Enrollment
246
Texas · 2024-25 NCES data
Other / mixed grade configuration · Houston, TX
De Zavala El
Federal NCES profile for De Zavala El, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators - Resource Investment Index 41/100.
2024-25 NCES dataOther / mixed grade configurationNCES 482364002437
👥 S:T ratio 53
🌟 Gifted program 70
📋 Attendance 0
Scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC indicators, resource allocation, not test scores. Full methodology →
The verdict
De Zavala El earns 41/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes smaller than 79% of Texas schools. It is also less racially and ethnically mixed than most Texas schools.
- #200 of 435
- schools in Houston · Resource Index
- 41
- Resource Index · Typical
- 11.7:1
- small classes for Texas
- 89.7%
- free-lunch eligible
De Zavala El has class sizes smaller than 79% of Texas schools. Computed live against every Texas school reporting to NCES.
By Resource Investment Index, De Zavala El ranks #200 of 435 schools in Houston, TX.
School address
Teachers (FTE)
21.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
11.7:1
vs 14.7:1 Texas avg
-20% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
89.7%
vs 61.9% Texas avg
+45% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How De Zavala El compares with Texas and U.S. medians
What stands out at De Zavala El
De Zavala El is a high-poverty, mid-sized combined-grade school in Houston, Texas, enrolling 246 students.
Class sizes run a bit leaner than typical: 11.7:1 puts it in the smaller third of Texas schools by student-teacher ratio.
Economic need is high: 89.7% of students qualify for free meals, 45% above the Texas average, a Title I-weighted population that federal funding formulas prioritise.
Enrollment of 246 puts it in the smaller third of Texas schools by headcount.
Its Resource Investment Index sits near the middle of the pack among 8,960 scored Texas schools.
Against 585 statewide peers matched on enrollment and economic need, it ranks mid-pack at #348.
Its student body is predominantly Hispanic or Latino (98% of enrollment), among the less diverse in the state (diversity index 5/100).
Chronic absenteeism is elevated: 76.4% 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 De Zavala 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 De Zavala El compares
De Zavala 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 | 11.7:1 | ▼ 20% | 14.7:1 | 15.7:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 89.7% | ▲ 45% | 61.9% | 51.7% |
| Enrollment | 246 | top 80% | - | - |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25
11.7:1
Leaner classes than 78% of US schools, among the more generously staffed nationally.
246
Bigger than 25% of US schools by enrollment, mid-sized for the country.
Equity indicators (what these measure)
Economic need
89.7%
free-lunch eligible
- 45% 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
11.7:1
students per teacher
- 20% below state mean
Top 21% in Texas - lower ratio than 79% of state schools
Well under the widely cited 15:1 individualized-attention benchmark, among the leaner class loads nationally.
Engagement
76.4%
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
Counselors0.0 FTE
Student-support staffing from the Civil Rights Data Collection.
Discipline context
1
in-school suspensions + 0 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 0.4 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 97.6%
African American 1.2%
White 0.8%
Asian 0.4%
Largest group: Hispanic or Latino at 97.6% of enrollment.
Student-body diversity index 4.7/100
Simpson diversity index - at 4.7, De Zavala El is less 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 De Zavala 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 De Zavala 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 De Zavala 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 (~246 students)
Similar student-teacher ratio (~11.7:1)
Next steps
Verify locally before acting on De Zavala El's federal record.
- Compare De Zavala 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 De Zavala El
How many students attend De Zavala El?
De Zavala El has 246 students enrolled. It is a public school in Houston, TX.
What is the student-teacher ratio at De Zavala El?
The student-teacher ratio at De Zavala El is 11.7:1, which is 20% lower than the Texas average of 14.7:1 and 25% lower than the national average of 15.7:1. Lower ratios generally mean more individual attention per student.
What percentage of students receive free lunch at De Zavala El?
89.7% of students at De Zavala El are eligible for free lunch, compared to the Texas average of 61.9%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of De Zavala El?
The largest demographic group at De Zavala El is Hispanic or Latino at 97.6% of enrollment, in Houston, TX.
What is the Resource Investment Index for De Zavala El?
De Zavala El has a Resource Investment Index of 41/100 (typical reported resources relative to schools nationally) based on 3 factors: student-teacher ratio, attendance rates. Not a test-score or academic measure (national median ~41/100, see methodology).
How does De Zavala El rank among schools in Houston?
By Resource Investment Index, De Zavala El ranks #200 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 De Zavala El a good school?
De Zavala El earns 41/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes smaller than 79% 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 Houston Isd?
Besides De Zavala 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.