Enrollment
226
Texas · 2024-25 NCES data
2024-25 NCES data Middle school (grades 6-8) NCES 480011322853 Charter school
Friends for Life Middle — Houston, TX
Federal NCES profile for Friends for Life Middle, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators — Resource Investment Index 36/100.
👥 Class size 36
How this works: Each indicator above is scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC data, then averaged into the Resource Investment Index. This measures resource allocation — staffing, programs, and support services — not standardized test scores or academic outcomes. Full methodology →
The verdict
Friends for Life Middle earns an F Resource Investment Index (36/100), with class sizes larger than 72% of Texas schools.
- F
- Resource Index · 36/100
- 16:1
- large classes for Texas
- 94.3%
- free-lunch eligible
- 226
- students enrolled
School address
District: Amigos Por Vida-Friends for Life Pub Chtr Sch · Texas
Public location data per NCES (National Center for Education Statistics) Common Core of Data. Verify the school's current address on the NCES CCD record.
Teachers (FTE)
11.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
16:1
vs 14.6:1 Texas avg
+10% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
94.3%
vs 61.9% Texas avg
+52% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Friends for Life Middle compares with Texas and U.S. medians
The federal record — no proprietary index, no editorial formula.
PlainSchools publishes the actual federal measurements — enrollment, staffing, demographics, discipline, and finance — straight from the NCES Common Core of Data, CRDC, and F-33 surveys. No composite rating, no opinion-based score on top. You get the same raw numbers researchers and policymakers use, with benchmarks, spending context, and equity indicators computed from the same federal datasets. Full methodology linked below.
What this school's NCES data tells you
Friends for Life Middle reports 226 enrolled students to the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) alongside 11.0 full-time-equivalent teachers, producing a 16:1 student-teacher ratio. That figure sits 10% above the Texas state mean of 14.6:1, signalling larger average class loads than peers in the same state. Against the national 2024-25 average of 15.9:1, it is 1% higher, a useful calibration for families comparing districts across state lines.
Title I and federal lunch eligibility offer another window into the student body: 94.3% of pupils qualify for free meals, a proxy for household income that federal programs use to direct funding. The free-lunch share is 52% above the Texas average and 82% above the national baseline.
On the finance side, the surrounding Amigos Por Vida-Friends for Life Pub Chtr Sch spends $10,955 per pupil district-wide, below the Texas average of $17,150 and below the national average of $19,490. Revenue comes 1.3% from local sources (property taxes), 68.1% from the state, and 30.6% from federal programs per the NCES F-33 finance survey. Taken together, these measurements produce a Resource Investment Index of 36/100 (F), calculated from 1 distinct NCES and CRDC indicators measuring resource allocation rather than academic outcomes.
Source: National Center for Education Statistics Common Core of Data + CRDC + F-33 · 2024-25
How Friends for Life Middle compares
Cross-validating school-level NCES values against Texas state and U.S. national means lets readers see whether this school is an outlier or in line with peers.
| Metric | This school | vs Texas | Texas avg | U.S. avg |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Students per teacher | 16:1 | ▲ 10% | 14.6:1 | 15.9:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 94.3% | ▲ 52% | 61.9% | 51.8% |
| Enrollment | 226 | top 18% | — | — |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25
Class size vs. every US school
Students per teacher (lower means more individual attention)
16 smaller classes than 39% of 92,598 US schools
Each bar is a band; taller bars hold more US schools. The dashed line + filled bar mark this entry. Hover or tap any bar for its full count, share, and where it sits relative to this entry.
Source U.S. Department of Education — NCES Common Core of Data · 2024-25
School size vs. every US school
Total enrollment — where this school sits by size (neither large nor small is 'better')
226 larger than 22% of 95,891 US schools
Each bar is a band; taller bars hold more US schools. The dashed line + filled bar mark this entry. Hover or tap any bar for its full count, share, and where it sits relative to this entry.
Source U.S. Department of Education — NCES Common Core of Data · 2024-25
What the federal data reveals about equity at this school
Federal measurements — not ratings — surface the resource and opportunity picture. Below are the indicators that researchers, civil-rights monitors, and funding formulas use to assess equity.
Economic need
94.3%
free-lunch eligible
— 52% above the Texas average of 61.9%
Above the 40% Title I schoolwide threshold — federal funds support the whole school, not individual students.
Staffing depth
16:1
students per teacher
— 10% above state mean
Top 72% in Texas — lower ratio than 28% of state schools
Between 15:1 and 20:1 — in line with the typical U.S. public-school staffing range.
Funding equity
$10,955
per pupil, district-wide
— below Texas avg of $17,150
Below the U.S. average per-pupil spend — funding constraints may affect programs, facilities, and staffing.
Overview
Enrollment 226 Top 18% in Texas — larger than 82% of 9,061 state schools
Teachers (FTE) 11.0
Students per teacher 16:1 +10% vs state
Free-lunch eligible 94.3% +52% vs state
NCES ID 480011322853
Student demographics
Hispanic or Latino 96.5%
White 1.8%
Asian 0.9%
African American 0.4%
Two or More 0.4%
Largest group: Hispanic or Latino at 96.5% of enrollment.
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Amigos Por Vida-Friends for Life Pub Chtr Sch, which includes Friends for Life Middle.
$10,955
Per student
-36%
vs Texas
Avg $17,150
-44%
vs U.S.
Avg $19,490
Revenue mix
Local 1.3%
State 68.1%
Federal 30.6%
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.
Other Schools in This District
- Enrollment
- 524
- Students per teacher
- 17:1
Similar middle schools in Houston
6 comparable middle schools (grades 6-8) serving the same city.
Lanier Middle
Standard public school
1,485 students 20.2:1 students per teacher
Aragon Middle
Standard public school
1,424 students 16.3:1 students per teacher
Burbank Middle
Standard public school
1,412 students 18.2:1 students per teacher
Cook Middle
Standard public school
1,375 students 15.7:1 students per teacher
Black Middle
Standard public school
1,364 students 19:1 students per teacher
C E King Middle
Standard public school
1,359 students 16.8:1 students per teacher
Educator & family resources
In-depth guides on understanding NCES data, school choice, and education funding.
Understanding NCES data
How CCD, CRDC and EDFacts feed every public-school number you see.
Choose a school district
Eight signals that matter more than the overall ranking number.
How schools are funded
Title I, F-33, state aid formulas and what per-pupil spending really means.
Chronic absenteeism
Why missing 10% of school matters and how it varies by district.
Magnet vs charter vs traditional
Three school types, three funding models, three sets of trade-offs.
School discipline data
What CRDC suspension and expulsion records do and don't reveal.
Frequently asked questions about Friends for Life Middle
How many students attend Friends for Life Middle?
Friends for Life Middle has 226 students enrolled. It is a middle school in HOUSTON, TX.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Friends for Life Middle?
The student-teacher ratio at Friends for Life Middle is 16:1, which is 10% higher than the Texas average of 14.6:1 and 1% higher than the national average of 15.9:1.
What percentage of students receive free lunch at Friends for Life Middle?
94.3% of students at Friends for Life Middle are eligible for free lunch, compared to the Texas average of 61.9%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Friends for Life Middle?
The largest demographic group at Friends for Life Middle is Hispanic or Latino at 96.5%. The school serves a diverse student body in HOUSTON, TX.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Friends for Life Middle?
Friends for Life Middle has a Resource Investment Index of 36/100 (F) based on 1 factor: student-teacher ratio. This index measures federal resource allocation — staffing levels, program availability, and support services — not standardized test scores or academic outcomes. Limited indicators were available, so the index reflects partial data.