Enrollment
649
Texas · 2024-25 NCES data
Other / mixed grade configuration · Austin, TX
Highland Park El
Federal NCES profile for Highland Park El, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators - Resource Investment Index 54/100.
2024-25 NCES dataOther / mixed grade configurationNCES 480894000320
👥 S:T ratio 34
🌟 Gifted program 70
🎓 Counselors 35
📋 Attendance 77
Scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC indicators, resource allocation, not test scores. Full methodology →
The verdict
Highland Park El earns 54/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes larger than 77% of Texas schools.
- #14 of 162
- schools in Austin · Resource Index
- 54
- Resource Index · Higher
- 16.6:1
- large classes for Texas
- 6.1%
- free-lunch eligible
Highland Park El has class sizes larger than 77% of Texas schools. Computed live against every Texas school reporting to NCES.
By Resource Investment Index, Highland Park El ranks #14 of 162 schools in Austin, TX.
School address
Teachers (FTE)
39.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
16.6:1
vs 14.7:1 Texas avg
+13% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
6.1%
vs 61.9% Texas avg
-90% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Highland Park El compares with Texas and U.S. medians
What stands out at Highland Park El
Highland Park El is a lower-poverty, mid-sized combined-grade school in Austin, Texas, enrolling 649 students.
Class loads run somewhat heavier than typical: 16.6:1 puts it in the larger third of Texas schools by student-teacher ratio.
Comparatively few students face economic hardship here, 6.1% free-meal eligibility runs 90% below the Texas average.
Enrollment of 649 puts it in the larger third of Texas schools by headcount.
Its Resource Investment Index lands in the upper third of 8,960 scored Texas schools.
Against 404 statewide peers matched on enrollment and economic need, it ranks in the upper tier at #47.
Its student body is led by White (71%) and Hispanic or Latino (16%) (diversity index 47/100).
Counselor coverage runs a bit thin, about 325 students per counselor, somewhat past the ASCA-recommended 250:1 benchmark.
Attendance holds up well here: only 9.1% of students were chronically absent, below the typical post-pandemic national figure.
Its district draws 18.1% of revenue from federal sources, an above-typical federal share that tends to track a higher-need student population.
Austin Isd also operates Bowie H S (2,876 students) and Akins H S (2,421 students) alongside Highland Park 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 Park El compares
Highland Park 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 | 16.6:1 | ▲ 13% | 14.7:1 | 15.7:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 6.1% | ▼ 90% | 61.9% | 51.7% |
| Enrollment | 649 | top 32% | - | - |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25
16.6:1
Leaner classes than 33% of US schools, heavier class loads than most.
649
Bigger than 77% of US schools by enrollment, mid-sized for the country.
Equity indicators (what these measure)
Economic need
6.1%
free-lunch eligible
- 90% below the Texas average of 61.9%
Below the 40% Title I threshold, among the lower-need profiles in the state; federal aid targets individual qualifying students rather than schoolwide programs.
Staffing depth
16.6:1
students per teacher
- 13% above state mean
Top 77% in Texas - lower ratio than 23% of state schools
Between 16:1 and 20:1, squarely in the typical U.S. public-school staffing range.
Engagement
9.1%
chronically absent (missed 10%+ of school days)
In the 5-10% range, close to the pre-pandemic national baseline.
Funding equity
$12,492
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 325 students, the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
Discipline context
0
in-school suspensions + 0 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 0.0 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 0.0 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
White 70.7%
Hispanic or Latino 16.2%
Two or More 6.9%
Asian 4.9%
African American 1.1%
Native Hawaiian / Pacific Islander 0.2%
Largest group: White at 70.7% of enrollment.
Student-body diversity index 46.7/100
Simpson diversity index - at 46.7, Highland Park El is more mixed than the Texas school average of 44.7.
Programs
Gifted & talented Yes
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Austin Isd, which includes Highland Park El.
$12,492
Per student
-8%
vs Texas
Avg $13,644
-25%
vs U.S.
Avg $16,593
Revenue mix
Local 75.2%
State 6.6%
Federal 18.1%
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 Park El Compares to District-Mates
| School | Enrollment | Economic Profile | Student-Teacher Ratio |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bowie H S | Larger | Similar economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| Akins H S | Larger | Higher economic need | Similar S:T ratio |
| Austin H S | Larger | Higher economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| Anderson H S | Larger | Higher economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| Mccallum H S | Larger | Higher economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
Comparisons are relative to Highland Park El's own figures; each column derives from NCES Common Core of Data.
Other Schools in This District
- Enrollment
- 2,876
- Students per teacher
- 19.7:1
- Resource Index
- 43/100
- Enrollment
- 2,421
- Students per teacher
- 16.7:1
- Resource Index
- 48/100
- Enrollment
- 2,323
- Students per teacher
- 20.2:1
- Resource Index
- 37/100
- Enrollment
- 2,223
- Students per teacher
- 18.8:1
- Resource Index
- 37/100
- Enrollment
- 1,897
- Students per teacher
- 19.6:1
- Resource Index
- 39/100
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 (~649 students)
Next steps
Verify locally before acting on Highland Park El's federal record.
- Compare Highland Park El against another school. Compare schools
- Austin 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 Park El
How many students attend Highland Park El?
Highland Park El has 649 students enrolled. It is a public school in Austin, TX.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Highland Park El?
The student-teacher ratio at Highland Park El is 16.6:1, which is 13% higher than the Texas average of 14.7:1 and 6% higher than the national average of 15.7:1.
What percentage of students receive free lunch at Highland Park El?
6.1% of students at Highland Park El are eligible for free lunch, compared to the Texas average of 61.9%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Highland Park El?
The largest demographic group at Highland Park El is White at 70.7% of enrollment, in Austin, TX.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Highland Park El?
Highland Park El has a Resource Investment Index of 54/100 (higher 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 Park El rank among schools in Austin?
By Resource Investment Index, Highland Park El ranks #14 of 162 schools in Austin, TX. This compares federal resource and staffing data among local peers; it is not a test-score or academic ranking. See all schools in Austin on the city page.
Is Highland Park El a good school?
Highland Park El earns 54/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes larger than 77% 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 Austin Isd?
Besides Highland Park El, Austin Isd also operates Bowie H S (2,876 students), Akins H S (2,421 students), and Austin H S (2,323 students). See the Austin 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.