Enrollment
389
Texas · 2024-25 NCES data
Other / mixed grade configuration · Harlingen, TX
Ben Milam El
Federal NCES profile for Ben Milam El, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators - Resource Investment Index 39/100.
2024-25 NCES dataOther / mixed grade configurationNCES 482253002277
👥 S:T ratio 42
🌟 Gifted program 70
🎓 Counselors 22
📋 Attendance 20
Scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC indicators, resource allocation, not test scores. Full methodology →
The verdict
Ben Milam El earns 39/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes near the Texas median. It is also less racially and ethnically mixed than most Texas schools.
- #13 of 21
- schools in Harlingen · Resource Index
- 39
- Resource Index · Typical
- 14.4:1
- students per teacher
- 87.7%
- free-lunch eligible
Ben Milam El has class sizes near the Texas median. Computed live against every Texas school reporting to NCES.
By Resource Investment Index, Ben Milam El ranks #13 of 21 schools in Harlingen, TX.
School address
District: Harlingen Cisd · Texas
NCES ID 482253002277 Verify on NCES CCD record →
Teachers (FTE)
27.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
14.4:1
vs 14.7:1 Texas avg
-2% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
87.7%
vs 61.9% Texas avg
+42% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Ben Milam El compares with Texas and U.S. medians
What stands out at Ben Milam El
Ben Milam El is a high-poverty, mid-sized combined-grade school in Harlingen, Texas, enrolling 389 students.
At 14.4:1, its student-teacher ratio sits close to the Texas median, within a few percentage points of the 14.7:1 state norm, neither notably crowded nor notably small.
Economic need runs somewhat above the state's typical profile, with 87.7% of students eligible for free meals.
With 389 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 1,607 statewide peers matched on enrollment and economic need, it ranks mid-pack at #855.
Its student body is predominantly Hispanic or Latino (96% of enrollment), among the less diverse in the state (diversity index 8/100).
Counselor availability sits well past the ASCA benchmark, roughly 389 students sharing each counselor, though short of the most stretched campuses.
Chronic absenteeism is elevated: 31.9% of students missed 10% or more of school days (2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection).
Its district draws 25.6% of revenue from federal sources, an above-typical federal share that tends to track a higher-need student population.
Harlingen Cisd also operates Harlingen H S (2,433 students) and Harlingen H S - South (2,019 students) alongside Ben Milam 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 Ben Milam El compares
Ben Milam 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 | 14.4:1 | ▼ 2% | 14.7:1 | 15.7:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 87.7% | ▲ 42% | 61.9% | 51.7% |
| Enrollment | 389 | top 65% | - | - |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25
14.4:1
Leaner classes than 53% of US schools, a middle-of-the-pack class size.
389
Bigger than 46% of US schools by enrollment, mid-sized for the country.
Equity indicators (what these measure)
Economic need
87.7%
free-lunch eligible
- 42% 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
14.4:1
students per teacher
- 2% below state mean
Top 52% in Texas - lower ratio than 48% of state schools
Close to the 15:1 benchmark most often cited for individualized attention.
Engagement
31.9%
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
$12,718
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 389 students, the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
Discipline context
0
in-school suspensions + 4 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 0.0 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 1.0 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
Hispanic or Latino 95.6%
White 4.1%
Two or More 0.3%
Largest group: Hispanic or Latino at 95.6% of enrollment.
Student-body diversity index 8.4/100
Simpson diversity index - at 8.4, Ben Milam El is less mixed than the Texas school average of 44.7.
Programs
Gifted & talented Yes
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Harlingen Cisd, which includes Ben Milam El.
$12,718
Per student
-7%
vs Texas
Avg $13,644
-23%
vs U.S.
Avg $16,593
Revenue mix
Local 21.8%
State 52.6%
Federal 25.6%
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 Ben Milam El Compares to District-Mates
| School | Enrollment | Economic Profile | Student-Teacher Ratio |
|---|---|---|---|
| Harlingen H S | Larger | Similar economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| Harlingen H S - South | Larger | Lower economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| Dr Abraham P Cano Freshman Academy | Larger | Lower economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| Moises Vela Middle | Larger | Lower economic need | Similar S:T ratio |
| Treasure Hills El | Larger | Lower economic need | Similar S:T ratio |
Comparisons are relative to Ben Milam El's own figures; each column derives from NCES Common Core of Data.
Other Schools in This District
- Enrollment
- 2,433
- Students per teacher
- 17.9:1
- Resource Index
- 41/100
- Enrollment
- 2,019
- Students per teacher
- 18.4:1
- Resource Index
- 49/100
- Enrollment
- 1,188
- Students per teacher
- 16.5:1
- Resource Index
- 45/100
- Enrollment
- 761
- Students per teacher
- 14.1:1
- Resource Index
- 50/100
- Enrollment
- 758
- Students per teacher
- 14.6:1
- Resource Index
- 31/100
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 (~389 students)
Next steps
Verify locally before acting on Ben Milam El's federal record.
- Compare Ben Milam El against another school. Compare schools
- Harlingen Cisd'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 Ben Milam El
How many students attend Ben Milam El?
Ben Milam El has 389 students enrolled. It is a public school in Harlingen, TX.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Ben Milam El?
The student-teacher ratio at Ben Milam El is 14.4:1, which is 2% lower than the Texas average of 14.7:1 and 8% 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 Ben Milam El?
87.7% of students at Ben Milam El are eligible for free lunch, compared to the Texas average of 61.9%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Ben Milam El?
The largest demographic group at Ben Milam El is Hispanic or Latino at 95.6% of enrollment, in Harlingen, TX.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Ben Milam El?
Ben Milam El has a Resource Investment Index of 39/100 (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 Ben Milam El rank among schools in Harlingen?
By Resource Investment Index, Ben Milam El ranks #13 of 21 schools in Harlingen, TX. This compares federal resource and staffing data among local peers; it is not a test-score or academic ranking. See all schools in Harlingen on the city page.
Is Ben Milam El a good school?
Ben Milam El earns 39/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes near the Texas median. It is also less racially and ethnically mixed than most 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 Harlingen Cisd?
Besides Ben Milam El, Harlingen Cisd also operates Harlingen H S (2,433 students), Harlingen H S - South (2,019 students), and Dr Abraham P Cano Freshman Academy (1,188 students). See the Harlingen Cisd 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.