Enrollment
868
Texas · 2024-25 NCES data
Elementary school (grades K-5) · Highlands, TX
Highlands El
Federal NCES profile for Highlands El, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators - Resource Investment Index 41/100.
2024-25 NCES dataElementary school (grades K-5)NCES 482115002112
👥 S:T ratio 26
🌟 Gifted program 70
🎓 Counselors 0
📋 Attendance 68
Scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC indicators, resource allocation, not test scores. Full methodology →
The verdict
Highlands El earns 41/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes larger than 88% of Texas schools.
- #3 of 4
- public schools in Highlands · Resource Index
- 41
- Resource Index · Typical
- 18.5:1
- large classes for Texas
- 76.3%
- free-lunch eligible
Highlands El has class sizes larger than 88% of Texas schools. Computed live against every Texas school reporting to NCES.
By Resource Investment Index, Highlands El ranks #3 of 4 public schools in Highlands, TX.
School address
District: Goose Creek Cisd · Texas
NCES ID 482115002112 Verify on NCES CCD record →
Teachers (FTE)
47.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
18.5:1
vs 14.7:1 Texas avg
+26% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
76.3%
vs 61.9% Texas avg
+23% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Highlands El compares with Texas and U.S. medians
What stands out at Highlands El
Highlands El is a high-poverty, large elementary school in Highlands, Texas, enrolling 868 students.
Class loads run heavy: 18.5:1 is larger than about 88% of Texas schools and 26% 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 76.3% of students eligible for free meals.
Enrollment of 868 puts it in the larger third of Texas schools by headcount.
Its Resource Investment Index sits near the middle of the pack among 8,960 scored Texas schools.
Against 1,522 statewide peers matched on enrollment and economic need, it ranks in the upper tier at #549.
Its student body is led by Hispanic or Latino (68%) and White (21%) (diversity index 49/100).
Counselor access is stretched at roughly 868 students per counselor, well above the ASCA-recommended 250:1 ceiling.
13.0% of students were chronically absent in the 2021-22 collection, in line with the post-pandemic national range.
Its district draws 15.1% of revenue from federal sources, an above-typical federal share that tends to track a higher-need student population.
Goose Creek Cisd also operates Goose Creek Memorial (2,335 students) and Sterling H S (2,150 students) alongside Highlands 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 Highlands El compares
Highlands 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 | 18.5:1 | ▲ 26% | 14.7:1 | 15.7:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 76.3% | ▲ 23% | 61.9% | 51.7% |
| Enrollment | 868 | top 15% | - | - |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25
18.5:1
Leaner classes than 22% of US schools, heavier class loads than most.
868
Bigger than 88% of US schools by enrollment, a large campus nationally.
Equity indicators (what these measure)
Economic need
76.3%
free-lunch eligible
- 23% 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
18.5:1
students per teacher
- 26% above state mean
Top 88% in Texas - lower ratio than 12% of state schools
Between 16:1 and 20:1, squarely in the typical U.S. public-school staffing range.
Engagement
13.0%
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
$11,713
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 868 students, the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
Discipline context
49
in-school suspensions + 16 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 5.6 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 7.5 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 68.0%
White 20.5%
African American 8.3%
Two or More 2.6%
Asian 0.5%
American Indian / Alaska Native 0.1%
Largest group: Hispanic or Latino at 68.0% of enrollment.
Student-body diversity index 48.8/100
Simpson diversity index - at 48.8, Highlands El is more mixed than the Texas school average of 44.7.
Programs
Gifted & talented Yes
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Goose Creek Cisd, which includes Highlands El.
$11,713
Per student
-14%
vs Texas
Avg $13,644
-29%
vs U.S.
Avg $16,593
Revenue mix
Local 55.7%
State 29.2%
Federal 15.1%
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 Highlands El Compares to District-Mates
| School | Enrollment | Economic Profile | Student-Teacher Ratio |
|---|---|---|---|
| Goose Creek Memorial | Larger | Lower economic need | Lower S:T ratio |
| Sterling H S | Larger | Lower economic need | Lower S:T ratio |
| Lee H S | Larger | Similar economic need | Lower S:T ratio |
| E F Green Junior School | Larger | Lower economic need | Similar S:T ratio |
| Gentry J H | Similar size | Lower economic need | Lower S:T ratio |
Comparisons are relative to Highlands El's own figures; each column derives from NCES Common Core of Data.
Other Schools in This District
- Enrollment
- 2,335
- Students per teacher
- 15.6:1
- Resource Index
- 40/100
- Enrollment
- 2,150
- Students per teacher
- 14.6:1
- Resource Index
- 36/100
- Enrollment
- 1,747
- Students per teacher
- 13.2:1
- Resource Index
- 38/100
- Enrollment
- 1,095
- Students per teacher
- 18.9:1
- Resource Index
- 41/100
- Enrollment
- 1,013
- Students per teacher
- 16.3:1
- Resource Index
- 41/100
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 (~868 students)
Similar student-teacher ratio (~18.5:1)
Next steps
Verify locally before acting on Highlands El's federal record.
- Compare Highlands El against another school. Compare schools
- Goose Creek 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 Highlands El
How many students attend Highlands El?
Highlands El has 868 students enrolled. It is an elementary school in Highlands, TX.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Highlands El?
The student-teacher ratio at Highlands El is 18.5:1, which is 26% higher than the Texas average of 14.7:1 and 18% higher than the national average of 15.7:1.
What percentage of students receive free lunch at Highlands El?
76.3% of students at Highlands El are eligible for free lunch, compared to the Texas average of 61.9%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Highlands El?
The largest demographic group at Highlands El is Hispanic or Latino at 68.0% of enrollment, in Highlands, TX.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Highlands El?
Highlands El has a Resource Investment Index of 41/100 (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 Highlands El rank among public schools in Highlands?
By Resource Investment Index, Highlands El ranks #3 of 4 public schools in Highlands, TX. This compares federal resource and staffing data among local peers; it is not a test-score or academic ranking. See all public schools in Highlands on the city page.
Is Highlands El a good school?
Highlands El earns 41/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes larger than 88% 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 Goose Creek Cisd?
Besides Highlands El, Goose Creek Cisd also operates Goose Creek Memorial (2,335 students), Sterling H S (2,150 students), and Lee H S (1,747 students). See the Goose Creek 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.