Enrollment
583
Texas · 2024-25 NCES data
Other / mixed grade configuration · Mission, TX
Dr Maria Palmira Mendiola El
Federal NCES profile for Dr Maria Palmira Mendiola El, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators - Resource Investment Index 25/100.
2024-25 NCES dataOther / mixed grade configurationNCES 482613011440
👥 S:T ratio 29
🌟 Gifted program 70
🎓 Counselors 0
📋 Attendance 0
Scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC indicators, resource allocation, not test scores. Full methodology →
The verdict
Dr Maria Palmira Mendiola El earns 25/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes larger than 84% of Texas schools. It is also less racially and ethnically mixed than most Texas schools.
- #33 of 37
- schools in Mission · Resource Index
- 25
- Resource Index · Lower
- 17.7:1
- large classes for Texas
- 96.5%
- free-lunch eligible
Dr Maria Palmira Mendiola El has class sizes larger than 84% of Texas schools. Computed live against every Texas school reporting to NCES.
By Resource Investment Index, Dr Maria Palmira Mendiola El ranks #33 of 37 schools in Mission, TX.
School address
Teachers (FTE)
33.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
17.7:1
vs 14.7:1 Texas avg
+20% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
96.5%
vs 61.9% Texas avg
+56% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Dr Maria Palmira Mendiola El compares with Texas and U.S. medians
What stands out at Dr Maria Palmira Mendiola El
Dr Maria Palmira Mendiola El is a high-poverty, mid-sized combined-grade school in Mission, Texas, enrolling 583 students.
Class loads run somewhat heavier than typical: 17.7:1 puts it in the larger third of Texas schools by student-teacher ratio.
Economic need is high: 96.5% of students qualify for free meals, 56% above the Texas average, a Title I-weighted population that federal funding formulas prioritise.
With 583 students, its enrollment sits close to the Texas median campus size.
Its Resource Investment Index trails 96% of the 8,960 Texas schools with a score on record, one of the lower results on this measure.
Among 1,484 similarly sized, similarly resourced-need Texas schools statewide, it ranks #1,344, in the lower tier once campus size and economic need are matched.
Its student body is predominantly Hispanic or Latino (100% of enrollment), among the less diverse in the state (diversity index 0/100).
Counselor access is stretched at roughly 583 students per counselor, well above the ASCA-recommended 250:1 ceiling.
Chronic absenteeism is elevated: 43.6% of students missed 10% or more of school days (2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection).
Its district draws 31.6% of revenue from federal sources, an above-typical federal share that tends to track a higher-need student population.
La Joya Isd also operates La Joya H S (2,405 students) and La Joya Palmview H S (2,073 students) alongside Dr Maria Palmira Mendiola 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 Dr Maria Palmira Mendiola El compares
Dr Maria Palmira Mendiola 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 | 17.7:1 | ▲ 20% | 14.7:1 | 15.7:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 96.5% | ▲ 56% | 61.9% | 51.7% |
| Enrollment | 583 | top 39% | - | - |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25
17.7:1
Leaner classes than 26% of US schools, heavier class loads than most.
583
Bigger than 71% of US schools by enrollment, mid-sized for the country.
Equity indicators (what these measure)
Economic need
96.5%
free-lunch eligible
- 56% 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
17.7:1
students per teacher
- 20% above state mean
Top 84% in Texas - lower ratio than 16% of state schools
Between 16:1 and 20:1, squarely in the typical U.S. public-school staffing range.
Engagement
43.6%
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
$15,142
per pupil, district-wide
- above Texas avg of $13,644
Somewhat below the U.S. average per-pupil spend; funding constraints may affect programs, facilities, and staffing.
Support staff
Counselors1.0 FTE
Per 583 students, the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
Discipline context
8
in-school suspensions + 0 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 1.4 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 100.0%
Largest group: Hispanic or Latino at 100.0% of enrollment.
Student-body diversity index 0.0/100
Simpson diversity index - at 0.0, Dr Maria Palmira Mendiola El is less mixed than the Texas school average of 44.7.
Programs
Gifted & talented Yes
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for La Joya Isd, which includes Dr Maria Palmira Mendiola El.
$15,142
Per student
+11%
vs Texas
Avg $13,644
-9%
vs U.S.
Avg $16,593
Revenue mix
Local 10.3%
State 58.1%
Federal 31.6%
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 Dr Maria Palmira Mendiola El Compares to District-Mates
| School | Enrollment | Economic Profile | Student-Teacher Ratio |
|---|---|---|---|
| La Joya H S | Larger | Similar economic need | Lower S:T ratio |
| La Joya Palmview H S | Larger | Similar economic need | Lower S:T ratio |
| Juarez-Lincoln H S | Larger | Similar economic need | Lower S:T ratio |
| Enrique Kiki Camarena El | Similar size | Lower economic need | Similar S:T ratio |
| John F Kennedy El | Similar size | Similar economic need | Similar S:T ratio |
Comparisons are relative to Dr Maria Palmira Mendiola El's own figures; each column derives from NCES Common Core of Data.
Other Schools in This District
- Enrollment
- 2,405
- Students per teacher
- 11.3:1
- Resource Index
- 59/100
- Enrollment
- 2,073
- Students per teacher
- 13.8:1
- Resource Index
- 56/100
- Enrollment
- 1,952
- Students per teacher
- 12.1:1
- Resource Index
- 61/100
- Enrollment
- 715
- Students per teacher
- 18.8:1
- Resource Index
- 36/100
- Enrollment
- 676
- Students per teacher
- 16.9:1
- Resource Index
- 28/100
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 (~583 students)
Next steps
Verify locally before acting on Dr Maria Palmira Mendiola El's federal record.
- Compare Dr Maria Palmira Mendiola El against another school. Compare schools
- La Joya 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 Dr Maria Palmira Mendiola El
How many students attend Dr Maria Palmira Mendiola El?
Dr Maria Palmira Mendiola El has 583 students enrolled. It is a public school in Mission, TX.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Dr Maria Palmira Mendiola El?
The student-teacher ratio at Dr Maria Palmira Mendiola El is 17.7:1, which is 20% 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 Dr Maria Palmira Mendiola El?
96.5% of students at Dr Maria Palmira Mendiola El are eligible for free lunch, compared to the Texas average of 61.9%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Dr Maria Palmira Mendiola El?
The largest demographic group at Dr Maria Palmira Mendiola El is Hispanic or Latino at 100.0% of enrollment, in Mission, TX.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Dr Maria Palmira Mendiola El?
Dr Maria Palmira Mendiola El has a Resource Investment Index of 25/100 (lower 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 Dr Maria Palmira Mendiola El rank among schools in Mission?
By Resource Investment Index, Dr Maria Palmira Mendiola El ranks #33 of 37 schools in Mission, TX. This compares federal resource and staffing data among local peers; it is not a test-score or academic ranking. See all schools in Mission on the city page.
Is Dr Maria Palmira Mendiola El a good school?
Dr Maria Palmira Mendiola El earns 25/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes larger than 84% 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 La Joya Isd?
Besides Dr Maria Palmira Mendiola El, La Joya Isd also operates La Joya H S (2,405 students), La Joya Palmview H S (2,073 students), and Juarez-Lincoln H S (1,952 students). See the La Joya 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.