Enrollment
488
Texas · 2024-25 NCES data
Other / mixed grade configuration · San Antonio, TX
Carson El
Federal NCES profile for Carson El, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators - Resource Investment Index 55/100.
2024-25 NCES dataOther / mixed grade configurationNCES 483312007811
👥 S:T ratio 44
🌟 Gifted program 70
🎓 Counselors 51
📋 Attendance 53
Scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC indicators, resource allocation, not test scores. Full methodology →
The verdict
Carson El earns 55/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes near the Texas median.
- #20 of 327
- schools in San Antonio · Resource Index
- 55
- Resource Index · Higher
- 13.9:1
- students per teacher
- 39.2%
- free-lunch eligible
Carson El has class sizes near the Texas median. Computed live against every Texas school reporting to NCES.
By Resource Investment Index, Carson El ranks #20 of 327 schools in San Antonio, TX.
School address
District: Northside Isd · Texas
NCES ID 483312007811 Verify on NCES CCD record →
Teachers (FTE)
35.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
13.9:1
vs 14.7:1 Texas avg
-5% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
39.2%
vs 61.9% Texas avg
-37% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Carson El compares with Texas and U.S. medians
What stands out at Carson El
Carson El is a mid-sized combined-grade school in San Antonio, Texas, enrolling 488 students.
At 13.9:1, 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 below the state's typical profile, with 39.2% of students eligible for free meals.
With 488 students, its enrollment sits close to the Texas median campus size.
Its Resource Investment Index lands in the upper third of 8,960 scored Texas schools.
Against 989 statewide peers matched on enrollment and economic need, it ranks in the upper tier at #115.
Its student body is led by Hispanic or Latino (74%) and White (20%) (diversity index 41/100).
Counselor coverage is strong, about 244 students per counselor, inside the American School Counselor Association's recommended 250:1.
Attendance runs somewhat below the norm, with 18.6% of students chronically absent per the 2021-22 civil-rights collection.
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.
Northside Isd also operates Brennan H S (2,965 students) and Harlan H S (2,778 students) alongside Carson 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 Carson El compares
Carson 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 | 13.9:1 | ▼ 5% | 14.7:1 | 15.7:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 39.2% | ▼ 37% | 61.9% | 51.7% |
| Enrollment | 488 | top 52% | - | - |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25
13.9:1
Leaner classes than 58% of US schools, a middle-of-the-pack class size.
488
Bigger than 60% of US schools by enrollment, mid-sized for the country.
Equity indicators (what these measure)
Economic need
39.2%
free-lunch eligible
- 37% below the Texas average of 61.9%
Below the 40% Title I threshold; federal aid targets individual qualifying students rather than schoolwide programs.
Staffing depth
13.9:1
students per teacher
- 5% below state mean
Top 46% in Texas - lower ratio than 54% of state schools
Close to the 15:1 benchmark most often cited for individualized attention.
Engagement
18.6%
chronically absent (missed 10%+ of school days)
In the 15-20% range, nearing the "high" absenteeism threshold.
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 244 students, the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
Discipline context
14
in-school suspensions + 1 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 2.9 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 3.1 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 74.0%
White 19.7%
Two or More 3.3%
African American 2.5%
Asian 0.6%
Largest group: Hispanic or Latino at 74.0% of enrollment.
Student-body diversity index 41.2/100
Simpson diversity index - at 41.2, Carson El is less mixed than the Texas school average of 44.7.
Programs
Gifted & talented Yes
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Northside Isd, which includes Carson El.
$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 Carson El Compares to District-Mates
| School | Enrollment | Economic Profile | Student-Teacher Ratio |
|---|---|---|---|
| Brennan H S | Larger | Similar economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| Harlan H S | Larger | Lower economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| Clark H S | Larger | Similar economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| Taft H S | Larger | Similar economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| Brandeis H S | Larger | Lower economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
Comparisons are relative to Carson El'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 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 (~488 students)
Similar student-teacher ratio (~13.9:1)
Next steps
Verify locally before acting on Carson El's federal record.
- Compare Carson El 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 Carson El
How many students attend Carson El?
Carson El has 488 students enrolled. It is a public school in San Antonio, TX.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Carson El?
The student-teacher ratio at Carson El is 13.9:1, which is 5% lower than the Texas average of 14.7:1 and 11% 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 Carson El?
39.2% of students at Carson El are eligible for free lunch, compared to the Texas average of 61.9%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Carson El?
The largest demographic group at Carson El is Hispanic or Latino at 74.0% of enrollment, in San Antonio, TX.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Carson El?
Carson El has a Resource Investment Index of 55/100 (higher 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 Carson El rank among schools in San Antonio?
By Resource Investment Index, Carson El ranks #20 of 327 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 schools in San Antonio on the city page.
Is Carson El a good school?
Carson El earns 55/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes near the Texas median. 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 Carson El, 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.