Enrollment
577
Texas · 2024-25 NCES data
Elementary school (grades K-5) · San Marcos, TX
Hernandez El
Federal NCES profile for Hernandez El, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators - Resource Investment Index 55/100.
2024-25 NCES dataElementary school (grades K-5)NCES 483897004451
👥 S:T ratio 48
🌟 Gifted program 70
📋 Attendance 49
Scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC indicators, resource allocation, not test scores. Full methodology →
The verdict
Hernandez El earns 55/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes near the Texas median.
- #1 of 8
- elementary schools in San Marcos · Resource Index
- 55
- Resource Index · Higher
- 13.1:1
- students per teacher
- 61.9%
- free-lunch eligible
Hernandez El has class sizes near the Texas median. Computed live against every Texas school reporting to NCES.
By Resource Investment Index, Hernandez El ranks #1 of 8 elementary schools in San Marcos, TX.
School address
District: San Marcos Cisd · Texas
NCES ID 483897004451 Verify on NCES CCD record →
Teachers (FTE)
44.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
13.1:1
vs 14.7:1 Texas avg
-11% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
61.9%
vs 61.9% Texas avg
+0% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Hernandez El compares with Texas and U.S. medians
What stands out at Hernandez El
Hernandez El is a higher-need, mid-sized elementary school in San Marcos, Texas, enrolling 577 students.
Class sizes run a bit leaner than typical: 13.1:1 puts it in the smaller third of Texas schools by student-teacher ratio.
Its free-meal eligibility rate of 61.9% lands close to the Texas typical range, neither a high- nor low-need campus by this measure.
With 577 students, its enrollment sits close to the Texas median campus size.
Its Resource Investment Index lands in the upper third of 8,960 scored Texas schools.
Among 1,618 similarly sized, similarly resourced-need Texas schools statewide, it ranks #63, a top-tier result once campus size and economic need are matched.
Its student body is led by Hispanic or Latino (67%) and White (25%) (diversity index 49/100).
Attendance runs somewhat below the norm, with 20.6% of students chronically absent per the 2021-22 civil-rights collection.
Its district draws 19.3% of revenue from federal sources, an above-typical federal share that tends to track a higher-need student population.
San Marcos Cisd also operates San Marcos H S (2,371 students) and Miller Middle (896 students) alongside Hernandez 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 Hernandez El compares
Hernandez 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 | 13.1:1 | ▼ 11% | 14.7:1 | 15.7:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 61.9% | ▼ 0% | 61.9% | 51.7% |
| Enrollment | 577 | top 40% | - | - |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25
13.1:1
Leaner classes than 66% of US schools, among the more generously staffed nationally.
577
Bigger than 70% of US schools by enrollment, mid-sized for the country.
Equity indicators (what these measure)
Economic need
61.9%
free-lunch eligible
- 0% 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
13.1:1
students per teacher
- 11% below state mean
Top 35% in Texas - lower ratio than 65% of state schools
Close to the 15:1 benchmark most often cited for individualized attention.
Engagement
20.6%
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
$11,826
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
Counselors0.0 FTE
Student-support staffing from the Civil Rights Data Collection.
Discipline context
11
in-school suspensions + 0 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 1.9 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 1.9 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.
Student demographics
Hispanic or Latino 66.7%
White 25.1%
African American 3.8%
Two or More 2.3%
Asian 2.1%
Largest group: Hispanic or Latino at 66.7% of enrollment.
Student-body diversity index 49.0/100
Simpson diversity index - at 49.0, Hernandez El is more mixed than the Texas school average of 44.7.
Programs
Gifted & talented Yes
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for San Marcos Cisd, which includes Hernandez El.
$11,826
Per student
-13%
vs Texas
Avg $13,644
-29%
vs U.S.
Avg $16,593
Revenue mix
Local 71.5%
State 9.2%
Federal 19.3%
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 Hernandez El Compares to District-Mates
| School | Enrollment | Economic Profile | Student-Teacher Ratio |
|---|---|---|---|
| San Marcos H S | Larger | Higher economic need | Similar S:T ratio |
| Miller Middle | Larger | Higher economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| Goodnight Middle | Larger | Higher economic need | Similar S:T ratio |
| Dezavala El | Similar size | Higher economic need | Similar S:T ratio |
| Bowie El | Similar size | Higher economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
Comparisons are relative to Hernandez El's own figures; each column derives from NCES Common Core of Data.
Other Schools in This District
- Enrollment
- 2,371
- Students per teacher
- 14.5:1
- Resource Index
- 51/100
- Enrollment
- 896
- Students per teacher
- 16:1
- Resource Index
- 43/100
- Enrollment
- 884
- Students per teacher
- 14.3:1
- Resource Index
- 52/100
- Enrollment
- 584
- Students per teacher
- 12.7:1
- Resource Index
- 38/100
- Enrollment
- 580
- Students per teacher
- 17.1:1
- Resource Index
- 44/100
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 (~577 students)
Similar student-teacher ratio (~13.1:1)
Next steps
Verify locally before acting on Hernandez El's federal record.
- Compare Hernandez El against another school. Compare schools
- San Marcos Cisd'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 Hernandez El
How many students attend Hernandez El?
Hernandez El has 577 students enrolled. It is an elementary school in San Marcos, TX.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Hernandez El?
The student-teacher ratio at Hernandez El is 13.1:1, which is 11% lower than the Texas average of 14.7:1 and 17% 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 Hernandez El?
61.9% of students at Hernandez El are eligible for free lunch, compared to the Texas average of 61.9%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Hernandez El?
The largest demographic group at Hernandez El is Hispanic or Latino at 66.7% of enrollment, in San Marcos, TX.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Hernandez El?
Hernandez El has a Resource Investment Index of 55/100 (higher reported resources relative to schools nationally) based on 3 factors: student-teacher ratio, attendance rates. Not a test-score or academic measure (national median ~41/100, see methodology).
How does Hernandez El rank among elementary schools in San Marcos?
By Resource Investment Index, Hernandez El ranks #1 of 8 elementary schools in San Marcos, 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 San Marcos on the city page.
Is Hernandez El a good school?
Hernandez El earns 55/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes near the Texas median. 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 San Marcos Cisd?
Besides Hernandez El, San Marcos Cisd also operates San Marcos H S (2,371 students), Miller Middle (896 students), and Goodnight Middle (884 students). See the San Marcos Cisd 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.