Enrollment
657
Texas · 2024-25 NCES data
Other / mixed grade configuration · Pharr, TX
Geraldine Palmer El
Federal NCES profile for Geraldine Palmer El, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators - Resource Investment Index 28/100.
2024-25 NCES dataOther / mixed grade configurationNCES 483486003917
👥 S:T ratio 27
🌟 Gifted program 70
🎓 Counselors 0
📋 Attendance 13
Scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC indicators, resource allocation, not test scores. Full methodology →
The verdict
Geraldine Palmer El earns 28/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes larger than 87% of Texas schools. It is also less racially and ethnically mixed than most Texas schools.
- #18 of 25
- schools in Pharr · Resource Index
- 28
- Resource Index · Lower
- 18.3:1
- large classes for Texas
- 88.2%
- free-lunch eligible
Geraldine Palmer El has class sizes larger than 87% of Texas schools. Computed live against every Texas school reporting to NCES.
By Resource Investment Index, Geraldine Palmer El ranks #18 of 25 schools in Pharr, TX.
School address
District: Pharr-San Juan-Alamo Isd · Texas
NCES ID 483486003917 Verify on NCES CCD record →
Teachers (FTE)
36.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
18.3:1
vs 14.7:1 Texas avg
+24% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
88.2%
vs 61.9% Texas avg
+42% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Geraldine Palmer El compares with Texas and U.S. medians
What stands out at Geraldine Palmer El
Geraldine Palmer El is a high-poverty, mid-sized combined-grade school in Pharr, Texas, enrolling 657 students.
Class loads run heavy: 18.3:1 is larger than about 87% of Texas schools and 24% above the 14.7:1 state mean, so each teacher carries more students than is typical.
Economic need runs somewhat above the state's typical profile, with 88.2% of students eligible for free meals.
Enrollment of 657 puts it in the larger third of Texas schools by headcount.
Its Resource Investment Index trails 94% of the 8,960 Texas schools with a score on record, one of the lower results on this measure.
Among 1,931 similarly sized, similarly resourced-need Texas schools statewide, it ranks #1,638, 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 6/100).
Counselor access is stretched at roughly 657 students per counselor, well above the ASCA-recommended 250:1 ceiling.
Chronic absenteeism is elevated: 34.7% of students missed 10% or more of school days (2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection).
Its district draws 29.3% of revenue from federal sources, an above-typical federal share that tends to track a higher-need student population.
Pharr-San Juan-Alamo Isd also operates Psja Early College H S (2,300 students) and Psja North Early College H S (2,166 students) alongside Geraldine Palmer 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 Geraldine Palmer El compares
Geraldine Palmer 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 | 18.3:1 | ▲ 24% | 14.7:1 | 15.7:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 88.2% | ▲ 42% | 61.9% | 51.7% |
| Enrollment | 657 | top 31% | - | - |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25
18.3:1
Leaner classes than 23% of US schools, heavier class loads than most.
657
Bigger than 77% of US schools by enrollment, mid-sized for the country.
Equity indicators (what these measure)
Economic need
88.2%
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
18.3:1
students per teacher
- 24% above state mean
Top 87% in Texas - lower ratio than 13% of state schools
Between 16:1 and 20:1, squarely in the typical U.S. public-school staffing range.
Engagement
34.7%
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
$14,594
per pupil, district-wide
- above Texas avg of $13,644
Somewhat below the U.S. average per-pupil spend; funding constraints may affect programs, facilities, and staffing.
Support staff
Counselors1.0 FTE
Per 657 students, the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
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
- 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 96.8%
White 2.3%
African American 0.8%
Asian 0.2%
Largest group: Hispanic or Latino at 96.8% of enrollment.
Student-body diversity index 6.2/100
Simpson diversity index - at 6.2, Geraldine Palmer El is less mixed than the Texas school average of 44.7.
Programs
Gifted & talented Yes
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Pharr-San Juan-Alamo Isd, which includes Geraldine Palmer El.
$14,594
Per student
+7%
vs Texas
Avg $13,644
-12%
vs U.S.
Avg $16,593
Revenue mix
Local 16.0%
State 54.7%
Federal 29.3%
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 Geraldine Palmer El Compares to District-Mates
| School | Enrollment | Economic Profile | Student-Teacher Ratio |
|---|---|---|---|
| Psja Early College H S | Larger | Similar economic need | Lower S:T ratio |
| Psja North Early College H S | Larger | Similar economic need | Lower S:T ratio |
| Psja Memorial Early College H S | Larger | Similar economic need | Lower S:T ratio |
| Psja Southwest Early College H S | Larger | Similar economic need | Lower S:T ratio |
| Lyndon B Johnson Middle | Larger | Similar economic need | Lower S:T ratio |
Comparisons are relative to Geraldine Palmer El's own figures; each column derives from NCES Common Core of Data.
Other Schools in This District
- Enrollment
- 2,300
- Students per teacher
- 13.3:1
- Resource Index
- 57/100
- Enrollment
- 2,166
- Students per teacher
- 14.9:1
- Resource Index
- 48/100
- Enrollment
- 1,997
- Students per teacher
- 15.4:1
- Resource Index
- 52/100
- Enrollment
- 1,588
- Students per teacher
- 11.9:1
- Resource Index
- 48/100
- Enrollment
- 1,006
- Students per teacher
- 13.4:1
- Resource Index
- 38/100
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 (~657 students)
Similar student-teacher ratio (~18.3:1)
Next steps
Verify locally before acting on Geraldine Palmer El's federal record.
- Compare Geraldine Palmer El against another school. Compare schools
- Pharr-San Juan-Alamo 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 Geraldine Palmer El
How many students attend Geraldine Palmer El?
Geraldine Palmer El has 657 students enrolled. It is a public school in Pharr, TX.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Geraldine Palmer El?
The student-teacher ratio at Geraldine Palmer El is 18.3:1, which is 24% higher than the Texas average of 14.7:1 and 17% higher than the national average of 15.7:1.
What percentage of students receive free lunch at Geraldine Palmer El?
88.2% of students at Geraldine Palmer El are eligible for free lunch, compared to the Texas average of 61.9%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Geraldine Palmer El?
The largest demographic group at Geraldine Palmer El is Hispanic or Latino at 96.8% of enrollment, in Pharr, TX.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Geraldine Palmer El?
Geraldine Palmer El has a Resource Investment Index of 28/100 (lower 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 Geraldine Palmer El rank among schools in Pharr?
By Resource Investment Index, Geraldine Palmer El ranks #18 of 25 schools in Pharr, TX. This compares federal resource and staffing data among local peers; it is not a test-score or academic ranking. See all schools in Pharr on the city page.
Is Geraldine Palmer El a good school?
Geraldine Palmer El earns 28/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes larger than 87% 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 Pharr-San Juan-Alamo Isd?
Besides Geraldine Palmer El, Pharr-San Juan-Alamo Isd also operates Psja Early College H S (2,300 students), Psja North Early College H S (2,166 students), and Psja Memorial Early College H S (1,997 students). See the Pharr-San Juan-Alamo 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.