Enrollment
491
Texas · 2024-25 NCES data
Elementary school (grades K-5) · Houston, TX
Gray El
Federal NCES profile for Gray El, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators - Resource Investment Index 32/100.
2024-25 NCES dataElementary school (grades K-5)NCES 480771006638
👥 S:T ratio 30
🌟 Gifted program 70
🎓 Counselors 21
📋 Attendance 7
Scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC indicators, resource allocation, not test scores. Full methodology →
The verdict
Gray El earns 32/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes larger than 83% of Texas schools.
- #82 of 114
- elementary schools in Houston · Resource Index
- 32
- Resource Index · Typical
- 17.5:1
- large classes for Texas
- 91.6%
- free-lunch eligible
Gray El has class sizes larger than 83% of Texas schools. Computed live against every Texas school reporting to NCES.
By Resource Investment Index, Gray El ranks #82 of 114 elementary schools in Houston, TX.
School address
Teachers (FTE)
28.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
17.5:1
vs 14.7:1 Texas avg
+19% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
91.6%
vs 61.9% Texas avg
+48% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Gray El compares with Texas and U.S. medians
What stands out at Gray El
Gray El is a high-poverty, mid-sized elementary school in Houston, Texas, enrolling 491 students.
Class loads run somewhat heavier than typical: 17.5:1 puts it in the larger third of Texas schools by student-teacher ratio.
Economic need is high: 91.6% of students qualify for free meals, 48% above the Texas average, a Title I-weighted population that federal funding formulas prioritise.
With 491 students, its enrollment sits close to the Texas median campus size.
Its Resource Investment Index lands in the lower third of 8,960 scored Texas schools.
Among 1,757 similarly sized, similarly resourced-need Texas schools statewide, it ranks #1,327, in the lower tier once campus size and economic need are matched.
Counselor availability sits well past the ASCA benchmark, roughly 393 students sharing each counselor, though short of the most stretched campuses.
Chronic absenteeism is elevated: 37.1% of students missed 10% or more of school days (2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection).
Its district draws 23.6% of revenue from federal sources, an above-typical federal share that tends to track a higher-need student population.
Aldine Isd also operates Macarthur H S (3,501 students) and Davis H S Aldine (3,184 students) alongside Gray 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 Gray El compares
Gray 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 | 17.5:1 | ▲ 19% | 14.7:1 | 15.7:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 91.6% | ▲ 48% | 61.9% | 51.7% |
| Enrollment | 491 | top 51% | - | - |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25
17.5:1
Leaner classes than 27% of US schools, heavier class loads than most.
491
Bigger than 60% of US schools by enrollment, mid-sized for the country.
Equity indicators (what these measure)
Economic need
91.6%
free-lunch eligible
- 48% 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
17.5:1
students per teacher
- 19% above state mean
Top 83% in Texas - lower ratio than 17% of state schools
Between 16:1 and 20:1, squarely in the typical U.S. public-school staffing range.
Engagement
37.1%
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
$11,863
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
Counselors1.3 FTE
Per 393 students, the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
Discipline context
8
in-school suspensions + 6 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 1.6 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 2.9 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.
Programs
Gifted & talented Yes
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Aldine Isd, which includes Gray El.
$11,863
Per student
-13%
vs Texas
Avg $13,644
-29%
vs U.S.
Avg $16,593
Revenue mix
Local 33.7%
State 42.7%
Federal 23.6%
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 Gray El Compares to District-Mates
| School | Enrollment | Economic Profile | Student-Teacher Ratio |
|---|---|---|---|
| Macarthur H S | Larger | Similar economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| Davis H S Aldine | Larger | Similar economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| Nimitz H S | Larger | Similar economic need | Similar S:T ratio |
| Aldine H S | Larger | Similar economic need | Similar S:T ratio |
| Eisenhower H S | Larger | Lower economic need | Lower S:T ratio |
Comparisons are relative to Gray El's own figures; each column derives from NCES Common Core of Data.
Other Schools in This District
- Enrollment
- 3,501
- Students per teacher
- 20.7:1
- Resource Index
- 45/100
- Enrollment
- 3,184
- Students per teacher
- 19.2:1
- Resource Index
- 47/100
- Enrollment
- 2,651
- Students per teacher
- 18.3:1
- Resource Index
- 50/100
- Enrollment
- 2,481
- Students per teacher
- 17.7:1
- Resource Index
- 52/100
- Enrollment
- 2,262
- Students per teacher
- 14:1
- Resource Index
- 56/100
Similar elementary 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 (~491 students)
Similar student-teacher ratio (~17.5:1)
Next steps
Verify locally before acting on Gray El's federal record.
- Compare Gray El against another school. Compare schools
- Aldine 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 Gray El
How many students attend Gray El?
Gray El has 491 students enrolled. It is an elementary school in Houston, TX.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Gray El?
The student-teacher ratio at Gray El is 17.5:1, which is 19% higher than the Texas average of 14.7:1 and 11% higher than the national average of 15.7:1.
What percentage of students receive free lunch at Gray El?
91.6% of students at Gray El are eligible for free lunch, compared to the Texas average of 61.9%.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Gray El?
Gray El has a Resource Investment Index of 32/100 (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 Gray El rank among elementary schools in Houston?
By Resource Investment Index, Gray El ranks #82 of 114 elementary 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 elementary schools in Houston on the city page.
Is Gray El a good school?
Gray El earns 32/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes larger than 83% of 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 Aldine Isd?
Besides Gray El, Aldine Isd also operates Macarthur H S (3,501 students), Davis H S Aldine (3,184 students), and Nimitz H S (2,651 students). See the Aldine 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.