Enrollment
289
Texas · 2024-25 NCES data
2024-25 NCES data Other / mixed grade configuration NCES 482364001316
Garcia El — Houston, TX
Federal NCES profile for Garcia El, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators — Resource Investment Index 34/100.
👥 Class size 33
🌟 Gifted program 70
📋 Attendance 1
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 →
School address
District: Houston Isd · 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)
20.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
16.8:1
vs 14.6:1 Texas avg
+15% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
97.9%
vs 61.9% Texas avg
+58% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Garcia El 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
Garcia El reports 289 enrolled students to the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) alongside 20.0 full-time-equivalent teachers, producing a 16.8:1 student-teacher ratio. That figure sits 15% 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 6% higher, a useful calibration for families comparing districts across state lines.
Title I and federal lunch eligibility offer another window into the student body: 97.9% of pupils qualify for free meals, a proxy for household income that federal programs use to direct funding. The free-lunch share is 58% above the Texas average and 89% above the national baseline. Chronic absenteeism — missing 10% or more of school days — stands at 39.8% according to the 2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection.
On the finance side, the surrounding Houston Isd spends $14,515 per pupil district-wide, below the Texas average of $17,150 and below the national average of $19,490. Revenue comes 68.8% from local sources (property taxes), 8.0% from the state, and 23.2% from federal programs per the NCES F-33 finance survey. Taken together, these measurements produce a Resource Investment Index of 34/100 (F), calculated from 3 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 Garcia El 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 | 16.8:1 | ▲ 15% | 14.6:1 | 15.9:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 97.9% | ▲ 58% | 61.9% | 51.8% |
| Enrollment | 289 | top 24% | — | — |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 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
97.9%
free-lunch eligible
— 58% 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
16.8:1
students per teacher
— 15% above state mean
Top 81% in Texas — lower ratio than 19% of state schools
Between 15:1 and 20:1 — in line with the typical U.S. public-school staffing range.
Engagement
39.8%
chronically absent (missed 10%+ of school days)
Chronic absenteeism at or above 20% — the CDC threshold for "high" — signals significant barriers to regular attendance.
Funding equity
$14,515
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.
Support staff
Counselors0.0 FTE
Student-support staffing from the Civil Rights Data Collection.
Discipline context
0
in-school suspensions + 0 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 0.0 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 0.0 per 100 students. Reported via the Civil Rights Data Collection.
Overview
Enrollment 289 Top 24% in Texas — larger than 76% of 9,061 state schools
Teachers (FTE) 20.0
Students per teacher 16.8:1 +15% vs state
Free-lunch eligible 97.9% +58% vs state
NCES ID 482364001316
Student demographics
Hispanic or Latino 72.7%
African American 24.2%
White 2.1%
Two or More 0.7%
Asian 0.3%
Largest group: Hispanic or Latino at 72.7% of enrollment.
Programs & staff
Gifted & talented Yes
Counselors (FTE) 0.0
Discipline & special education
Chronically absent 39.8%
In-school suspensions 0
Out-of-school suspensions 0
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Houston Isd, which includes Garcia El.
$14,515
Per student
-15%
vs Texas
Avg $17,150
-26%
vs U.S.
Avg $19,490
Revenue mix
Local 68.8%
State 8.0%
Federal 23.2%
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
- 8,641
- Students per teacher
- 29:1
- Enrollment
- 3,216
- Students per teacher
- 18.3:1
- Enrollment
- 2,968
- Students per teacher
- 22:1
- Enrollment
- 2,729
- Students per teacher
- 18.5:1
- Enrollment
- 2,426
- Students per teacher
- 19.3:1
Similar other schools in Houston
6 comparable other schools (grades Mixed) serving the same city.
Texas Connections Academy at Houston
Standard public school
8,641 students 29:1 students per teacher
Northbrook H S
Standard public school
2,398 students 19.6:1 students per teacher
Spring Woods H S
Standard public school
2,020 students 15.3:1 students per teacher
Sst Champions
Standard public school
1,660 students 14.4:1 students per teacher
Dr Kirk Lewis Career and Technical H S
Standard public school
1,486 students 16.1:1 students per teacher
Sharpstown International School
Standard public school
1,352 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 Garcia El
How many students attend Garcia El?
Garcia El has 289 students enrolled. It is a other school in HOUSTON, TX.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Garcia El?
The student-teacher ratio at Garcia El is 16.8:1, which is 15% higher than the Texas average of 14.6:1 and 6% higher than the national average of 15.9:1.
What percentage of students receive free lunch at Garcia El?
97.9% of students at Garcia El are eligible for free lunch, compared to the Texas average of 61.9%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Garcia El?
The largest demographic group at Garcia El is Hispanic or Latino at 72.7%. The school serves a diverse student body in HOUSTON, TX.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Garcia El?
Garcia El has a Resource Investment Index of 34/100 (F) based on 3 factors: student-teacher ratio, attendance rates. This index measures federal resource allocation — staffing levels, program availability, and support services — not standardized test scores or academic outcomes.