Enrollment
614
Texas · 2024-25 NCES data
Other / mixed grade configuration · Pearland, TX
Challenger El
Federal NCES profile for Challenger El, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators - Resource Investment Index 44/100.
2024-25 NCES dataOther / mixed grade configurationNCES 483444003114
👥 S:T ratio 35
🌟 Gifted program 70
🎓 Counselors 0
📋 Attendance 70
Scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC indicators, resource allocation, not test scores. Full methodology →
The verdict
Challenger El earns 44/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes larger than 73% of Texas schools. It is also more racially and ethnically mixed than most Texas schools.
- #6 of 16
- schools in Pearland · Resource Index
- 44
- Resource Index · Typical
- 16.2:1
- large classes for Texas
- 30.9%
- free-lunch eligible
Challenger El has class sizes larger than 73% of Texas schools. Computed live against every Texas school reporting to NCES.
By Resource Investment Index, Challenger El ranks #6 of 16 schools in Pearland, TX.
School address
Teachers (FTE)
38.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
16.2:1
vs 14.7:1 Texas avg
+10% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
30.9%
vs 61.9% Texas avg
-50% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Challenger El compares with Texas and U.S. medians
What stands out at Challenger El
Challenger El is a mid-sized combined-grade school in Pearland, Texas, enrolling 614 students.
Class loads run somewhat heavier than typical: 16.2:1 puts it in the larger third of Texas schools by student-teacher ratio.
Comparatively few students face economic hardship here, 30.9% free-meal eligibility runs 50% below the Texas average.
With 614 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 967 statewide peers matched on enrollment and economic need, it ranks mid-pack at #495.
Its student body is led by Hispanic or Latino (28%) and White (25%), more mixed than most schools in the state (diversity index 77/100).
Counselor access is stretched at roughly 614 students per counselor, well above the ASCA-recommended 250:1 ceiling.
12.2% of students were chronically absent in the 2021-22 collection, in line with the post-pandemic national range.
The surrounding Pearland Isd spends $9,871 per pupil, 28% below the Texas average, a leaner-resourced district than most.
Pearland Isd also operates Pearland H S (3,412 students) and Glenda Dawson H S (2,569 students) alongside Challenger 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 Challenger El compares
Challenger 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 | 16.2:1 | ▲ 10% | 14.7:1 | 15.7:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 30.9% | ▼ 50% | 61.9% | 51.7% |
| Enrollment | 614 | top 36% | - | - |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25
16.2:1
Leaner classes than 36% of US schools, a middle-of-the-pack class size.
614
Bigger than 74% of US schools by enrollment, mid-sized for the country.
Equity indicators (what these measure)
Economic need
30.9%
free-lunch eligible
- 50% 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
16.2:1
students per teacher
- 10% above state mean
Top 73% in Texas - lower ratio than 27% of state schools
Between 16:1 and 20:1, squarely in the typical U.S. public-school staffing range.
Engagement
12.2%
chronically absent (missed 10%+ of school days)
In the 10-15% range, above the pre-pandemic national baseline but within the broader post-pandemic picture.
Funding equity
$9,871
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 614 students, the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
Discipline context
3
in-school suspensions + 3 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 0.5 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 28.2%
White 24.9%
African American 22.8%
Asian 16.8%
Two or More 7.0%
American Indian / Alaska Native 0.2%
Native Hawaiian / Pacific Islander 0.2%
Largest group: Hispanic or Latino at 28.2% of enrollment.
Student-body diversity index 77.3/100
Simpson diversity index - at 77.3, Challenger El is more mixed than the Texas school average of 44.7.
Programs
Gifted & talented Yes
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Pearland Isd, which includes Challenger El.
$9,871
Per student
-28%
vs Texas
Avg $13,644
-41%
vs U.S.
Avg $16,593
Revenue mix
Local 50.0%
State 40.2%
Federal 9.9%
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 Challenger El Compares to District-Mates
| School | Enrollment | Economic Profile | Student-Teacher Ratio |
|---|---|---|---|
| Pearland H S | Larger | Similar economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| Glenda Dawson H S | Larger | Similar economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| Robert Turner College and Career H S | Larger | Similar economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| Pearland J H West | Larger | Similar economic need | Similar S:T ratio |
| Leon H Sablatura Middle | Larger | Similar economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
Comparisons are relative to Challenger El's own figures; each column derives from NCES Common Core of Data.
Other Schools in This District
- Enrollment
- 3,412
- Students per teacher
- 17.9:1
- Resource Index
- 46/100
- Enrollment
- 2,569
- Students per teacher
- 18.2:1
- Resource Index
- 49/100
- Enrollment
- 1,128
- Students per teacher
- 18.8:1
- Resource Index
- 45/100
- Enrollment
- 941
- Students per teacher
- 17.1:1
- Resource Index
- 54/100
- Enrollment
- 878
- Students per teacher
- 18.3:1
- Resource Index
- 45/100
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 (~614 students)
Next steps
Verify locally before acting on Challenger El's federal record.
- Compare Challenger El against another school. Compare schools
- Pearland 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 Challenger El
How many students attend Challenger El?
Challenger El has 614 students enrolled. It is a public school in Pearland, TX.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Challenger El?
The student-teacher ratio at Challenger El is 16.2:1, which is 10% higher than the Texas average of 14.7:1 and 3% higher than the national average of 15.7:1.
What percentage of students receive free lunch at Challenger El?
30.9% of students at Challenger El are eligible for free lunch, compared to the Texas average of 61.9%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Challenger El?
The largest demographic group at Challenger El is Hispanic or Latino at 28.2% of enrollment, in Pearland, TX. Its student body is more racially and ethnically mixed than most US schools, with a diversity index of 77.3/100.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Challenger El?
Challenger El has a Resource Investment Index of 44/100 (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 Challenger El rank among schools in Pearland?
By Resource Investment Index, Challenger El ranks #6 of 16 schools in Pearland, TX. This compares federal resource and staffing data among local peers; it is not a test-score or academic ranking. See all schools in Pearland on the city page.
Is Challenger El a good school?
Challenger El earns 44/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes larger than 73% of Texas schools. It is also more 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 Pearland Isd?
Besides Challenger El, Pearland Isd also operates Pearland H S (3,412 students), Glenda Dawson H S (2,569 students), and Robert Turner College and Career H S (1,128 students). See the Pearland 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.