Enrollment
631
Texas · 2024-25 NCES data
Other / mixed grade configuration · Mcallen, TX
Donna Wernecke El
Federal NCES profile for Donna Wernecke El, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators - Resource Investment Index 47/100.
2024-25 NCES dataOther / mixed grade configurationNCES 483993011430
👥 S:T ratio 41
🌟 Gifted program 70
🎓 Counselors 37
📋 Attendance 38
Scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC indicators, resource allocation, not test scores. Full methodology →
The verdict
Donna Wernecke El earns 47/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes near the Texas median. It is also less racially and ethnically mixed than most Texas schools.
- #15 of 31
- schools in Mcallen · Resource Index
- 47
- Resource Index · Typical
- 14.7:1
- students per teacher
- 57.5%
- free-lunch eligible
Donna Wernecke El has class sizes near the Texas median. Computed live against every Texas school reporting to NCES.
By Resource Investment Index, Donna Wernecke El ranks #15 of 31 schools in Mcallen, TX.
School address
Teachers (FTE)
43.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
14.7:1
vs 14.7:1 Texas avg
+0% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
57.5%
vs 61.9% Texas avg
-7% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Donna Wernecke El compares with Texas and U.S. medians
What stands out at Donna Wernecke El
Donna Wernecke El is a higher-need, mid-sized combined-grade school in Mcallen, Texas, enrolling 631 students.
At 14.7:1, its student-teacher ratio sits close to the Texas median, within a few percentage points of the 14.7:1 state norm, neither notably crowded nor notably small.
Its free-meal eligibility rate of 57.5% lands close to the Texas typical range, neither a high- nor low-need campus by this measure.
Enrollment of 631 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 1,507 statewide peers matched on enrollment and economic need, it ranks in the upper tier at #338.
Its student body is predominantly Hispanic or Latino (95% of enrollment), among the less diverse in the state (diversity index 10/100).
Counselor coverage runs a bit thin, about 316 students per counselor, somewhat past the ASCA-recommended 250:1 benchmark.
Attendance runs somewhat below the norm, with 24.7% of students chronically absent per the 2021-22 civil-rights collection.
Its district draws 21.0% of revenue from federal sources, an above-typical federal share that tends to track a higher-need student population.
Sharyland Isd also operates Sharyland H S (1,527 students) and Sharyland Pioneer H S (1,511 students) alongside Donna Wernecke 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 Donna Wernecke El compares
Donna Wernecke 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 | 14.7:1 | ▼ 0% | 14.7:1 | 15.7:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 57.5% | ▼ 7% | 61.9% | 51.7% |
| Enrollment | 631 | top 34% | - | - |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25
14.7:1
Leaner classes than 50% of US schools, a middle-of-the-pack class size.
631
Bigger than 75% of US schools by enrollment, mid-sized for the country.
Equity indicators (what these measure)
Economic need
57.5%
free-lunch eligible
- 7% below the Texas average of 61.9%
Above the 40% Title I schoolwide threshold; federal funds support the whole school, not individual students.
Staffing depth
14.7:1
students per teacher
- 0% above state mean
Top 56% in Texas - lower ratio than 44% of state schools
Close to the 15:1 benchmark most often cited for individualized attention.
Engagement
24.7%
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
$12,168
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 316 students, the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
Discipline context
18
in-school suspensions + 3 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 2.9 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 3.3 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 94.6%
White 3.6%
American Indian / Alaska Native 1.1%
Two or More 0.6%
Largest group: Hispanic or Latino at 94.6% of enrollment.
Student-body diversity index 10.4/100
Simpson diversity index - at 10.4, Donna Wernecke El is less mixed than the Texas school average of 44.7.
Programs
Gifted & talented Yes
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Sharyland Isd, which includes Donna Wernecke El.
$12,168
Per student
-11%
vs Texas
Avg $13,644
-27%
vs U.S.
Avg $16,593
Revenue mix
Local 35.0%
State 43.9%
Federal 21.0%
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 Donna Wernecke El Compares to District-Mates
| School | Enrollment | Economic Profile | Student-Teacher Ratio |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sharyland H S | Larger | Lower economic need | Similar S:T ratio |
| Sharyland Pioneer H S | Larger | Similar economic need | Similar S:T ratio |
| Sharyland North J H | Larger | Higher economic need | Similar S:T ratio |
| B L Gray J H | Similar size | Similar economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| John H Shary El | Similar size | Similar economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
Comparisons are relative to Donna Wernecke El's own figures; each column derives from NCES Common Core of Data.
Other Schools in This District
- Enrollment
- 1,527
- Students per teacher
- 13.5:1
- Resource Index
- 52/100
- Enrollment
- 1,511
- Students per teacher
- 15.4:1
- Resource Index
- 45/100
- Enrollment
- 791
- Students per teacher
- 15.2:1
- Resource Index
- 39/100
- Enrollment
- 775
- Students per teacher
- 16.8:1
- Resource Index
- 45/100
- Enrollment
- 652
- Students per teacher
- 16.7:1
- Resource Index
- 47/100
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 (~631 students)
Similar student-teacher ratio (~14.7:1)
Next steps
Verify locally before acting on Donna Wernecke El's federal record.
- Compare Donna Wernecke El against another school. Compare schools
- Sharyland 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 Donna Wernecke El
How many students attend Donna Wernecke El?
Donna Wernecke El has 631 students enrolled. It is a public school in Mcallen, TX.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Donna Wernecke El?
The student-teacher ratio at Donna Wernecke El is 14.7:1, which is 0% higher than the Texas average of 14.7:1 and 6% lower than the national average of 15.7:1.
What percentage of students receive free lunch at Donna Wernecke El?
57.5% of students at Donna Wernecke El are eligible for free lunch, compared to the Texas average of 61.9%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Donna Wernecke El?
The largest demographic group at Donna Wernecke El is Hispanic or Latino at 94.6% of enrollment, in Mcallen, TX.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Donna Wernecke El?
Donna Wernecke El has a Resource Investment Index of 47/100 (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 Donna Wernecke El rank among schools in Mcallen?
By Resource Investment Index, Donna Wernecke El ranks #15 of 31 schools in Mcallen, TX. This compares federal resource and staffing data among local peers; it is not a test-score or academic ranking. See all schools in Mcallen on the city page.
Is Donna Wernecke El a good school?
Donna Wernecke El earns 47/100 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 Sharyland Isd?
Besides Donna Wernecke El, Sharyland Isd also operates Sharyland H S (1,527 students), Sharyland Pioneer H S (1,511 students), and Sharyland North J H (791 students). See the Sharyland 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.