Enrollment
600
Texas · 2024-25 NCES data
Other / mixed grade configuration · China, TX
China El
Federal NCES profile for China El, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators - Resource Investment Index 39/100.
2024-25 NCES dataOther / mixed grade configurationNCES 482241002247
👥 S:T ratio 37
🌟 Gifted program 70
🎓 Counselors 0
📋 Attendance 48
Scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC indicators, resource allocation, not test scores. Full methodology →
The verdict
China El earns 39/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes near the Texas median. It is also more racially and ethnically mixed than most Texas schools.
- 39
- Resource Index · Typical
- 15.8:1
- students per teacher
- 51.6%
- free-lunch eligible
- 600
- students enrolled
China El has class sizes near the Texas median. Computed live against every Texas school reporting to NCES.
School address
District: Hardin-Jefferson Isd · Texas
NCES ID 482241002247 Verify on NCES CCD record →
Teachers (FTE)
38.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
15.8:1
vs 14.7:1 Texas avg
+7% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
51.6%
vs 61.9% Texas avg
-17% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How China El compares with Texas and U.S. medians
What stands out at China El
China El is a higher-need, mid-sized combined-grade school in China, Texas, enrolling 600 students.
Class loads run somewhat heavier than typical: 15.8:1 puts it in the larger third of Texas schools by student-teacher ratio.
Economic need runs somewhat below the state's typical profile, with 51.6% of students eligible for free meals.
With 600 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 1,397 statewide peers matched on enrollment and economic need, it ranks mid-pack at #978.
Its student body is led by White (48%) and African American (25%), more mixed than most schools in the state (diversity index 66/100).
Counselor access is stretched at roughly 600 students per counselor, well above the ASCA-recommended 250:1 ceiling.
Attendance runs somewhat below the norm, with 20.8% of students chronically absent per the 2021-22 civil-rights collection.
The surrounding Hardin-Jefferson Isd spends $9,337 per pupil, 32% below the Texas average, a leaner-resourced district than most.
Its district draws 26.1% of revenue from federal sources, an above-typical federal share that tends to track a higher-need student population.
Hardin-Jefferson Isd also operates Hardin-Jefferson H S (782 students) and Sour Lake El (720 students) alongside China 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 China El compares
China 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 | 15.8:1 | ▲ 7% | 14.7:1 | 15.7:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 51.6% | ▼ 17% | 61.9% | 51.7% |
| Enrollment | 600 | top 37% | - | - |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25
15.8:1
Leaner classes than 40% of US schools, a middle-of-the-pack class size.
600
Bigger than 73% of US schools by enrollment, mid-sized for the country.
Equity indicators (what these measure)
Economic need
51.6%
free-lunch eligible
- 17% below the Texas average of 61.9%
Above the 40% Title I schoolwide threshold; federal funds support the whole school, not individual students.
Staffing depth
15.8:1
students per teacher
- 7% above state mean
Top 69% in Texas - lower ratio than 31% of state schools
Close to the 15:1 benchmark most often cited for individualized attention.
Engagement
20.8%
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
$9,337
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 600 students, the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
Discipline context
9
in-school suspensions + 23 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 1.5 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 5.3 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
White 48.2%
African American 25.3%
Hispanic or Latino 21.3%
Two or More 4.0%
Asian 1.2%
Largest group: White at 48.2% of enrollment.
Student-body diversity index 65.7/100
Simpson diversity index - at 65.7, China El is more mixed than the Texas school average of 44.7.
Programs
Gifted & talented Yes
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Hardin-Jefferson Isd, which includes China El.
$9,337
Per student
-32%
vs Texas
Avg $13,644
-44%
vs U.S.
Avg $16,593
Revenue mix
Local 39.4%
State 34.5%
Federal 26.1%
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 China El Compares to District-Mates
| School | Enrollment | Economic Profile | Student-Teacher Ratio |
|---|---|---|---|
| Hardin-Jefferson H S | Larger | Lower economic need | Similar S:T ratio |
| Sour Lake El | Similar size | Lower economic need | Similar S:T ratio |
| Henderson Middle | Similar size | Lower economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| New Ae | Smaller | No free-lunch data | Lower S:T ratio |
Comparisons are relative to China El's own figures; each column derives from NCES Common Core of Data.
Other Schools in This District
- Enrollment
- 782
- Students per teacher
- 14.8:1
- Resource Index
- 40/100
- Enrollment
- 720
- Students per teacher
- 15.3:1
- Resource Index
- 51/100
- Enrollment
- 656
- Students per teacher
- 18.7:1
- Resource Index
- 47/100
- Enrollment
- 3
- Students per teacher
- 3:1
- Resource Index
- 59/100
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 (~600 students)
Similar student-teacher ratio (~15.8:1)
Next steps
Verify locally before acting on China El's federal record.
- Compare China El against another school. Compare schools
- Hardin-Jefferson 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 China El
How many students attend China El?
China El has 600 students enrolled. It is a public school in China, TX.
What is the student-teacher ratio at China El?
The student-teacher ratio at China El is 15.8:1, which is 7% higher than the Texas average of 14.7:1 and 1% higher than the national average of 15.7:1.
What percentage of students receive free lunch at China El?
51.6% of students at China El are eligible for free lunch, compared to the Texas average of 61.9%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of China El?
The largest demographic group at China El is White at 48.2% of enrollment, in China, TX. Its student body is more racially and ethnically mixed than most US schools, with a diversity index of 65.7/100.
What is the Resource Investment Index for China El?
China 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).
Is China El a good school?
China El earns 39/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes near the Texas median. 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 Hardin-Jefferson Isd?
Besides China El, Hardin-Jefferson Isd also operates Hardin-Jefferson H S (782 students), Sour Lake El (720 students), and Henderson Middle (656 students). See the Hardin-Jefferson 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.