Enrollment
642
Texas · 2024-25 NCES data
Other / mixed grade configuration · Princeton, TX
Harper El
Federal NCES profile for Harper El, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators - Resource Investment Index 38/100.
2024-25 NCES dataOther / mixed grade configurationNCES 483585012208
👥 S:T ratio 17
🌟 Gifted program 70
🎓 Counselors 0
📋 Attendance 65
Scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC indicators, resource allocation, not test scores. Full methodology →
The verdict
Harper El earns 38/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes larger than 94% of Texas schools. It is also more racially and ethnically mixed than most Texas schools.
- #5 of 7
- schools in Princeton · Resource Index
- 38
- Resource Index · Typical
- 20.7:1
- large classes for Texas
- 47.9%
- free-lunch eligible
Harper El has class sizes larger than 94% of Texas schools. Computed live against every Texas school reporting to NCES.
By Resource Investment Index, Harper El ranks #5 of 7 schools in Princeton, TX.
School address
District: Princeton Isd · Texas
NCES ID 483585012208 Verify on NCES CCD record →
Teachers (FTE)
31.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
20.7:1
vs 14.7:1 Texas avg
+41% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
47.9%
vs 61.9% Texas avg
-23% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Harper El compares with Texas and U.S. medians
What stands out at Harper El
Harper El is a mid-sized combined-grade school in Princeton, Texas, enrolling 642 students.
Class loads run heavy: 20.7:1 is larger than about 94% of Texas schools and 41% above the 14.7:1 state mean, so each teacher carries more students than is typical.
Economic need runs somewhat below the state's typical profile, with 47.9% of students eligible for free meals.
Enrollment of 642 puts it in the larger third of Texas schools by headcount.
Its Resource Investment Index lands in the lower third of 8,960 scored Texas schools.
Among 1,348 similarly sized, similarly resourced-need Texas schools statewide, it ranks #1,011, in the lower tier once campus size and economic need are matched.
Its student body is led by African American (30%) and Hispanic or Latino (27%), more mixed than most schools in the state (diversity index 76/100).
Counselor access is stretched at roughly 642 students per counselor, well above the ASCA-recommended 250:1 ceiling.
14.2% of students were chronically absent in the 2021-22 collection, in line with the post-pandemic national range.
The surrounding Princeton Isd spends $9,736 per pupil, 29% below the Texas average, a leaner-resourced district than most.
Princeton Isd also operates Lovelady H S (1,388 students) and Princeton H S (1,262 students) alongside Harper 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 Harper El compares
Harper 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 | 20.7:1 | ▲ 41% | 14.7:1 | 15.7:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 47.9% | ▼ 23% | 61.9% | 51.7% |
| Enrollment | 642 | top 33% | - | - |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25
20.7:1
Leaner classes than 14% of US schools, heavier class loads than most.
642
Bigger than 76% of US schools by enrollment, mid-sized for the country.
Equity indicators (what these measure)
Economic need
47.9%
free-lunch eligible
- 23% below the Texas average of 61.9%
Above the 40% Title I schoolwide threshold; federal funds support the whole school, not individual students.
Staffing depth
20.7:1
students per teacher
- 41% above state mean
Top 94% in Texas - lower ratio than 6% of state schools
Above 20:1, running heavier than the typical U.S. public school; staffing is comparatively stretched.
Engagement
14.2%
chronically absent (missed 10%+ of school days)
In the 10-15% range, above the pre-pandemic national baseline but within the broader post-pandemic picture.
Funding equity
$9,736
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 642 students, the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
Discipline context
82
in-school suspensions + 0 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 12.8 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 12.8 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
African American 29.8%
Hispanic or Latino 26.5%
White 21.7%
Asian 16.7%
Two or More 5.0%
American Indian / Alaska Native 0.5%
Largest group: African American at 29.8% of enrollment.
Student-body diversity index 76.3/100
Simpson diversity index - at 76.3, Harper El is more mixed than the Texas school average of 44.7.
Programs
Gifted & talented Yes
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Princeton Isd, which includes Harper El.
$9,736
Per student
-29%
vs Texas
Avg $13,644
-41%
vs U.S.
Avg $16,593
Revenue mix
Local 37.7%
State 52.4%
Federal 9.9%
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 Harper El Compares to District-Mates
| School | Enrollment | Economic Profile | Student-Teacher Ratio |
|---|---|---|---|
| Lovelady H S | Larger | Similar economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| Princeton H S | Larger | Similar economic need | Lower S:T ratio |
| Southard Middle | Larger | Similar economic need | Lower S:T ratio |
| Lowe El | Similar size | Similar economic need | Lower S:T ratio |
| Mayfield El | Similar size | Higher economic need | Lower S:T ratio |
Comparisons are relative to Harper El's own figures; each column derives from NCES Common Core of Data.
Other Schools in This District
- Enrollment
- 1,388
- Students per teacher
- 35.6:1
- Resource Index
- 37/100
- Enrollment
- 1,262
- Students per teacher
- 13.6:1
- Resource Index
- 29/100
- Enrollment
- 929
- Students per teacher
- 14.3:1
- Resource Index
- 42/100
- Enrollment
- 675
- Students per teacher
- 16.5:1
- Resource Index
- 43/100
- Enrollment
- 668
- Students per teacher
- 18.6:1
- Resource Index
- 26/100
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 (~642 students)
Similar student-teacher ratio (~20.7:1)
Next steps
Verify locally before acting on Harper El's federal record.
- Compare Harper El against another school. Compare schools
- Princeton 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 Harper El
How many students attend Harper El?
Harper El has 642 students enrolled. It is a public school in Princeton, TX.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Harper El?
The student-teacher ratio at Harper El is 20.7:1, which is 41% higher than the Texas average of 14.7:1 and 32% higher than the national average of 15.7:1.
What percentage of students receive free lunch at Harper El?
47.9% of students at Harper El are eligible for free lunch, compared to the Texas average of 61.9%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Harper El?
The largest demographic group at Harper El is African American at 29.8% of enrollment, in Princeton, TX. Its student body is more racially and ethnically mixed than most US schools, with a diversity index of 76.3/100.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Harper El?
Harper El has a Resource Investment Index of 38/100 (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 Harper El rank among schools in Princeton?
By Resource Investment Index, Harper El ranks #5 of 7 schools in Princeton, TX. This compares federal resource and staffing data among local peers; it is not a test-score or academic ranking. See all schools in Princeton on the city page.
Is Harper El a good school?
Harper El earns 38/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes larger than 94% of Texas schools. 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 Princeton Isd?
Besides Harper El, Princeton Isd also operates Lovelady H S (1,388 students), Princeton H S (1,262 students), and Southard Middle (929 students). See the Princeton 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.