Enrollment
485
Texas · 2024-25 NCES data
High school (grades 9-12) · Houston, TX
Challenge Early College H S
Federal NCES profile for Challenge Early College H S, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators - Resource Investment Index 62/100.
2024-25 NCES dataHigh school (grades 9-12)NCES 482364009609
👥 S:T ratio 3
📚 AP courses 85
🌟 Gifted program 70
📋 Attendance 91
Scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC indicators, resource allocation, not test scores. Full methodology →
The verdict
Challenge Early College H S earns 62/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes larger than 97% of Texas schools.
- #11 of 102
- high schools in Houston · Resource Index
- 62
- Resource Index · Higher
- 24.3:1
- large classes for Texas
- 79.5%
- free-lunch eligible
Challenge Early College H S has class sizes larger than 97% of Texas schools. Computed live against every Texas school reporting to NCES.
By Resource Investment Index, Challenge Early College H S ranks #11 of 102 high schools in Houston, TX.
School address
Teachers (FTE)
20.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
24.3:1
vs 14.7:1 Texas avg
+65% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
79.5%
vs 61.9% Texas avg
+28% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Challenge Early College H S compares with Texas and U.S. medians
What stands out at Challenge Early College H S
Challenge Early College H S is a high-poverty, mid-sized high school in Houston, Texas, enrolling 485 students.
Class loads run heavy: 24.3:1 is larger than about 97% of Texas schools and 65% above the 14.7:1 state mean, so each teacher carries more students than is typical.
Economic need runs somewhat above the state's typical profile, with 79.5% of students eligible for free meals.
With 485 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.
Among 2,138 similarly sized, similarly resourced-need Texas schools statewide, it ranks #63, a top-tier result once campus size and economic need are matched.
Its student body is predominantly Hispanic or Latino (80% of enrollment) (diversity index 35/100).
On the academic-pipeline side it reports 17 Advanced Placement courses.
Attendance holds up well here: only 3.5% of students were chronically absent, below the typical post-pandemic national figure.
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 Challenge Early College H S.
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 Challenge Early College H S compares
Challenge Early College H S on the metrics families compare, against Texas and U.S. means.
| Metric | This school | vs Texas | Texas avg | U.S. avg |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Students per teacher | 24.3:1 | ▲ 65% | 14.7:1 | 15.7:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 79.5% | ▲ 28% | 61.9% | 51.7% |
| Enrollment | 485 | top 52% | - | - |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25
24.3:1
Leaner classes than 6% of US schools, heavier class loads than most.
485
Bigger than 60% of US schools by enrollment, mid-sized for the country.
Equity indicators (what these measure)
Economic need
79.5%
free-lunch eligible
- 28% 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
24.3:1
students per teacher
- 65% above state mean
Top 97% in Texas - lower ratio than 3% of state schools
Well above 20:1, one of the more stretched staffing loads nationally relative to enrollment.
Engagement
3.5%
chronically absent (missed 10%+ of school days)
Below 5%, comfortably under the pre-pandemic national baseline for chronic absenteeism.
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
Counselors0.0 FTE
Student-support staffing from the Civil Rights Data Collection.
Discipline context
0
in-school suspensions + 2 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 0.0 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 0.4 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 80.0%
African American 8.9%
White 5.8%
Asian 4.7%
Two or More 0.6%
Largest group: Hispanic or Latino at 80.0% of enrollment.
Student-body diversity index 34.6/100
Simpson diversity index - at 34.6, Challenge Early College H S is less mixed than the Texas school average of 44.7.
Programs
AP courses offered 17
Gifted & talented Yes
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Houston Isd, which includes Challenge Early College H S.
$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 Challenge Early College H S 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 | Lower S:T ratio |
| Lamar H S | Larger | Lower economic need | Lower S:T ratio |
| Westside H S | Larger | Lower economic need | Lower S:T ratio |
| Heights H S | Larger | Lower economic need | Lower S:T ratio |
Comparisons are relative to Challenge Early College H S'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 high 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 (~485 students)
Similar student-teacher ratio (~24.3:1)
Next steps
Verify locally before acting on Challenge Early College H S's federal record.
- Compare Challenge Early College H S 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 Challenge Early College H S
How many students attend Challenge Early College H S?
Challenge Early College H S has 485 students enrolled. It is a high school in Houston, TX.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Challenge Early College H S?
The student-teacher ratio at Challenge Early College H S is 24.3:1, which is 65% higher than the Texas average of 14.7:1 and 55% higher than the national average of 15.7:1.
What percentage of students receive free lunch at Challenge Early College H S?
79.5% of students at Challenge Early College H S are eligible for free lunch, compared to the Texas average of 61.9%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Challenge Early College H S?
The largest demographic group at Challenge Early College H S is Hispanic or Latino at 80.0% of enrollment, in Houston, TX.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Challenge Early College H S?
Challenge Early College H S has a Resource Investment Index of 62/100 (higher reported resources relative to schools nationally) based on 4 factors: student-teacher ratio, AP course offerings, attendance rates. Not a test-score or academic measure (national median ~41/100, see methodology).
How does Challenge Early College H S rank among high schools in Houston?
By Resource Investment Index, Challenge Early College H S ranks #11 of 102 high 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 high schools in Houston on the city page.
Is Challenge Early College H S a good school?
Challenge Early College H S earns 62/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes larger than 97% 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 Challenge Early College H S, 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.