Enrollment
928
Texas · 2024-25 NCES data
Other / mixed grade configuration · El Paso, TX
Desert Hills El
Federal NCES profile for Desert Hills El, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators - Resource Investment Index 41/100.
2024-25 NCES dataOther / mixed grade configurationNCES 481443006525
👥 S:T ratio 38
🌟 Gifted program 70
🎓 Counselors 7
📋 Attendance 49
Scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC indicators, resource allocation, not test scores. Full methodology →
The verdict
Desert Hills El earns 41/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes near the Texas median. It is also less racially and ethnically mixed than most Texas schools.
- #46 of 129
- schools in El Paso · Resource Index
- 41
- Resource Index · Typical
- 15.5:1
- students per teacher
- 74.9%
- free-lunch eligible
Desert Hills El has class sizes near the Texas median. Computed live against every Texas school reporting to NCES.
By Resource Investment Index, Desert Hills El ranks #46 of 129 schools in El Paso, TX.
School address
Teachers (FTE)
60.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
15.5:1
vs 14.7:1 Texas avg
+5% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
74.9%
vs 61.9% Texas avg
+21% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Desert Hills El compares with Texas and U.S. medians
What stands out at Desert Hills El
Desert Hills El is a higher-need, large combined-grade school in El Paso, Texas, enrolling 928 students.
Class loads run somewhat heavier than typical: 15.5:1 puts it in the larger third of Texas schools by student-teacher ratio.
Economic need runs somewhat above the state's typical profile, with 74.9% of students eligible for free meals.
Enrollment of 928 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 1,331 statewide peers matched on enrollment and economic need, it ranks in the upper tier at #477.
Its student body is predominantly Hispanic or Latino (94% of enrollment), among the less diverse in the state (diversity index 11/100).
Counselor access is stretched at roughly 464 students per counselor, well above the ASCA-recommended 250:1 ceiling.
Attendance runs somewhat below the norm, with 20.3% of students chronically absent per the 2021-22 civil-rights collection.
Its district draws 24.6% of revenue from federal sources, an above-typical federal share that tends to track a higher-need student population.
Clint Isd also operates Horizon H S (1,469 students) and Frank Macias El (975 students) alongside Desert Hills 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 Desert Hills El compares
Desert Hills 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 | 15.5:1 | ▲ 5% | 14.7:1 | 15.7:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 74.9% | ▲ 21% | 61.9% | 51.7% |
| Enrollment | 928 | top 13% | - | - |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25
15.5:1
Leaner classes than 42% of US schools, a middle-of-the-pack class size.
928
Bigger than 90% of US schools by enrollment, a large campus nationally.
Equity indicators (what these measure)
Economic need
74.9%
free-lunch eligible
- 21% 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
15.5:1
students per teacher
- 5% above state mean
Top 65% in Texas - lower ratio than 35% of state schools
Close to the 15:1 benchmark most often cited for individualized attention.
Engagement
20.3%
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
$13,035
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 464 students, the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
Discipline context
9
in-school suspensions + 1 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 1.0 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 1.1 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 94.3%
White 3.8%
African American 1.1%
Two or More 0.6%
American Indian / Alaska Native 0.2%
Largest group: Hispanic or Latino at 94.3% of enrollment.
Student-body diversity index 10.9/100
Simpson diversity index - at 10.9, Desert Hills El is less mixed than the Texas school average of 44.7.
Programs
Gifted & talented Yes
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Clint Isd, which includes Desert Hills El.
$13,035
Per student
-4%
vs Texas
Avg $13,644
-21%
vs U.S.
Avg $16,593
Revenue mix
Local 15.4%
State 60.1%
Federal 24.6%
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 Desert Hills El Compares to District-Mates
| School | Enrollment | Economic Profile | Student-Teacher Ratio |
|---|---|---|---|
| Horizon H S | Larger | Similar economic need | Lower S:T ratio |
| Frank Macias El | Similar size | Similar economic need | Similar S:T ratio |
| Wm David Surratt El | Similar size | Similar economic need | Similar S:T ratio |
| Mountain View H S | Similar size | Similar economic need | Lower S:T ratio |
| Clint H S | Similar size | Similar economic need | Similar S:T ratio |
Comparisons are relative to Desert Hills El's own figures; each column derives from NCES Common Core of Data.
Other Schools in This District
- Enrollment
- 1,469
- Students per teacher
- 13.9:1
- Resource Index
- 39/100
- Enrollment
- 975
- Students per teacher
- 16:1
- Resource Index
- 41/100
- Enrollment
- 939
- Students per teacher
- 15.7:1
- Resource Index
- 45/100
- Enrollment
- 775
- Students per teacher
- 13.1:1
- Resource Index
- 36/100
- Enrollment
- 747
- Students per teacher
- 16.6:1
- Resource Index
- 41/100
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 (~928 students)
Similar student-teacher ratio (~15.5:1)
Next steps
Verify locally before acting on Desert Hills El's federal record.
- Compare Desert Hills El against another school. Compare schools
- Clint 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 Desert Hills El
How many students attend Desert Hills El?
Desert Hills El has 928 students enrolled. It is a public school in El Paso, TX.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Desert Hills El?
The student-teacher ratio at Desert Hills El is 15.5:1, which is 5% 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 Desert Hills El?
74.9% of students at Desert Hills El are eligible for free lunch, compared to the Texas average of 61.9%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Desert Hills El?
The largest demographic group at Desert Hills El is Hispanic or Latino at 94.3% of enrollment, in El Paso, TX.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Desert Hills El?
Desert Hills El has a Resource Investment Index of 41/100 (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 Desert Hills El rank among schools in El Paso?
By Resource Investment Index, Desert Hills El ranks #46 of 129 schools in El Paso, TX. This compares federal resource and staffing data among local peers; it is not a test-score or academic ranking. See all schools in El Paso on the city page.
Is Desert Hills El a good school?
Desert Hills El earns 41/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes near the Texas median. 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 Clint Isd?
Besides Desert Hills El, Clint Isd also operates Horizon H S (1,469 students), Frank Macias El (975 students), and Wm David Surratt El (939 students). See the Clint 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.