Enrollment
694
Texas · 2024-25 NCES data
Other / mixed grade configuration · San Antonio, TX
Highland Forest El
Federal NCES profile for Highland Forest El, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators - Resource Investment Index 33/100.
2024-25 NCES dataOther / mixed grade configurationNCES 481785009132
👥 S:T ratio 23
🌟 Gifted program 70
🎓 Counselors 0
📋 Attendance 38
Scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC indicators, resource allocation, not test scores. Full methodology →
The verdict
Highland Forest El earns 33/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes larger than 91% of Texas schools.
- #228 of 327
- schools in San Antonio · Resource Index
- 33
- Resource Index · Typical
- 19.3:1
- large classes for Texas
- 80.2%
- free-lunch eligible
Highland Forest El has class sizes larger than 91% of Texas schools. Computed live against every Texas school reporting to NCES.
By Resource Investment Index, Highland Forest El ranks #228 of 327 schools in San Antonio, TX.
School address
District: East Central Isd · Texas
NCES ID 481785009132 Verify on NCES CCD record →
Teachers (FTE)
36.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
19.3:1
vs 14.7:1 Texas avg
+31% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
80.2%
vs 61.9% Texas avg
+30% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Highland Forest El compares with Texas and U.S. medians
What stands out at Highland Forest El
Highland Forest El is a high-poverty, mid-sized combined-grade school in San Antonio, Texas, enrolling 694 students.
Class loads run heavy: 19.3:1 is larger than about 91% of Texas schools and 31% above the 14.7:1 state mean, so each teacher carries more students than is typical.
Economic need runs somewhat above the state's typical profile, with 80.2% of students eligible for free meals.
Enrollment of 694 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 2,124 similarly sized, similarly resourced-need Texas schools statewide, it ranks #1,529, in the lower tier once campus size and economic need are matched.
Its student body is predominantly Hispanic or Latino (86% of enrollment) (diversity index 26/100).
Counselor access is stretched at roughly 694 students per counselor, well above the ASCA-recommended 250:1 ceiling.
Attendance runs somewhat below the norm, with 24.9% of students chronically absent per the 2021-22 civil-rights collection.
The surrounding East Central Isd spends $10,197 per pupil, 25% below the Texas average, a leaner-resourced district than most.
Its district draws 20.2% of revenue from federal sources, an above-typical federal share that tends to track a higher-need student population.
East Central Isd also operates East Central H S (3,362 students) and East Central Heritage Middle (1,251 students) alongside Highland Forest 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 Highland Forest El compares
Highland Forest 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 | 19.3:1 | ▲ 31% | 14.7:1 | 15.7:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 80.2% | ▲ 30% | 61.9% | 51.7% |
| Enrollment | 694 | top 27% | - | - |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25
19.3:1
Leaner classes than 19% of US schools, heavier class loads than most.
694
Bigger than 80% of US schools by enrollment, a large campus nationally.
Equity indicators (what these measure)
Economic need
80.2%
free-lunch eligible
- 30% 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
19.3:1
students per teacher
- 31% above state mean
Top 91% in Texas - lower ratio than 9% of state schools
Between 16:1 and 20:1, squarely in the typical U.S. public-school staffing range.
Engagement
24.9%
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
$10,197
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 694 students, the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
Discipline context
15
in-school suspensions + 2 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 2.2 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 2.4 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 85.9%
African American 6.1%
White 5.5%
Two or More 1.4%
Asian 1.0%
American Indian / Alaska Native 0.1%
Largest group: Hispanic or Latino at 85.9% of enrollment.
Student-body diversity index 25.5/100
Simpson diversity index - at 25.5, Highland Forest El is less mixed than the Texas school average of 44.7.
Programs
Gifted & talented Yes
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for East Central Isd, which includes Highland Forest El.
$10,197
Per student
-25%
vs Texas
Avg $13,644
-39%
vs U.S.
Avg $16,593
Revenue mix
Local 45.0%
State 34.9%
Federal 20.2%
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 Highland Forest El Compares to District-Mates
| School | Enrollment | Economic Profile | Student-Teacher Ratio |
|---|---|---|---|
| East Central H S | Larger | Lower economic need | Similar S:T ratio |
| East Central Heritage Middle | Larger | Lower economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| Legacy Middle | Larger | Lower economic need | Lower S:T ratio |
| Harmony El | Similar size | Similar economic need | Similar S:T ratio |
| Sinclair El | Similar size | Lower economic need | Similar S:T ratio |
Comparisons are relative to Highland Forest El's own figures; each column derives from NCES Common Core of Data.
Other Schools in This District
- Enrollment
- 3,362
- Students per teacher
- 18.3:1
- Resource Index
- 34/100
- Enrollment
- 1,251
- Students per teacher
- 20.9:1
- Resource Index
- 23/100
- Enrollment
- 1,143
- Students per teacher
- 17.3:1
- Resource Index
- 28/100
- Enrollment
- 781
- Students per teacher
- 20:1
- Resource Index
- 31/100
- Enrollment
- 739
- Students per teacher
- 18.5:1
- Resource Index
- 32/100
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 (~694 students)
Similar student-teacher ratio (~19.3:1)
Next steps
Verify locally before acting on Highland Forest El's federal record.
- Compare Highland Forest El against another school. Compare schools
- East Central 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 Highland Forest El
How many students attend Highland Forest El?
Highland Forest El has 694 students enrolled. It is a public school in San Antonio, TX.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Highland Forest El?
The student-teacher ratio at Highland Forest El is 19.3:1, which is 31% higher than the Texas average of 14.7:1 and 23% higher than the national average of 15.7:1.
What percentage of students receive free lunch at Highland Forest El?
80.2% of students at Highland Forest El are eligible for free lunch, compared to the Texas average of 61.9%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Highland Forest El?
The largest demographic group at Highland Forest El is Hispanic or Latino at 85.9% of enrollment, in San Antonio, TX.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Highland Forest El?
Highland Forest El has a Resource Investment Index of 33/100 (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 Highland Forest El rank among schools in San Antonio?
By Resource Investment Index, Highland Forest El ranks #228 of 327 schools in San Antonio, TX. This compares federal resource and staffing data among local peers; it is not a test-score or academic ranking. See all schools in San Antonio on the city page.
Is Highland Forest El a good school?
Highland Forest El earns 33/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes larger than 91% 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 East Central Isd?
Besides Highland Forest El, East Central Isd also operates East Central H S (3,362 students), East Central Heritage Middle (1,251 students), and Legacy Middle (1,143 students). See the East Central 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.