Enrollment
322
Texas · 2024-25 NCES data
2024-25 NCES data Middle school (grades 6-8) NCES 482301012851
Hereford Preparatory Academy — Hereford, TX
Federal NCES profile for Hereford Preparatory Academy, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators — Resource Investment Index 43/100.
👥 Class size 46
🌟 Gifted program 70
🎓 Counselors 36
📋 Attendance 21
How this works: Each indicator above is scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC data, then averaged into the Resource Investment Index. This measures resource allocation — staffing, programs, and support services — not standardized test scores or academic outcomes. Full methodology →
School address
District: Hereford Isd · Texas
Public location data per NCES (National Center for Education Statistics) Common Core of Data. Verify the school's current address on the NCES CCD record.
Teachers (FTE)
22.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
13.6:1
vs 14.6:1 Texas avg
-7% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
79.6%
vs 61.9% Texas avg
+29% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Hereford Preparatory Academy compares with Texas and U.S. medians
The federal record — no proprietary index, no editorial formula.
PlainSchools publishes the actual federal measurements — enrollment, staffing, demographics, discipline, and finance — straight from the NCES Common Core of Data, CRDC, and F-33 surveys. No composite rating, no opinion-based score on top. You get the same raw numbers researchers and policymakers use, with benchmarks, spending context, and equity indicators computed from the same federal datasets. Full methodology linked below.
What this school's NCES data tells you
Hereford Preparatory Academy reports 322 enrolled students to the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) alongside 22.0 full-time-equivalent teachers, producing a 13.6:1 student-teacher ratio. That figure sits 7% below the Texas state mean of 14.6:1, signalling more teacher attention per pupil than the state benchmark. Against the national 2024-25 average of 15.9:1, it is 14% lower, a useful calibration for families comparing districts across state lines.
Title I and federal lunch eligibility offer another window into the student body: 79.6% of pupils qualify for free meals, a proxy for household income that federal programs use to direct funding. The free-lunch share is 29% above the Texas average and 54% above the national baseline. Counselor coverage works out to roughly 322 students per counselor, above the ASCA-recommended ceiling of 250:1. Chronic absenteeism — missing 10% or more of school days — stands at 31.7% according to the 2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection.
On the finance side, the surrounding Hereford Isd spends $13,462 per pupil district-wide, below the Texas average of $17,150 and below the national average of $19,490. Revenue comes 38.6% from local sources (property taxes), 42.7% from the state, and 18.6% from federal programs per the NCES F-33 finance survey. Taken together, these measurements produce a Resource Investment Index of 43/100 (D), calculated from 4 distinct NCES and CRDC indicators measuring resource allocation rather than academic outcomes.
Source: National Center for Education Statistics Common Core of Data + CRDC + F-33 · 2024-25
How Hereford Preparatory Academy compares
Cross-validating school-level NCES values against Texas state and U.S. national means lets readers see whether this school is an outlier or in line with peers.
| Metric | This school | vs Texas | Texas avg | U.S. avg |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Students per teacher | 13.6:1 | ▼ 7% | 14.6:1 | 15.9:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 79.6% | ▲ 29% | 61.9% | 51.8% |
| Enrollment | 322 | top 27% | — | — |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25
What the federal data reveals about equity at this school
Federal measurements — not ratings — surface the resource and opportunity picture. Below are the indicators that researchers, civil-rights monitors, and funding formulas use to assess equity.
Economic need
79.6%
free-lunch eligible
— 29% 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
13.6:1
students per teacher
— 7% below state mean
Top 35% in Texas — lower ratio than 65% of state schools
Below the 15:1 benchmark — typical of schools with smaller class sizes and more individualized attention.
Engagement
31.7%
chronically absent (missed 10%+ of school days)
Chronic absenteeism at or above 20% — the CDC threshold for "high" — signals significant barriers to regular attendance.
Funding equity
$13,462
per pupil, district-wide
— below Texas avg of $17,150
Below the U.S. average per-pupil spend — funding constraints may affect programs, facilities, and staffing.
Support staff
Counselors1.0 FTE
Per 322 students — the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
Discipline context
62
in-school suspensions + 0 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 19.3 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 19.3 per 100 students. Reported via the Civil Rights Data Collection.
Overview
Enrollment 322 Top 27% in Texas — larger than 73% of 9,061 state schools
Teachers (FTE) 22.0
Students per teacher 13.6:1 -7% vs state
Free-lunch eligible 79.6% +29% vs state
NCES ID 482301012851
Student demographics
Hispanic or Latino 91.6%
White 6.5%
Asian 1.2%
African American 0.3%
Two or More 0.3%
Largest group: Hispanic or Latino at 91.6% of enrollment.
Programs & staff
Gifted & talented Yes
Counselors (FTE) 1.0
Students per counselor 322:1
Discipline & special education
Chronically absent 31.7%
In-school suspensions 62
Out-of-school suspensions 0
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Hereford Isd, which includes Hereford Preparatory Academy.
$13,462
Per student
-22%
vs Texas
Avg $17,150
-31%
vs U.S.
Avg $19,490
Revenue mix
Local 38.6%
State 42.7%
Federal 18.6%
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.
Other Schools in This District
- Enrollment
- 1,182
- Students per teacher
- 13.4:1
- Enrollment
- 534
- Students per teacher
- 13.3:1
- Enrollment
- 479
- Students per teacher
- 17.5:1
- Enrollment
- 464
- Students per teacher
- 16.4:1
- Enrollment
- 366
- Students per teacher
- 17.6:1
Similar middle schools in Hereford
1 comparable middle schools (grades 6-8) serving the same city.
Educator & family resources
In-depth guides on understanding NCES data, school choice, and education funding.
Understanding NCES data
How CCD, CRDC and EDFacts feed every public-school number you see.
Choose a school district
Eight signals that matter more than the overall ranking number.
How schools are funded
Title I, F-33, state aid formulas and what per-pupil spending really means.
Chronic absenteeism
Why missing 10% of school matters and how it varies by district.
Magnet vs charter vs traditional
Three school types, three funding models, three sets of trade-offs.
School discipline data
What CRDC suspension and expulsion records do and don't reveal.
Frequently asked questions about Hereford Preparatory Academy
How many students attend Hereford Preparatory Academy?
Hereford Preparatory Academy has 322 students enrolled. It is a middle school in HEREFORD, TX.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Hereford Preparatory Academy?
The student-teacher ratio at Hereford Preparatory Academy is 13.6:1, which is 7% lower than the Texas average of 14.6:1 and 14% lower than the national average of 15.9:1. Lower ratios generally mean more individual attention per student.
What percentage of students receive free lunch at Hereford Preparatory Academy?
79.6% of students at Hereford Preparatory Academy are eligible for free lunch, compared to the Texas average of 61.9%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Hereford Preparatory Academy?
The largest demographic group at Hereford Preparatory Academy is Hispanic or Latino at 91.6%. The school serves a diverse student body in HEREFORD, TX.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Hereford Preparatory Academy?
Hereford Preparatory Academy has a Resource Investment Index of 43/100 (D) based on 4 factors: student-teacher ratio, counselor availability, attendance rates. This index measures federal resource allocation — staffing levels, program availability, and support services — not standardized test scores or academic outcomes.