Enrollment
448
Texas · 2024-25 NCES data
Elementary school (grades K-5) · Plano, TX
Hightower El
Federal NCES profile for Hightower El, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators - Resource Investment Index 51/100.
2024-25 NCES dataElementary school (grades K-5)NCES 483510007836
👥 S:T ratio 50
🌟 Gifted program 70
🎓 Counselors 10
📋 Attendance 74
Scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC indicators, resource allocation, not test scores. Full methodology →
The verdict
Hightower El earns 51/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes smaller than 73% of Texas schools. It is also more racially and ethnically mixed than most Texas schools.
- #14 of 29
- elementary schools in Plano · Resource Index
- 51
- Resource Index · Higher
- 12.4:1
- small classes for Texas
- 19.5%
- free-lunch eligible
Hightower El has class sizes smaller than 73% of Texas schools. Computed live against every Texas school reporting to NCES.
By Resource Investment Index, Hightower El ranks #14 of 29 elementary schools in Plano, TX.
School address
Teachers (FTE)
36.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
12.4:1
vs 14.7:1 Texas avg
-16% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
19.5%
vs 61.9% Texas avg
-68% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Hightower El compares with Texas and U.S. medians
What stands out at Hightower El
Hightower El is a lower-poverty, mid-sized elementary school in Plano, Texas, enrolling 448 students.
Class sizes run a bit leaner than typical: 12.4:1 puts it in the smaller third of Texas schools by student-teacher ratio.
Comparatively few students face economic hardship here, 19.5% free-meal eligibility runs 68% below the Texas average.
With 448 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.
Against 495 statewide peers matched on enrollment and economic need, it ranks in the upper tier at #160.
Its student body is led by White (38%) and Asian (22%), more mixed than most schools in the state (diversity index 75/100).
Counselor access is stretched at roughly 448 students per counselor, well above the ASCA-recommended 250:1 ceiling.
10.3% of students were chronically absent in the 2021-22 collection, in line with the post-pandemic national range.
Plano Isd also operates Plano East Sr H S (3,033 students) and Plano West Senior H S (2,559 students) alongside Hightower 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 Hightower El compares
Hightower 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 | 12.4:1 | ▼ 16% | 14.7:1 | 15.7:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 19.5% | ▼ 68% | 61.9% | 51.7% |
| Enrollment | 448 | top 57% | - | - |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25
12.4:1
Leaner classes than 72% of US schools, among the more generously staffed nationally.
448
Bigger than 55% of US schools by enrollment, mid-sized for the country.
Equity indicators (what these measure)
Economic need
19.5%
free-lunch eligible
- 68% 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
12.4:1
students per teacher
- 16% below state mean
Top 27% in Texas - lower ratio than 73% of state schools
Well under the widely cited 15:1 individualized-attention benchmark, among the leaner class loads nationally.
Engagement
10.3%
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
$11,203
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 448 students, the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
Discipline context
6
in-school suspensions + 0 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 1.3 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 1.3 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 37.7%
Asian 22.1%
Hispanic or Latino 17.4%
African American 12.5%
Two or More 10.3%
Largest group: White at 37.7% of enrollment.
Student-body diversity index 75.3/100
Simpson diversity index - at 75.3, Hightower El is more mixed than the Texas school average of 44.7.
Programs
Gifted & talented Yes
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Plano Isd, which includes Hightower El.
$11,203
Per student
-18%
vs Texas
Avg $13,644
-32%
vs U.S.
Avg $16,593
Revenue mix
Local 80.7%
State 7.3%
Federal 12.0%
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 Hightower El Compares to District-Mates
| School | Enrollment | Economic Profile | Student-Teacher Ratio |
|---|---|---|---|
| Plano East Sr H S | Larger | Similar economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| Plano West Senior H S | Larger | Similar economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| Plano Sr H S | Larger | Similar economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| Shepton H S | Larger | Higher economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| Jasper H S | Larger | Similar economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
Comparisons are relative to Hightower El's own figures; each column derives from NCES Common Core of Data.
Other Schools in This District
- Enrollment
- 3,033
- Students per teacher
- 17:1
- Resource Index
- 45/100
- Enrollment
- 2,559
- Students per teacher
- 17.2:1
- Resource Index
- 46/100
- Enrollment
- 2,267
- Students per teacher
- 15.7:1
- Resource Index
- 46/100
- Enrollment
- 1,360
- Students per teacher
- 14.8:1
- Resource Index
- 43/100
- Enrollment
- 1,301
- Students per teacher
- 17.6:1
- Resource Index
- 54/100
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 (~448 students)
Similar student-teacher ratio (~12.4:1)
Next steps
Verify locally before acting on Hightower El's federal record.
- Compare Hightower El against another school. Compare schools
- Plano 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 Hightower El
How many students attend Hightower El?
Hightower El has 448 students enrolled. It is an elementary school in Plano, TX.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Hightower El?
The student-teacher ratio at Hightower El is 12.4:1, which is 16% lower than the Texas average of 14.7:1 and 21% 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 Hightower El?
19.5% of students at Hightower El are eligible for free lunch, compared to the Texas average of 61.9%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Hightower El?
The largest demographic group at Hightower El is White at 37.7% of enrollment, in Plano, TX. Its student body is more racially and ethnically mixed than most US schools, with a diversity index of 75.3/100.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Hightower El?
Hightower El has a Resource Investment Index of 51/100 (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 Hightower El rank among elementary schools in Plano?
By Resource Investment Index, Hightower El ranks #14 of 29 elementary schools in Plano, 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 Plano on the city page.
Is Hightower El a good school?
Hightower El earns 51/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes smaller than 73% of Texas schools. It is also more racially and ethnically mixed than most 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 Plano Isd?
Besides Hightower El, Plano Isd also operates Plano East Sr H S (3,033 students), Plano West Senior H S (2,559 students), and Plano Sr H S (2,267 students). See the Plano 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.