Enrollment
226
Texas · 2024-25 NCES data
Middle school (grades 6-8) · Houston, TX
Friends for Life Middle
Federal NCES profile for Friends for Life Middle, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators - Resource Investment Index 18/100.
2024-25 NCES dataMiddle school (grades 6-8)NCES 480011322853Charter school
👥 S:T ratio 18
Scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC indicators, resource allocation, not test scores. Full methodology →
The verdict
Friends for Life Middle earns 18/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes larger than 94% of Texas schools. It is also less racially and ethnically mixed than most Texas schools.
- #116 of 116
- middle schools in Houston · Resource Index
- 18
- Resource Index · Lower
- 20.5:1
- large classes for Texas
- 94.3%
- free-lunch eligible
Friends for Life Middle has class sizes larger than 94% of Texas schools. Computed live against every Texas school reporting to NCES.
By Resource Investment Index, Friends for Life Middle ranks #116 of 116 middle schools in Houston, TX.
School address
District: Amigos Por Vida-Friends for Life Pub Chtr Sch · Texas
NCES ID 480011322853 Verify on NCES CCD record →
Teachers (FTE)
11.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
20.5:1
vs 14.7:1 Texas avg
+39% 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
What stands out at Friends for Life Middle
Friends for Life Middle is a high-poverty, mid-sized charter middle school in Houston, Texas, enrolling 226 students.
Class loads run heavy: 20.5:1 is larger than about 94% of Texas schools and 39% above the 14.7:1 state mean, so each teacher carries more students than is typical.
Economic need is high: 94.3% of students qualify for free meals, 52% above the Texas average, a Title I-weighted population that federal funding formulas prioritise.
Enrollment of 226 puts it in the smaller third of Texas schools by headcount.
Its Resource Investment Index trails 98% of the 8,960 Texas schools with a score on record, one of the lower results on this measure.
Among 399 similarly sized, similarly resourced-need Texas schools statewide, it ranks #383, in the lower tier once campus size and economic need are matched.
Its student body is predominantly Hispanic or Latino (97% of enrollment), among the less diverse in the state (diversity index 7/100).
The surrounding Amigos Por Vida-Friends for Life Pub Chtr Sch spends $10,955 per pupil, 20% below the Texas average, a leaner-resourced district than most.
Its district draws 30.6% of revenue from federal sources, an above-typical federal share that tends to track a higher-need student population.
Its district, Amigos Por Vida-Friends for Life Pub Chtr Sch, also runs Amigos Por Vida-Friends for Life Charter School (524 students).
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 Friends for Life Middle compares
Friends for Life Middle on the metrics families compare, against Texas and U.S. means.
| Metric | This school | vs Texas | Texas avg | U.S. avg |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Students per teacher | 20.5:1 | ▲ 39% | 14.7:1 | 15.7:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 94.3% | ▲ 52% | 61.9% | 51.7% |
| Enrollment | 226 | top 82% | - | - |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25
20.5:1
Leaner classes than 14% of US schools, heavier class loads than most.
226
Bigger than 22% of US schools by enrollment, mid-sized for the country.
Equity indicators (what these measure)
Economic need
94.3%
free-lunch eligible
- 52% 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
20.5:1
students per teacher
- 39% above state mean
Top 94% in Texas - lower ratio than 6% of state schools
Above 20:1, running heavier than the typical U.S. public school; staffing is comparatively stretched.
Funding equity
$10,955
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.
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 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.
Student-body diversity index 6.8/100
Simpson diversity index - at 6.8, Friends for Life Middle is less mixed than the Texas school average of 44.7.
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
-20%
vs Texas
Avg $13,644
-34%
vs U.S.
Avg $16,593
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.
How Friends for Life Middle Compares to District-Mates
| School | Enrollment | Economic Profile | Student-Teacher Ratio |
|---|---|---|---|
| Amigos Por Vida-Friends for Life Charter School | Larger | Similar economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
Comparisons are relative to Friends for Life Middle's own figures; each column derives from NCES Common Core of Data.
Other Schools in This District
- Enrollment
- 524
- Students per teacher
- 22.8:1
- Resource Index
- 29/100
Similar middle 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 (~226 students)
Similar student-teacher ratio (~20.5:1)
Next steps
Verify locally before acting on Friends for Life Middle's federal record.
- Compare Friends for Life Middle against another school. Compare schools
- Amigos Por Vida-Friends for Life Pub Chtr Sch'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 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 20.5:1, which is 39% higher than the Texas average of 14.7:1 and 31% higher than the national average of 15.7:1.
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% of enrollment, in Houston, TX.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Friends for Life Middle?
Friends for Life Middle has a Resource Investment Index of 18/100 (lower reported resources relative to schools nationally) based on 1 factor: student-teacher ratio. Not a test-score or academic measure (national median ~41/100, see methodology). Limited indicators were available, so the index reflects partial data.
How does Friends for Life Middle rank among middle schools in Houston?
By Resource Investment Index, Friends for Life Middle ranks #116 of 116 middle schools in Houston, TX. This compares federal resource and staffing data among local peers; it is not a test-score or academic ranking. See all middle schools in Houston on the city page.
Is Friends for Life Middle a good school?
Friends for Life Middle earns 18/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes larger than 94% 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 Amigos Por Vida-Friends for Life Pub Chtr Sch?
Besides Friends for Life Middle, Amigos Por Vida-Friends for Life Pub Chtr Sch also operates Amigos Por Vida-Friends for Life Charter School (524 students). See the Amigos Por Vida-Friends for Life Pub Chtr Sch 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.