recommended 250:1 ceiling.
17.4% of students were chronically absent in the 2021-22 collection, in line with the post-pandemic national range.
The surrounding Magnolia Isd spends $10,506 per pupil, 23% below the Texas average, a leaner-resourced district than most.
Its district draws 15.5% of revenue from federal sources, an above-typical federal share that tends to track a higher-need student population.
Magnolia Isd also operates Magnolia West H S (2,356 students) and Magnolia H S (2,292 students) alongside Bear Branch 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 Bear Branch El compares
Bear Branch 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 | 10.9:1 | ▼ 26% | 14.7:1 | 15.7:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 25.4% | ▼ 59% | 61.9% | 51.7% |
| Enrollment | 489 | top 52% | - | - |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25
10.9:1
Leaner classes than 84% of US schools, among the more generously staffed nationally.
489
Bigger than 60% of US schools by enrollment, mid-sized for the country.
Equity indicators (what these measure)
Economic need
25.4%
free-lunch eligible
- 59% below the Texas average of 61.9%
Below the 40% Title I threshold, among the lower-need profiles in the state; federal aid targets individual qualifying students rather than schoolwide programs.
Staffing depth
10.9:1
students per teacher
- 26% below state mean
Top 15% in Texas - lower ratio than 85% of state schools
Well under the widely cited 15:1 individualized-attention benchmark, among the leaner class loads nationally.
Engagement
17.4%
chronically absent (missed 10%+ of school days)
In the 15-20% range, nearing the "high" absenteeism threshold.
Funding equity
$10,506
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 489 students, the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
Discipline context
11
in-school suspensions + 1 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 2.2 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 2.5 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
White 69.9%
Hispanic or Latino 18.0%
Two or More 5.5%
Asian 2.9%
African American 2.5%
American Indian / Alaska Native 0.6%
Native Hawaiian / Pacific Islander 0.6%
Largest group: White at 69.9% of enrollment.
Student-body diversity index 47.4/100
Simpson diversity index - at 47.4, Bear Branch El is more mixed than the Texas school average of 44.7.
Programs
Gifted & talented Yes
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Magnolia Isd, which includes Bear Branch El.
$10,506
Per student
-23%
vs Texas
Avg $13,644
-37%
vs U.S.
Avg $16,593
Revenue mix
Local 57.5%
State 27.0%
Federal 15.5%
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 Bear Branch El Compares to District-Mates
| School | Enrollment | Economic Profile | Student-Teacher Ratio |
|---|---|---|---|
| Magnolia West H S | Larger | Higher economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| Magnolia H S | Larger | Similar economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| Magnolia Int | Larger | Higher economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| Magnolia J H | Larger | Higher economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| Bear Branch J H | Larger | Similar economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
Comparisons are relative to Bear Branch El's own figures; each column derives from NCES Common Core of Data.
Other Schools in This District
- Enrollment
- 2,356
- Students per teacher
- 16:1
- Resource Index
- 38/100
- Enrollment
- 2,292
- Students per teacher
- 17.4:1
- Resource Index
- 40/100
- Enrollment
- 1,154
- Students per teacher
- 16.3:1
- Resource Index
- 41/100
- Enrollment
- 1,120
- Students per teacher
- 16.2:1
- Resource Index
- 34/100
- Enrollment
- 1,119
- Students per teacher
- 17.2:1
- Resource Index
- 39/100
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 (~489 students)
Similar student-teacher ratio (~10.9:1)
Next steps
Verify locally before acting on Bear Branch El's federal record.
- Compare Bear Branch El against another school. Compare schools
- Magnolia 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 Bear Branch El
How many students attend Bear Branch El?
Bear Branch El has 489 students enrolled. It is a public school in Magnolia, TX.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Bear Branch El?
The student-teacher ratio at Bear Branch El is 10.9:1, which is 26% lower than the Texas average of 14.7:1 and 31% 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 Bear Branch El?
25.4% of students at Bear Branch El are eligible for free lunch, compared to the Texas average of 61.9%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Bear Branch El?
The largest demographic group at Bear Branch El is White at 69.9% of enrollment, in Magnolia, TX.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Bear Branch El?
Bear Branch El has a Resource Investment Index of 46/100 (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 Bear Branch El rank among schools in Magnolia?
By Resource Investment Index, Bear Branch El ranks #3 of 9 schools in Magnolia, TX. This compares federal resource and staffing data among local peers; it is not a test-score or academic ranking. See all schools in Magnolia on the city page.
Is Bear Branch El a good school?
Bear Branch El earns 46/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes smaller than 85% 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 Magnolia Isd?
Besides Bear Branch El, Magnolia Isd also operates Magnolia West H S (2,356 students), Magnolia H S (2,292 students), and Magnolia Int (1,154 students). See the Magnolia 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.