Enrollment
500
Texas · 2024-25 NCES data
Other / mixed grade configuration · Amarillo, TX
Emerson El
Federal NCES profile for Emerson El, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators - Resource Investment Index 31/100.
2024-25 NCES dataOther / mixed grade configurationNCES 480813000154
👥 S:T ratio 39
🌟 Gifted program 70
🎓 Counselors 0
📋 Attendance 14
Scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC indicators, resource allocation, not test scores. Full methodology →
The verdict
Emerson El earns 31/100 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 46
- schools in Amarillo · Resource Index
- 31
- Resource Index · Lower
- 15.2:1
- students per teacher
- 91.5%
- free-lunch eligible
Emerson El has class sizes near the Texas median. Computed live against every Texas school reporting to NCES.
By Resource Investment Index, Emerson El ranks #46 of 46 schools in Amarillo, TX.
School address
Teachers (FTE)
33.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
15.2:1
vs 14.7:1 Texas avg
+3% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
91.5%
vs 61.9% Texas avg
+48% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Emerson El compares with Texas and U.S. medians
What stands out at Emerson El
Emerson El is a high-poverty, mid-sized combined-grade school in Amarillo, Texas, enrolling 500 students.
Class loads run somewhat heavier than typical: 15.2:1 puts it in the larger third of Texas schools by student-teacher ratio.
Economic need is high: 91.5% of students qualify for free meals, 48% above the Texas average, a Title I-weighted population that federal funding formulas prioritise.
With 500 students, its enrollment sits close to the Texas median campus size.
Its Resource Investment Index lands in the lower third of 8,960 scored Texas schools.
Among 1,780 similarly sized, similarly resourced-need Texas schools statewide, it ranks #1,390, in the lower tier once campus size and economic need are matched.
Its student body is predominantly Hispanic or Latino (90% of enrollment), among the less diverse in the state (diversity index 19/100).
Counselor access is stretched at roughly 500 students per counselor, well above the ASCA-recommended 250:1 ceiling.
Chronic absenteeism is elevated: 34.4% of students missed 10% or more of school days (2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection).
Its district draws 20.1% of revenue from federal sources, an above-typical federal share that tends to track a higher-need student population.
Amarillo Isd also operates Tascosa H S (2,176 students) and Amarillo H S (2,161 students) alongside Emerson 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 Emerson El compares
Emerson 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 | 15.2:1 | ▲ 3% | 14.7:1 | 15.7:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 91.5% | ▲ 48% | 61.9% | 51.7% |
| Enrollment | 500 | top 50% | - | - |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25
15.2:1
Leaner classes than 45% of US schools, a middle-of-the-pack class size.
500
Bigger than 62% of US schools by enrollment, mid-sized for the country.
Equity indicators (what these measure)
Economic need
91.5%
free-lunch eligible
- 48% 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
15.2:1
students per teacher
- 3% above state mean
Top 62% in Texas - lower ratio than 38% of state schools
Close to the 15:1 benchmark most often cited for individualized attention.
Engagement
34.4%
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
$11,667
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
Counselors1.0 FTE
Per 500 students, the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
Discipline context
22
in-school suspensions + 2 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 4.4 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 4.8 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 90.0%
White 5.4%
African American 2.8%
Two or More 1.0%
Asian 0.8%
Largest group: Hispanic or Latino at 90.0% of enrollment.
Student-body diversity index 18.6/100
Simpson diversity index - at 18.6, Emerson El is less mixed than the Texas school average of 44.7.
Programs
Gifted & talented Yes
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Amarillo Isd, which includes Emerson El.
$11,667
Per student
-14%
vs Texas
Avg $13,644
-30%
vs U.S.
Avg $16,593
Revenue mix
Local 30.4%
State 49.5%
Federal 20.1%
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 Emerson El Compares to District-Mates
| School | Enrollment | Economic Profile | Student-Teacher Ratio |
|---|---|---|---|
| Tascosa H S | Larger | Lower economic need | Similar S:T ratio |
| Amarillo H S | Larger | Lower economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| Caprock H S | Larger | Lower economic need | Similar S:T ratio |
| Palo Duro H S | Larger | Lower economic need | Similar S:T ratio |
| Bonham Middle | Larger | Lower economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
Comparisons are relative to Emerson El's own figures; each column derives from NCES Common Core of Data.
Other Schools in This District
- Enrollment
- 2,176
- Students per teacher
- 16.5:1
- Resource Index
- 29/100
- Enrollment
- 2,161
- Students per teacher
- 17.2:1
- Resource Index
- 39/100
- Enrollment
- 2,058
- Students per teacher
- 15.6:1
- Resource Index
- 27/100
- Enrollment
- 1,949
- Students per teacher
- 15.5:1
- Resource Index
- 33/100
- Enrollment
- 892
- Students per teacher
- 19:1
- 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 (~500 students)
Similar student-teacher ratio (~15.2:1)
Next steps
Verify locally before acting on Emerson El's federal record.
- Compare Emerson El against another school. Compare schools
- Amarillo 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 Emerson El
How many students attend Emerson El?
Emerson El has 500 students enrolled. It is a public school in Amarillo, TX.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Emerson El?
The student-teacher ratio at Emerson El is 15.2:1, which is 3% higher than the Texas average of 14.7:1 and 3% lower than the national average of 15.7:1.
What percentage of students receive free lunch at Emerson El?
91.5% of students at Emerson El are eligible for free lunch, compared to the Texas average of 61.9%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Emerson El?
The largest demographic group at Emerson El is Hispanic or Latino at 90.0% of enrollment, in Amarillo, TX.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Emerson El?
Emerson El has a Resource Investment Index of 31/100 (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 Emerson El rank among schools in Amarillo?
By Resource Investment Index, Emerson El ranks #46 of 46 schools in Amarillo, TX. This compares federal resource and staffing data among local peers; it is not a test-score or academic ranking. See all schools in Amarillo on the city page.
Is Emerson El a good school?
Emerson El earns 31/100 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 Amarillo Isd?
Besides Emerson El, Amarillo Isd also operates Tascosa H S (2,176 students), Amarillo H S (2,161 students), and Caprock H S (2,058 students). See the Amarillo 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.