Enrollment
382
Texas · 2024-25 NCES data
Other / mixed grade configuration · Pasadena, TX
Gardens El
Federal NCES profile for Gardens El, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators - Resource Investment Index 42/100.
2024-25 NCES dataOther / mixed grade configurationNCES 483432003825
👥 S:T ratio 63
🌟 Gifted program 70
🎓 Counselors 24
📋 Attendance 13
Scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC indicators, resource allocation, not test scores. Full methodology →
The verdict
Gardens El earns 42/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes smaller than 92% of Texas schools. It is also less racially and ethnically mixed than most Texas schools.
- #10 of 24
- schools in Pasadena · Resource Index
- 42
- Resource Index · Typical
- 9.3:1
- small classes for Texas
- 87.6%
- free-lunch eligible
Gardens El has class sizes smaller than 92% of Texas schools. Computed live against every Texas school reporting to NCES.
By Resource Investment Index, Gardens El ranks #10 of 24 schools in Pasadena, TX.
School address
Teachers (FTE)
41.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
9.3:1
vs 14.7:1 Texas avg
-37% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
87.6%
vs 61.9% Texas avg
+42% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Gardens El compares with Texas and U.S. medians
What stands out at Gardens El
Gardens El is a high-poverty, mid-sized combined-grade school in Pasadena, Texas, enrolling 382 students.
Classes run notably small here: at 9.3:1, Gardens El is leaner than roughly 92% of Texas schools and 37% under the state's 14.7:1 norm, more adult attention per pupil than most peers.
Economic need runs somewhat above the state's typical profile, with 87.6% of students eligible for free meals.
Enrollment of 382 puts it in the smaller third of Texas schools by headcount.
Its Resource Investment Index sits near the middle of the pack among 8,960 scored Texas schools.
Against 1,569 statewide peers matched on enrollment and economic need, it ranks in the upper tier at #628.
Its student body is predominantly Hispanic or Latino (89% of enrollment), among the less diverse in the state (diversity index 20/100).
Counselor availability sits well past the ASCA benchmark, roughly 382 students sharing each counselor, though short of the most stretched campuses.
Chronic absenteeism is elevated: 34.6% of students missed 10% or more of school days (2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection).
Its district draws 24.8% of revenue from federal sources, an above-typical federal share that tends to track a higher-need student population.
Pasadena Isd also operates Dobie H S (3,692 students) and Pasadena Memorial H S (3,177 students) alongside Gardens 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 Gardens El compares
Gardens 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 | 9.3:1 | ▼ 37% | 14.7:1 | 15.7:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 87.6% | ▲ 42% | 61.9% | 51.7% |
| Enrollment | 382 | top 66% | - | - |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25
9.3:1
Leaner classes than 92% of US schools, among the more generously staffed nationally.
382
Bigger than 45% of US schools by enrollment, mid-sized for the country.
Equity indicators (what these measure)
Economic need
87.6%
free-lunch eligible
- 42% 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
9.3:1
students per teacher
- 37% below state mean
Top 8% in Texas - lower ratio than 92% of state schools
Well under the widely cited 15:1 individualized-attention benchmark, among the leaner class loads nationally.
Engagement
34.6%
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
$13,221
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 382 students, the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
Discipline context
8
in-school suspensions + 0 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 2.1 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 2.1 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 89.3%
White 6.0%
African American 3.9%
American Indian / Alaska Native 0.5%
Two or More 0.3%
Largest group: Hispanic or Latino at 89.3% of enrollment.
Student-body diversity index 19.7/100
Simpson diversity index - at 19.7, Gardens El is less mixed than the Texas school average of 44.7.
Programs
Gifted & talented Yes
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Pasadena Isd, which includes Gardens El.
$13,221
Per student
-3%
vs Texas
Avg $13,644
-20%
vs U.S.
Avg $16,593
Revenue mix
Local 31.7%
State 43.5%
Federal 24.8%
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 Gardens El Compares to District-Mates
| School | Enrollment | Economic Profile | Student-Teacher Ratio |
|---|---|---|---|
| Dobie H S | Larger | Lower economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| Pasadena Memorial H S | Larger | Lower economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| Sam Rayburn H S | Larger | Similar economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| Pasadena H S | Larger | Similar economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| South Houston H S | Larger | Similar economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
Comparisons are relative to Gardens El's own figures; each column derives from NCES Common Core of Data.
Other Schools in This District
- Enrollment
- 3,692
- Students per teacher
- 14.9:1
- Resource Index
- 48/100
- Enrollment
- 3,177
- Students per teacher
- 16.5:1
- Resource Index
- 42/100
- Enrollment
- 2,627
- Students per teacher
- 14.4:1
- Resource Index
- 49/100
- Enrollment
- 2,217
- Students per teacher
- 14.6:1
- Resource Index
- 47/100
- Enrollment
- 2,185
- Students per teacher
- 13.8:1
- Resource Index
- 51/100
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 (~382 students)
Next steps
Verify locally before acting on Gardens El's federal record.
- Compare Gardens El against another school. Compare schools
- Pasadena 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 Gardens El
How many students attend Gardens El?
Gardens El has 382 students enrolled. It is a public school in Pasadena, TX.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Gardens El?
The student-teacher ratio at Gardens El is 9.3:1, which is 37% lower than the Texas average of 14.7:1 and 41% lower than the national average of 15.7:1. Lower ratios generally mean more individual attention per student.
What percentage of students receive free lunch at Gardens El?
87.6% of students at Gardens El are eligible for free lunch, compared to the Texas average of 61.9%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Gardens El?
The largest demographic group at Gardens El is Hispanic or Latino at 89.3% of enrollment, in Pasadena, TX.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Gardens El?
Gardens El has a Resource Investment Index of 42/100 (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 Gardens El rank among schools in Pasadena?
By Resource Investment Index, Gardens El ranks #10 of 24 schools in Pasadena, TX. This compares federal resource and staffing data among local peers; it is not a test-score or academic ranking. See all schools in Pasadena on the city page.
Is Gardens El a good school?
Gardens El earns 42/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes smaller than 92% 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 Pasadena Isd?
Besides Gardens El, Pasadena Isd also operates Dobie H S (3,692 students), Pasadena Memorial H S (3,177 students), and Sam Rayburn H S (2,627 students). See the Pasadena 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.