Enrollment
453
Texas · 2024-25 NCES data
Other / mixed grade configuration · Houston, TX
Cook Jr El
Federal NCES profile for Cook Jr El, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators - Resource Investment Index 29/100.
2024-25 NCES dataOther / mixed grade configurationNCES 482364010748
👥 S:T ratio 38
🌟 Gifted program 70
🎓 Counselors 9
📋 Attendance 0
Scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC indicators, resource allocation, not test scores. Full methodology →
The verdict
Cook Jr El earns 29/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes near the Texas median.
- #375 of 435
- schools in Houston · Resource Index
- 29
- Resource Index · Lower
- 15.6:1
- students per teacher
- 96.1%
- free-lunch eligible
Cook Jr El has class sizes near the Texas median. Computed live against every Texas school reporting to NCES.
By Resource Investment Index, Cook Jr El ranks #375 of 435 schools in Houston, TX.
School address
Teachers (FTE)
29.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
15.6:1
vs 14.7:1 Texas avg
+6% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
96.1%
vs 61.9% Texas avg
+55% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Cook Jr El compares with Texas and U.S. medians
What stands out at Cook Jr El
Cook Jr El is a high-poverty, mid-sized combined-grade school in Houston, Texas, enrolling 453 students.
Class loads run somewhat heavier than typical: 15.6:1 puts it in the larger third of Texas schools by student-teacher ratio.
Economic need is high: 96.1% of students qualify for free meals, 55% above the Texas average, a Title I-weighted population that federal funding formulas prioritise.
With 453 students, its enrollment sits close to the Texas median campus size.
Its Resource Investment Index trails 93% of the 8,960 Texas schools with a score on record, one of the lower results on this measure.
Among 1,411 similarly sized, similarly resourced-need Texas schools statewide, it ranks #1,203, in the lower tier once campus size and economic need are matched.
Its student body is led by Hispanic or Latino (52%) and African American (45%) (diversity index 53/100).
Counselor access is stretched at roughly 453 students per counselor, well above the ASCA-recommended 250:1 ceiling.
Chronic absenteeism is elevated: 54.7% of students missed 10% or more of school days (2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection).
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 Cook Jr 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 Cook Jr El compares
Cook Jr 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 | 15.6:1 | ▲ 6% | 14.7:1 | 15.7:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 96.1% | ▲ 55% | 61.9% | 51.7% |
| Enrollment | 453 | top 57% | - | - |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25
15.6:1
Leaner classes than 41% of US schools, a middle-of-the-pack class size.
453
Bigger than 55% of US schools by enrollment, mid-sized for the country.
Equity indicators (what these measure)
Economic need
96.1%
free-lunch eligible
- 55% above the Texas average of 61.9%
Well above the 40% Title I schoolwide threshold, among the highest-need profiles in the state; federal funds support the whole school, not individual students.
Staffing depth
15.6:1
students per teacher
- 6% above state mean
Top 67% in Texas - lower ratio than 33% of state schools
Close to the 15:1 benchmark most often cited for individualized attention.
Engagement
54.7%
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
$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
Counselors1.0 FTE
Per 453 students, the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
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 51.7%
African American 45.3%
White 1.5%
Two or More 1.1%
American Indian / Alaska Native 0.2%
Native Hawaiian / Pacific Islander 0.2%
Largest group: Hispanic or Latino at 51.7% of enrollment.
Student-body diversity index 52.7/100
Simpson diversity index - at 52.7, Cook Jr El is more mixed than the Texas school average of 44.7.
Programs
Gifted & talented Yes
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Houston Isd, which includes Cook Jr El.
$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 Cook Jr El 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 | Higher S:T ratio |
| Lamar H S | Larger | Lower economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| Westside H S | Larger | Lower economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| Heights H S | Larger | Lower economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
Comparisons are relative to Cook Jr El'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 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 (~453 students)
Next steps
Verify locally before acting on Cook Jr El's federal record.
- Compare Cook Jr El 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 Cook Jr El
How many students attend Cook Jr El?
Cook Jr El has 453 students enrolled. It is a public school in Houston, TX.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Cook Jr El?
The student-teacher ratio at Cook Jr El is 15.6:1, which is 6% higher than the Texas average of 14.7:1 and 1% lower than the national average of 15.7:1.
What percentage of students receive free lunch at Cook Jr El?
96.1% of students at Cook Jr El are eligible for free lunch, compared to the Texas average of 61.9%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Cook Jr El?
The largest demographic group at Cook Jr El is Hispanic or Latino at 51.7% of enrollment, in Houston, TX. Its student body is more racially and ethnically mixed than most US schools, with a diversity index of 52.7/100.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Cook Jr El?
Cook Jr El has a Resource Investment Index of 29/100 (lower 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 Cook Jr El rank among schools in Houston?
By Resource Investment Index, Cook Jr El ranks #375 of 435 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 schools in Houston on the city page.
Is Cook Jr El a good school?
Cook Jr El earns 29/100 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 Houston Isd?
Besides Cook Jr El, 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.