Enrollment
284
Texas · 2024-25 NCES data
Middle school (grades 6-8) · Houston, TX
Discovery Middle
Federal NCES profile for Discovery Middle, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators - Resource Investment Index 37/100.
2024-25 NCES dataMiddle school (grades 6-8)NCES 480012511234Charter school
👥 S:T ratio 29
🌟 Gifted program 30
📋 Attendance 53
Scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC indicators, resource allocation, not test scores. Full methodology →
The verdict
Discovery Middle earns 37/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes larger than 85% of Texas schools.
- #86 of 116
- middle schools in Houston · Resource Index
- 37
- Resource Index · Typical
- 17.8:1
- large classes for Texas
- 92.8%
- free-lunch eligible
Discovery Middle has class sizes larger than 85% of Texas schools. Computed live against every Texas school reporting to NCES.
By Resource Investment Index, Discovery Middle ranks #86 of 116 middle schools in Houston, TX.
School address
District: Southwest Public Schools · Texas
NCES ID 480012511234 Verify on NCES CCD record →
Teachers (FTE)
16.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
17.8:1
vs 14.7:1 Texas avg
+21% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
92.8%
vs 61.9% Texas avg
+50% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Discovery Middle compares with Texas and U.S. medians
What stands out at Discovery Middle
Discovery Middle is a high-poverty, mid-sized charter middle school in Houston, Texas, enrolling 284 students.
Class loads run somewhat heavier than typical: 17.8:1 puts it in the larger third of Texas schools by student-teacher ratio.
Economic need is high: 92.8% of students qualify for free meals, 50% above the Texas average, a Title I-weighted population that federal funding formulas prioritise.
Enrollment of 284 puts it in the smaller third of Texas schools by headcount.
Its Resource Investment Index lands in the lower third of 8,960 scored Texas schools.
Against 747 statewide peers matched on enrollment and economic need, it ranks mid-pack at #527.
Its student body is predominantly Hispanic or Latino (89% of enrollment) (diversity index 20/100).
Attendance runs somewhat below the norm, with 18.7% of students chronically absent per the 2021-22 civil-rights collection.
Its district draws 27.7% of revenue from federal sources, an above-typical federal share that tends to track a higher-need student population.
Southwest Public Schools also operates Southwest Schools Bissonnet El Campus (526 students) and Southwest Schools Mangum El Campus (487 students) alongside Discovery Middle.
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 Discovery Middle compares
Discovery Middle on the metrics families compare, against Texas and U.S. means.
| Metric | This school | vs Texas | Texas avg | U.S. avg |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Students per teacher | 17.8:1 | ▲ 21% | 14.7:1 | 15.7:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 92.8% | ▲ 50% | 61.9% | 51.7% |
| Enrollment | 284 | top 77% | - | - |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25
17.8:1
Leaner classes than 26% of US schools, heavier class loads than most.
284
Bigger than 30% of US schools by enrollment, mid-sized for the country.
Equity indicators (what these measure)
Economic need
92.8%
free-lunch eligible
- 50% 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
17.8:1
students per teacher
- 21% above state mean
Top 85% in Texas - lower ratio than 15% of state schools
Between 16:1 and 20:1, squarely in the typical U.S. public-school staffing range.
Engagement
18.7%
chronically absent (missed 10%+ of school days)
In the 15-20% range, nearing the "high" absenteeism threshold.
Funding equity
$16,263
per pupil, district-wide
- above Texas avg of $13,644
Close to the U.S. public-school average per-pupil spend.
Support staff
Counselors0.0 FTE
Student-support staffing from the Civil Rights Data Collection.
Discipline context
0
in-school suspensions + 4 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 0.0 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 1.4 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 88.7%
African American 9.5%
White 1.8%
Largest group: Hispanic or Latino at 88.7% of enrollment.
Student-body diversity index 20.4/100
Simpson diversity index - at 20.4, Discovery Middle is less mixed than the Texas school average of 44.7.
Programs
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Southwest Public Schools, which includes Discovery Middle.
$16,263
Per student
+19%
vs Texas
Avg $13,644
-2%
vs U.S.
Avg $16,593
Revenue mix
Local 2.3%
State 70.0%
Federal 27.7%
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 Discovery Middle Compares to District-Mates
| School | Enrollment | Economic Profile | Student-Teacher Ratio |
|---|---|---|---|
| Southwest Schools Bissonnet El Campus | Larger | Similar economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| Southwest Schools Mangum El Campus | Larger | Similar economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| Empowerment H S | Larger | Similar economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| Phoenix School at Southwest Schools | Smaller | Lower economic need | Lower S:T ratio |
Comparisons are relative to Discovery Middle's own figures; each column derives from NCES Common Core of Data.
Other Schools in This District
- Enrollment
- 526
- Students per teacher
- 23.9:1
- Resource Index
- 39/100
- Enrollment
- 487
- Students per teacher
- 24.4:1
- Resource Index
- 33/100
- Enrollment
- 462
- Students per teacher
- 22:1
- Resource Index
- 25/100
- Enrollment
- 107
- Students per teacher
- 5.6:1
- Resource Index
- 55/100
Similar middle 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 (~284 students)
Similar student-teacher ratio (~17.8:1)
Next steps
Verify locally before acting on Discovery Middle's federal record.
- Compare Discovery Middle against another school. Compare schools
- Southwest Public Schools'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 Discovery Middle
How many students attend Discovery Middle?
Discovery Middle has 284 students enrolled. It is a middle school in Houston, TX.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Discovery Middle?
The student-teacher ratio at Discovery Middle is 17.8:1, which is 21% higher than the Texas average of 14.7:1 and 13% higher than the national average of 15.7:1.
What percentage of students receive free lunch at Discovery Middle?
92.8% of students at Discovery Middle are eligible for free lunch, compared to the Texas average of 61.9%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Discovery Middle?
The largest demographic group at Discovery Middle is Hispanic or Latino at 88.7% of enrollment, in Houston, TX.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Discovery Middle?
Discovery Middle has a Resource Investment Index of 37/100 (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 Discovery Middle rank among middle schools in Houston?
By Resource Investment Index, Discovery Middle ranks #86 of 116 middle 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 middle schools in Houston on the city page.
Is Discovery Middle a good school?
Discovery Middle earns 37/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes larger than 85% of 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 Southwest Public Schools?
Besides Discovery Middle, Southwest Public Schools also operates Southwest Schools Bissonnet El Campus (526 students), Southwest Schools Mangum El Campus (487 students), and Empowerment H S (462 students). See the Southwest Public Schools 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.