Enrollment
790
Texas · 2024-25 NCES data
Other / mixed grade configuration · Laredo, TX
Col Santos Benavides El
Federal NCES profile for Col Santos Benavides El, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators - Resource Investment Index 46/100.
2024-25 NCES dataOther / mixed grade configurationNCES 484365007151
👥 S:T ratio 34
🌟 Gifted program 70
🎓 Counselors 21
📋 Attendance 61
Scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC indicators, resource allocation, not test scores. Full methodology →
The verdict
Col Santos Benavides El earns 46/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes larger than 76% of Texas schools. It is also less racially and ethnically mixed than most Texas schools.
- #14 of 56
- schools in Laredo · Resource Index
- 46
- Resource Index · Typical
- 16.5:1
- large classes for Texas
- 35.8%
- free-lunch eligible
Col Santos Benavides El has class sizes larger than 76% of Texas schools. Computed live against every Texas school reporting to NCES.
By Resource Investment Index, Col Santos Benavides El ranks #14 of 56 schools in Laredo, TX.
School address
Teachers (FTE)
48.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
16.5:1
vs 14.7:1 Texas avg
+12% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
35.8%
vs 61.9% Texas avg
-42% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Col Santos Benavides El compares with Texas and U.S. medians
What stands out at Col Santos Benavides El
Col Santos Benavides El is a mid-sized combined-grade school in Laredo, Texas, enrolling 790 students.
Class loads run somewhat heavier than typical: 16.5:1 puts it in the larger third of Texas schools by student-teacher ratio.
Economic need runs somewhat below the state's typical profile, with 35.8% of students eligible for free meals.
Enrollment of 790 puts it in the larger third of Texas schools by headcount.
Its Resource Investment Index sits near the middle of the pack among 8,960 scored Texas schools.
Against 1,027 statewide peers matched on enrollment and economic need, it ranks in the upper tier at #317.
Its student body is predominantly Hispanic or Latino (94% of enrollment), among the less diverse in the state (diversity index 12/100).
Counselor availability sits well past the ASCA benchmark, roughly 395 students sharing each counselor, though short of the most stretched campuses.
15.8% of students were chronically absent in the 2021-22 collection, in line with the post-pandemic national range.
Its district draws 25.7% of revenue from federal sources, an above-typical federal share that tends to track a higher-need student population.
United Isd also operates United H S (3,463 students) and United South H S (3,252 students) alongside Col Santos Benavides 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 Col Santos Benavides El compares
Col Santos Benavides 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 | 16.5:1 | ▲ 12% | 14.7:1 | 15.7:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 35.8% | ▼ 42% | 61.9% | 51.7% |
| Enrollment | 790 | top 20% | - | - |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25
16.5:1
Leaner classes than 34% of US schools, a middle-of-the-pack class size.
790
Bigger than 85% of US schools by enrollment, a large campus nationally.
Equity indicators (what these measure)
Economic need
35.8%
free-lunch eligible
- 42% 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
16.5:1
students per teacher
- 12% above state mean
Top 76% in Texas - lower ratio than 24% of state schools
Between 16:1 and 20:1, squarely in the typical U.S. public-school staffing range.
Engagement
15.8%
chronically absent (missed 10%+ of school days)
In the 15-20% range, nearing the "high" absenteeism threshold.
Funding equity
$12,465
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 395 students, the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
Discipline context
4
in-school suspensions + 1 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 0.5 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 0.6 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 93.9%
Asian 3.2%
White 1.4%
African American 1.0%
Two or More 0.5%
Largest group: Hispanic or Latino at 93.9% of enrollment.
Student-body diversity index 11.7/100
Simpson diversity index - at 11.7, Col Santos Benavides El is less mixed than the Texas school average of 44.7.
Programs
Gifted & talented Yes
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for United Isd, which includes Col Santos Benavides El.
$12,465
Per student
-9%
vs Texas
Avg $13,644
-25%
vs U.S.
Avg $16,593
Revenue mix
Local 38.4%
State 35.9%
Federal 25.7%
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 Col Santos Benavides El Compares to District-Mates
| School | Enrollment | Economic Profile | Student-Teacher Ratio |
|---|---|---|---|
| United H S | Larger | Higher economic need | Similar S:T ratio |
| United South H S | Larger | Higher economic need | Similar S:T ratio |
| Lyndon B Johnson | Larger | Higher economic need | Similar S:T ratio |
| John B Alexander H S | Larger | Higher economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| Elias Herrera Middle | Larger | Higher economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
Comparisons are relative to Col Santos Benavides El's own figures; each column derives from NCES Common Core of Data.
Other Schools in This District
- Enrollment
- 3,463
- Students per teacher
- 15.5:1
- Resource Index
- 48/100
- Enrollment
- 3,252
- Students per teacher
- 16.9:1
- Resource Index
- 46/100
- Enrollment
- 3,240
- Students per teacher
- 16.8:1
- Resource Index
- 50/100
- Enrollment
- 3,171
- Students per teacher
- 18.9:1
- Resource Index
- 43/100
- Enrollment
- 1,146
- Students per teacher
- 19.1:1
- 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 (~790 students)
Next steps
Verify locally before acting on Col Santos Benavides El's federal record.
- Compare Col Santos Benavides El against another school. Compare schools
- United 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 Col Santos Benavides El
How many students attend Col Santos Benavides El?
Col Santos Benavides El has 790 students enrolled. It is a public school in Laredo, TX.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Col Santos Benavides El?
The student-teacher ratio at Col Santos Benavides El is 16.5:1, which is 12% higher than the Texas average of 14.7:1 and 5% higher than the national average of 15.7:1.
What percentage of students receive free lunch at Col Santos Benavides El?
35.8% of students at Col Santos Benavides El are eligible for free lunch, compared to the Texas average of 61.9%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Col Santos Benavides El?
The largest demographic group at Col Santos Benavides El is Hispanic or Latino at 93.9% of enrollment, in Laredo, TX.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Col Santos Benavides El?
Col Santos Benavides El has a Resource Investment Index of 46/100 (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 Col Santos Benavides El rank among schools in Laredo?
By Resource Investment Index, Col Santos Benavides El ranks #14 of 56 schools in Laredo, TX. This compares federal resource and staffing data among local peers; it is not a test-score or academic ranking. See all schools in Laredo on the city page.
Is Col Santos Benavides El a good school?
Col Santos Benavides El earns 46/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes larger than 76% of Texas schools. 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 United Isd?
Besides Col Santos Benavides El, United Isd also operates United H S (3,463 students), United South H S (3,252 students), and Lyndon B Johnson (3,240 students). See the United 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.