Enrollment
706
Texas · 2024-25 NCES data
Other / mixed grade configuration · Harker Heights, TX
Harker Heights El
Federal NCES profile for Harker Heights El, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators - Resource Investment Index 41/100.
2024-25 NCES dataOther / mixed grade configurationNCES 482566002869
👥 S:T ratio 42
🌟 Gifted program 70
🎓 Counselors 29
📋 Attendance 23
Scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC indicators, resource allocation, not test scores. Full methodology →
The verdict
Harker Heights El earns 41/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes near the Texas median. It is also more racially and ethnically mixed than most Texas schools.
- #2 of 3
- schools in Harker Heights · Resource Index
- 41
- Resource Index · Typical
- 14.4:1
- students per teacher
- 81.6%
- free-lunch eligible
Harker Heights El has class sizes near the Texas median. Computed live against every Texas school reporting to NCES.
By Resource Investment Index, Harker Heights El ranks #2 of 3 schools in Harker Heights, TX.
School address
District: Killeen Isd · Texas
NCES ID 482566002869 Verify on NCES CCD record →
Teachers (FTE)
49.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
14.4:1
vs 14.7:1 Texas avg
-2% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
81.6%
vs 61.9% Texas avg
+32% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Harker Heights El compares with Texas and U.S. medians
What stands out at Harker Heights El
Harker Heights El is a high-poverty, mid-sized combined-grade school in Harker Heights, Texas, enrolling 706 students.
At 14.4:1, its student-teacher ratio sits close to the Texas median, within a few percentage points of the 14.7:1 state norm, neither notably crowded nor notably small.
Economic need runs somewhat above the state's typical profile, with 81.6% of students eligible for free meals.
Enrollment of 706 puts it in the larger third of Texas schools by headcount.
Its Resource Investment Index sits near the middle of the pack among 8,960 scored Texas schools.
Against 2,109 statewide peers matched on enrollment and economic need, it ranks in the upper tier at #741.
Its student body is led by Hispanic or Latino (51%) and African American (19%), more mixed than most schools in the state (diversity index 67/100).
Counselor availability sits well past the ASCA benchmark, roughly 353 students sharing each counselor, though short of the most stretched campuses.
Chronic absenteeism is elevated: 31.0% of students missed 10% or more of school days (2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection).
The surrounding Killeen Isd spends $10,648 per pupil, 22% below the Texas average, a leaner-resourced district than most.
Its district draws 25.7% of revenue from federal sources, an above-typical federal share that tends to track a higher-need student population.
Killeen Isd also operates Harker Heights H S (2,192 students) and Robert M Shoemaker H S (2,165 students) alongside Harker Heights 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 Harker Heights El compares
Harker Heights 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 | 14.4:1 | ▼ 2% | 14.7:1 | 15.7:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 81.6% | ▲ 32% | 61.9% | 51.7% |
| Enrollment | 706 | top 26% | - | - |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25
14.4:1
Leaner classes than 53% of US schools, a middle-of-the-pack class size.
706
Bigger than 81% of US schools by enrollment, a large campus nationally.
Equity indicators (what these measure)
Economic need
81.6%
free-lunch eligible
- 32% 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
14.4:1
students per teacher
- 2% below state mean
Top 52% in Texas - lower ratio than 48% of state schools
Close to the 15:1 benchmark most often cited for individualized attention.
Engagement
31.0%
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
$10,648
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
Counselors2.0 FTE
Per 353 students, the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
Discipline context
85
in-school suspensions + 1 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 12.0 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 12.2 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 50.8%
African American 18.8%
White 17.1%
Two or More 10.1%
Native Hawaiian / Pacific Islander 1.7%
Asian 1.3%
American Indian / Alaska Native 0.1%
Largest group: Hispanic or Latino at 50.8% of enrollment.
Student-body diversity index 66.7/100
Simpson diversity index - at 66.7, Harker Heights El is more mixed than the Texas school average of 44.7.
Programs
Gifted & talented Yes
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Killeen Isd, which includes Harker Heights El.
$10,648
Per student
-22%
vs Texas
Avg $13,644
-36%
vs U.S.
Avg $16,593
Revenue mix
Local 19.6%
State 54.7%
Federal 25.7%
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 Harker Heights El Compares to District-Mates
| School | Enrollment | Economic Profile | Student-Teacher Ratio |
|---|---|---|---|
| Harker Heights H S | Larger | Lower economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| Robert M Shoemaker H S | Larger | Lower economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| Killeen H S | Larger | Lower economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| Chaparral H S | Larger | Lower economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| C E Ellison H S | Larger | Lower economic need | Similar S:T ratio |
Comparisons are relative to Harker Heights El's own figures; each column derives from NCES Common Core of Data.
Other Schools in This District
- Enrollment
- 2,192
- Students per teacher
- 16.5:1
- Resource Index
- 36/100
- Enrollment
- 2,165
- Students per teacher
- 17.5:1
- Resource Index
- 43/100
- Enrollment
- 2,083
- Students per teacher
- 16.4:1
- Resource Index
- 48/100
- Enrollment
- 2,031
- Students per teacher
- 19.9:1
- Resource Index
- 20/100
- Enrollment
- 1,761
- Students per teacher
- 15.4:1
- Resource Index
- 50/100
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 (~706 students)
Next steps
Verify locally before acting on Harker Heights El's federal record.
- Compare Harker Heights El against another school. Compare schools
- Killeen 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 Harker Heights El
How many students attend Harker Heights El?
Harker Heights El has 706 students enrolled. It is a public school in Harker Heights, TX.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Harker Heights El?
The student-teacher ratio at Harker Heights El is 14.4:1, which is 2% lower than the Texas average of 14.7:1 and 8% 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 Harker Heights El?
81.6% of students at Harker Heights El are eligible for free lunch, compared to the Texas average of 61.9%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Harker Heights El?
The largest demographic group at Harker Heights El is Hispanic or Latino at 50.8% of enrollment, in Harker Heights, TX. Its student body is more racially and ethnically mixed than most US schools, with a diversity index of 66.7/100.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Harker Heights El?
Harker Heights El has a Resource Investment Index of 41/100 (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 Harker Heights El rank among schools in Harker Heights?
By Resource Investment Index, Harker Heights El ranks #2 of 3 schools in Harker Heights, TX. This compares federal resource and staffing data among local peers; it is not a test-score or academic ranking. See all schools in Harker Heights on the city page.
Is Harker Heights El a good school?
Harker Heights El earns 41/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes near the Texas median. It is also more 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 Killeen Isd?
Besides Harker Heights El, Killeen Isd also operates Harker Heights H S (2,192 students), Robert M Shoemaker H S (2,165 students), and Killeen H S (2,083 students). See the Killeen 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.