Enrollment
802
Texas · 2024-25 NCES data
2024-25 NCES data Middle school (grades 6-8) NCES 482025005724
Cunningham Middle — Houston, TX
Federal NCES profile for Cunningham Middle, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators — Resource Investment Index 37/100.
👥 Class size 44
🌟 Gifted program 70
🎓 Counselors 20
📋 Attendance 15
How this works: Each indicator above is scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC data, then averaged into the Resource Investment Index. This measures resource allocation — staffing, programs, and support services — not standardized test scores or academic outcomes. Full methodology →
School address
District: Galena Park Isd · Texas
Public location data per NCES (National Center for Education Statistics) Common Core of Data. Verify the school's current address on the NCES CCD record.
Teachers (FTE)
67.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
13.9:1
vs 14.6:1 Texas avg
-5% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
86.6%
vs 61.9% Texas avg
+40% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Cunningham Middle compares with Texas and U.S. medians
The federal record — no proprietary index, no editorial formula.
PlainSchools publishes the actual federal measurements — enrollment, staffing, demographics, discipline, and finance — straight from the NCES Common Core of Data, CRDC, and F-33 surveys. No composite rating, no opinion-based score on top. You get the same raw numbers researchers and policymakers use, with benchmarks, spending context, and equity indicators computed from the same federal datasets. Full methodology linked below.
What this school's NCES data tells you
Cunningham Middle reports 802 enrolled students to the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) alongside 67.0 full-time-equivalent teachers, producing a 13.9:1 student-teacher ratio. That figure sits 5% below the Texas state mean of 14.6:1, signalling more teacher attention per pupil than the state benchmark. Against the national 2024-25 average of 15.9:1, it is 13% lower, a useful calibration for families comparing districts across state lines.
Title I and federal lunch eligibility offer another window into the student body: 86.6% of pupils qualify for free meals, a proxy for household income that federal programs use to direct funding. The free-lunch share is 40% above the Texas average and 67% above the national baseline. Counselor coverage works out to roughly 401 students per counselor, above the ASCA-recommended ceiling of 250:1. Chronic absenteeism — missing 10% or more of school days — stands at 33.9% according to the 2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection.
On the finance side, the surrounding Galena Park Isd spends $15,150 per pupil district-wide, below the Texas average of $17,150 and below the national average of $19,490. Revenue comes 44.7% from local sources (property taxes), 37.0% from the state, and 18.3% from federal programs per the NCES F-33 finance survey. Taken together, these measurements produce a Resource Investment Index of 37/100 (F), calculated from 4 distinct NCES and CRDC indicators measuring resource allocation rather than academic outcomes.
Source: National Center for Education Statistics Common Core of Data + CRDC + F-33 · 2024-25
How Cunningham Middle compares
Cross-validating school-level NCES values against Texas state and U.S. national means lets readers see whether this school is an outlier or in line with peers.
| Metric | This school | vs Texas | Texas avg | U.S. avg |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Students per teacher | 13.9:1 | ▼ 5% | 14.6:1 | 15.9:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 86.6% | ▲ 40% | 61.9% | 51.8% |
| Enrollment | 802 | top 81% | — | — |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25
What the federal data reveals about equity at this school
Federal measurements — not ratings — surface the resource and opportunity picture. Below are the indicators that researchers, civil-rights monitors, and funding formulas use to assess equity.
Economic need
86.6%
free-lunch eligible
— 40% 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
13.9:1
students per teacher
— 5% below state mean
Top 39% in Texas — lower ratio than 61% of state schools
Below the 15:1 benchmark — typical of schools with smaller class sizes and more individualized attention.
Engagement
33.9%
chronically absent (missed 10%+ of school days)
Chronic absenteeism at or above 20% — the CDC threshold for "high" — signals significant barriers to regular attendance.
Funding equity
$15,150
per pupil, district-wide
— below Texas avg of $17,150
Below the U.S. average per-pupil spend — funding constraints may affect programs, facilities, and staffing.
Support staff
Counselors2.0 FTE
Per 401 students — the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
Discipline context
291
in-school suspensions + 184 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 36.3 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 59.2 per 100 students. Reported via the Civil Rights Data Collection.
Overview
Enrollment 802 Top 81% in Texas — larger than 19% of 9,061 state schools
Teachers (FTE) 67.0
Students per teacher 13.9:1 -5% vs state
Free-lunch eligible 86.6% +40% vs state
NCES ID 482025005724
Student demographics
Hispanic or Latino 61.3%
African American 34.4%
White 2.6%
Two or More 1.0%
Asian 0.4%
American Indian / Alaska Native 0.2%
Largest group: Hispanic or Latino at 61.3% of enrollment.
Programs & staff
Gifted & talented Yes
Counselors (FTE) 2.0
Students per counselor 401:1
Discipline & special education
Chronically absent 33.9%
In-school suspensions 291
Out-of-school suspensions 184
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Galena Park Isd, which includes Cunningham Middle.
$15,150
Per student
-12%
vs Texas
Avg $17,150
-22%
vs U.S.
Avg $19,490
Revenue mix
Local 44.7%
State 37.0%
Federal 18.3%
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.
Other Schools in This District
- Enrollment
- 4,284
- Students per teacher
- 15.4:1
- Enrollment
- 1,815
- Students per teacher
- 16.1:1
- Enrollment
- 1,299
- Students per teacher
- 14.5:1
- Enrollment
- 991
- Students per teacher
- 13.4:1
- Enrollment
- 965
- Students per teacher
- 16.4:1
Similar middle schools in Houston
6 comparable middle schools (grades 6-8) serving the same city.
Lanier Middle
Standard public school
1,485 students 20.2:1 students per teacher
Aragon Middle
Standard public school
1,424 students 16.3:1 students per teacher
Burbank Middle
Standard public school
1,412 students 18.2:1 students per teacher
Cook Middle
Standard public school
1,375 students 15.7:1 students per teacher
Black Middle
Standard public school
1,364 students 19:1 students per teacher
C E King Middle
Standard public school
1,359 students 16.8:1 students per teacher
Educator & family resources
In-depth guides on understanding NCES data, school choice, and education funding.
Understanding NCES data
How CCD, CRDC and EDFacts feed every public-school number you see.
Choose a school district
Eight signals that matter more than the overall ranking number.
How schools are funded
Title I, F-33, state aid formulas and what per-pupil spending really means.
Chronic absenteeism
Why missing 10% of school matters and how it varies by district.
Magnet vs charter vs traditional
Three school types, three funding models, three sets of trade-offs.
School discipline data
What CRDC suspension and expulsion records do and don't reveal.
Frequently asked questions about Cunningham Middle
How many students attend Cunningham Middle?
Cunningham Middle has 802 students enrolled. It is a middle school in HOUSTON, TX.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Cunningham Middle?
The student-teacher ratio at Cunningham Middle is 13.9:1, which is 5% lower than the Texas average of 14.6:1 and 13% lower than the national average of 15.9:1. Lower ratios generally mean more individual attention per student.
What percentage of students receive free lunch at Cunningham Middle?
86.6% of students at Cunningham Middle are eligible for free lunch, compared to the Texas average of 61.9%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Cunningham Middle?
The largest demographic group at Cunningham Middle is Hispanic or Latino at 61.3%. The school serves a diverse student body in HOUSTON, TX.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Cunningham Middle?
Cunningham Middle has a Resource Investment Index of 37/100 (F) based on 4 factors: student-teacher ratio, counselor availability, attendance rates. This index measures federal resource allocation — staffing levels, program availability, and support services — not standardized test scores or academic outcomes.