Enrollment
335
Texas · 2024-25 NCES data
Other / mixed grade configuration · Harlingen, TX
Bowie El
Federal NCES profile for Bowie El, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators - Resource Investment Index 43/100.
2024-25 NCES dataOther / mixed grade configurationNCES 482253002279
👥 S:T ratio 39
🌟 Gifted program 70
🎓 Counselors 41
📋 Attendance 22
Scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC indicators, resource allocation, not test scores. Full methodology →
The verdict
Bowie El earns 43/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes near the Texas median. It is also less racially and ethnically mixed than most Texas schools.
- #9 of 21
- schools in Harlingen · Resource Index
- 43
- Resource Index · Typical
- 15.2:1
- students per teacher
- 90.2%
- free-lunch eligible
Bowie El has class sizes near the Texas median. Computed live against every Texas school reporting to NCES.
By Resource Investment Index, Bowie El ranks #9 of 21 schools in Harlingen, TX.
School address
District: Harlingen Cisd · Texas
NCES ID 482253002279 Verify on NCES CCD record →
Teachers (FTE)
22.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
15.2:1
vs 14.7:1 Texas avg
+3% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
90.2%
vs 61.9% Texas avg
+46% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Bowie El compares with Texas and U.S. medians
What stands out at Bowie El
Bowie El is a high-poverty, mid-sized combined-grade school in Harlingen, Texas, enrolling 335 students.
Class loads run somewhat heavier than typical: 15.2:1 puts it in the larger third of Texas schools by student-teacher ratio.
Economic need is high: 90.2% of students qualify for free meals, 46% above the Texas average, a Title I-weighted population that federal funding formulas prioritise.
Enrollment of 335 puts it in the smaller third of Texas schools by headcount.
Its Resource Investment Index sits near the middle of the pack among 8,960 scored Texas schools.
Against 1,157 statewide peers matched on enrollment and economic need, it ranks in the upper tier at #440.
Its student body is predominantly Hispanic or Latino (96% of enrollment), among the less diverse in the state (diversity index 8/100).
Counselor coverage runs a bit thin, about 294 students per counselor, somewhat past the ASCA-recommended 250:1 benchmark.
Chronic absenteeism is elevated: 31.3% 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 Bowie 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 Bowie El compares
Bowie 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 | 15.2:1 | ▲ 3% | 14.7:1 | 15.7:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 90.2% | ▲ 46% | 61.9% | 51.7% |
| Enrollment | 335 | top 71% | - | - |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25
15.2:1
Leaner classes than 45% of US schools, a middle-of-the-pack class size.
335
Bigger than 37% of US schools by enrollment, mid-sized for the country.
Equity indicators (what these measure)
Economic need
90.2%
free-lunch eligible
- 46% 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
15.2:1
students per teacher
- 3% above state mean
Top 62% in Texas - lower ratio than 38% of state schools
Close to the 15:1 benchmark most often cited for individualized attention.
Engagement
31.3%
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
Counselors1.1 FTE
Per 294 students, the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
Discipline context
1
in-school suspensions + 0 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 0.3 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 0.3 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 96.1%
Two or More 1.8%
White 1.5%
African American 0.6%
Largest group: Hispanic or Latino at 96.1% of enrollment.
Student-body diversity index 7.6/100
Simpson diversity index - at 7.6, Bowie 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 Bowie 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 Bowie El Compares to District-Mates
| School | Enrollment | Economic Profile | Student-Teacher Ratio |
|---|---|---|---|
| Harlingen H S | Larger | Lower 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 | Similar 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 Bowie 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 (~335 students)
Similar student-teacher ratio (~15.2:1)
Next steps
Verify locally before acting on Bowie El's federal record.
- Compare Bowie 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 Bowie El
How many students attend Bowie El?
Bowie El has 335 students enrolled. It is a public school in Harlingen, TX.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Bowie El?
The student-teacher ratio at Bowie El is 15.2:1, which is 3% higher than the Texas average of 14.7:1 and 3% lower than the national average of 15.7:1.
What percentage of students receive free lunch at Bowie El?
90.2% of students at Bowie El are eligible for free lunch, compared to the Texas average of 61.9%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Bowie El?
The largest demographic group at Bowie El is Hispanic or Latino at 96.1% of enrollment, in Harlingen, TX.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Bowie El?
Bowie El has a Resource Investment Index of 43/100 (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 Bowie El rank among schools in Harlingen?
By Resource Investment Index, Bowie El ranks #9 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 Bowie El a good school?
Bowie El earns 43/100 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 Bowie 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.