Enrollment
857
Texas · 2024-25 NCES data
Other / mixed grade configuration · Spring, TX
Ford El
Federal NCES profile for Ford El, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators - Resource Investment Index 40/100.
2024-25 NCES dataOther / mixed grade configurationNCES 481500000997
👥 S:T ratio 41
🌟 Gifted program 70
🎓 Counselors 14
📋 Attendance 34
Scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC indicators, resource allocation, not test scores. Full methodology →
The verdict
Ford El earns 40/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes near the Texas median.
- #15 of 25
- schools in Spring · Resource Index
- 40
- Resource Index · Typical
- 14.8:1
- students per teacher
- 59.6%
- free-lunch eligible
Ford El has class sizes near the Texas median. Computed live against every Texas school reporting to NCES.
By Resource Investment Index, Ford El ranks #15 of 25 schools in Spring, TX.
School address
Teachers (FTE)
58.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
14.8:1
vs 14.7:1 Texas avg
+1% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
59.6%
vs 61.9% Texas avg
-4% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Ford El compares with Texas and U.S. medians
What stands out at Ford El
Ford El is a higher-need, mid-sized combined-grade school in Spring, Texas, enrolling 857 students.
At 14.8:1, 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 59.6% lands close to the Texas typical range, neither a high- nor low-need campus by this measure.
Enrollment of 857 puts it in the larger third of Texas schools by headcount.
Its Resource Investment Index lands in the lower third of 8,960 scored Texas schools.
Against 1,203 statewide peers matched on enrollment and economic need, it ranks mid-pack at #613.
Its student body is led by Hispanic or Latino (54%) and African American (22%) (diversity index 62/100).
Counselor access is stretched at roughly 429 students per counselor, well above the ASCA-recommended 250:1 ceiling.
Chronic absenteeism is elevated: 26.6% of students missed 10% or more of school days (2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection).
The surrounding Conroe Isd spends $9,973 per pupil, 27% below the Texas average, a leaner-resourced district than most.
Conroe Isd also operates Conroe H S (5,252 students) and The Woodlands H S (4,444 students) alongside Ford 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 Ford El compares
Ford 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 | 14.8:1 | ▲ 1% | 14.7:1 | 15.7:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 59.6% | ▼ 4% | 61.9% | 51.7% |
| Enrollment | 857 | top 16% | - | - |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25
14.8:1
Leaner classes than 49% of US schools, a middle-of-the-pack class size.
857
Bigger than 88% of US schools by enrollment, a large campus nationally.
Equity indicators (what these measure)
Economic need
59.6%
free-lunch eligible
- 4% 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
14.8:1
students per teacher
- 1% above state mean
Top 57% in Texas - lower ratio than 43% of state schools
Close to the 15:1 benchmark most often cited for individualized attention.
Engagement
26.6%
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
$9,973
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 429 students, the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
Discipline context
30
in-school suspensions + 4 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 3.5 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 4.0 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 54.1%
African American 21.5%
White 19.0%
Two or More 3.6%
Asian 1.5%
Native Hawaiian / Pacific Islander 0.2%
Largest group: Hispanic or Latino at 54.1% of enrollment.
Student-body diversity index 62.3/100
Simpson diversity index - at 62.3, Ford El is more mixed than the Texas school average of 44.7.
Programs
Gifted & talented Yes
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Conroe Isd, which includes Ford El.
$9,973
Per student
-27%
vs Texas
Avg $13,644
-40%
vs U.S.
Avg $16,593
Revenue mix
Local 62.2%
State 25.0%
Federal 12.8%
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 Ford El Compares to District-Mates
| School | Enrollment | Economic Profile | Student-Teacher Ratio |
|---|---|---|---|
| Conroe H S | Larger | Similar economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| The Woodlands H S | Larger | Lower economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| Grand Oaks H S | Larger | Lower economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| College Park H S | Larger | Lower economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| Caney Creek H S | Larger | Similar economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
Comparisons are relative to Ford El's own figures; each column derives from NCES Common Core of Data.
Other Schools in This District
- Enrollment
- 5,252
- Students per teacher
- 17.8:1
- Resource Index
- 43/100
- Enrollment
- 4,444
- Students per teacher
- 18.5:1
- Resource Index
- 49/100
- Enrollment
- 3,836
- Students per teacher
- 19.6:1
- Resource Index
- 49/100
- Enrollment
- 3,313
- Students per teacher
- 16.8:1
- Resource Index
- 50/100
- Enrollment
- 2,783
- Students per teacher
- 18:1
- Resource Index
- 45/100
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 (~857 students)
Similar student-teacher ratio (~14.8:1)
Next steps
Verify locally before acting on Ford El's federal record.
- Compare Ford El against another school. Compare schools
- Conroe 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 Ford El
How many students attend Ford El?
Ford El has 857 students enrolled. It is a public school in Spring, TX.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Ford El?
The student-teacher ratio at Ford El is 14.8:1, which is 1% 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 Ford El?
59.6% of students at Ford El are eligible for free lunch, compared to the Texas average of 61.9%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Ford El?
The largest demographic group at Ford El is Hispanic or Latino at 54.1% of enrollment, in Spring, TX. Its student body is more racially and ethnically mixed than most US schools, with a diversity index of 62.3/100.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Ford El?
Ford El has a Resource Investment Index of 40/100 (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 Ford El rank among schools in Spring?
By Resource Investment Index, Ford El ranks #15 of 25 schools in Spring, TX. This compares federal resource and staffing data among local peers; it is not a test-score or academic ranking. See all schools in Spring on the city page.
Is Ford El a good school?
Ford El earns 40/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes near the Texas median. 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 Conroe Isd?
Besides Ford El, Conroe Isd also operates Conroe H S (5,252 students), The Woodlands H S (4,444 students), and Grand Oaks H S (3,836 students). See the Conroe 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.