Enrollment
342
Texas · 2024-25 NCES data
2024-25 NCES data Elementary school (grades K-5) NCES 480146913863 Charter school
Houston Classical — Houston, TX
Federal NCES profile for Houston Classical, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators — Resource Investment Index 45/100.
👥 Class size 33
🌟 Gifted program 30
📋 Attendance 72
How this works: Each indicator above is scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC data, then averaged into the Resource Investment Index. This measures resource allocation — staffing, programs, and support services — not standardized test scores or academic outcomes. Full methodology →
The verdict
Houston Classical earns a D Resource Investment Index (45/100), with class sizes larger than 81% of Texas schools.
- D
- Resource Index · 45/100
- 16.8:1
- large classes for Texas
- 65.9%
- free-lunch eligible
- 342
- students enrolled
School address
District: Houston Classical Charter School · Texas
Public location data per NCES (National Center for Education Statistics) Common Core of Data. Verify the school's current address on the NCES CCD record.
Teachers (FTE)
11.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
16.8:1
vs 14.6:1 Texas avg
+15% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
65.9%
vs 61.9% Texas avg
+6% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Houston Classical compares with Texas and U.S. medians
The federal record — no proprietary index, no editorial formula.
PlainSchools publishes the actual federal measurements — enrollment, staffing, demographics, discipline, and finance — straight from the NCES Common Core of Data, CRDC, and F-33 surveys. No composite rating, no opinion-based score on top. You get the same raw numbers researchers and policymakers use, with benchmarks, spending context, and equity indicators computed from the same federal datasets. Full methodology linked below.
What this school's NCES data tells you
Houston Classical reports 342 enrolled students to the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) alongside 11.0 full-time-equivalent teachers, producing a 16.8:1 student-teacher ratio. That figure sits 15% above the Texas state mean of 14.6:1, signalling larger average class loads than peers in the same state. Against the national 2024-25 average of 15.7:1, it is 7% higher, a useful calibration for families comparing districts across state lines.
Title I and federal lunch eligibility offer another window into the student body: 65.9% of pupils qualify for free meals, a proxy for household income that federal programs use to direct funding. The free-lunch share is 6% above the Texas average and 27% above the national baseline. Chronic absenteeism — missing 10% or more of school days — stands at 11.4% according to the 2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection.
On the finance side, the surrounding Houston Classical Charter School spends $20,733 per pupil district-wide, above the Texas average of $13,644 and above the national average of $16,593. Revenue comes 37.1% from local sources (property taxes), 45.6% from the state, and 17.3% from federal programs per the NCES F-33 finance survey. Taken together, these measurements produce a Resource Investment Index of 45/100 (D), calculated from 3 distinct NCES and CRDC indicators measuring resource allocation rather than academic outcomes.
Source: National Center for Education Statistics Common Core of Data + CRDC + F-33 · 2024-25
How Houston Classical compares
Cross-validating school-level NCES values against Texas state and U.S. national means lets readers see whether this school is an outlier or in line with peers.
| Metric | This school | vs Texas | Texas avg | U.S. avg |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Students per teacher | 16.8:1 | ▲ 15% | 14.6:1 | 15.7:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 65.9% | ▲ 6% | 61.9% | 51.8% |
| Enrollment | 342 | top 29% | — | — |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25
Class size vs. every US school
Students per teacher (lower means more individual attention)
17 smaller classes than 32% of 92,598 US schools
Each bar is a band; taller bars hold more US schools. The dashed line + filled bar mark this entry. Hover or tap any bar for its full count, share, and where it sits relative to this entry.
Source U.S. Department of Education — NCES Common Core of Data · 2024-25
School size vs. every US school
Total enrollment — where this school sits by size (neither large nor small is 'better')
342 larger than 38% of 95,891 US schools
Each bar is a band; taller bars hold more US schools. The dashed line + filled bar mark this entry. Hover or tap any bar for its full count, share, and where it sits relative to this entry.
Source U.S. Department of Education — NCES Common Core of Data · 2024-25
What the federal data reveals about equity at this school
Federal measurements — not ratings — surface the resource and opportunity picture. Below are the indicators that researchers, civil-rights monitors, and funding formulas use to assess equity.
Economic need
65.9%
free-lunch eligible
— 6% 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
16.8:1
students per teacher
— 15% above state mean
Top 81% in Texas — lower ratio than 19% of state schools
Between 15:1 and 20:1 — in line with the typical U.S. public-school staffing range.
Engagement
11.4%
chronically absent (missed 10%+ of school days)
Between 10–20% — above the pre-pandemic baseline of ~15% nationally but within the current U.S. range.
Funding equity
$20,733
per pupil, district-wide
— above Texas avg of $13,644
Above the U.S. public-school average, reflecting higher local or state investment per enrolled student.
Support staff
Counselors0.0 FTE
Student-support staffing from the Civil Rights Data Collection.
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
Enrollment 342 Top 29% in Texas — larger than 71% of 9,061 state schools
Teachers (FTE) 11.0
Students per teacher 16.8:1 +15% vs state
Free-lunch eligible 65.9% +6% vs state
NCES ID 480146913863
Student demographics
African American 52.0%
Hispanic or Latino 31.9%
Asian 5.8%
White 5.3%
Two or More 3.2%
American Indian / Alaska Native 1.8%
Largest group: African American at 52.0% of enrollment.
Programs & staff
Counselors (FTE) 0.0
Discipline & special education
Chronically absent 11.4%
In-school suspensions 0
Out-of-school suspensions 0
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Houston Classical Charter School, which includes Houston Classical.
$20,733
Per student
+52%
vs Texas
Avg $13,644
+25%
vs U.S.
Avg $16,593
Revenue mix
Local 37.1%
State 45.6%
Federal 17.3%
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.
Educator & family resources
In-depth guides on understanding NCES data, school choice, and education funding.
Understanding NCES data
How CCD, CRDC and EDFacts feed every public-school number you see.
Choose a school district
Eight signals that matter more than the overall ranking number.
How schools are funded
Title I, F-33, state aid formulas and what per-pupil spending really means.
Chronic absenteeism
Why missing 10% of school matters and how it varies by district.
Magnet vs charter vs traditional
Three school types, three funding models, three sets of trade-offs.
School discipline data
What CRDC suspension and expulsion records do and don't reveal.
Frequently asked questions about Houston Classical
How many students attend Houston Classical?
Houston Classical has 342 students enrolled. It is a elementary school in Houston, TX.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Houston Classical?
The student-teacher ratio at Houston Classical is 16.8:1, which is 15% higher than the Texas average of 14.6:1 and 7% higher than the national average of 15.7:1.
What percentage of students receive free lunch at Houston Classical?
65.9% of students at Houston Classical are eligible for free lunch, compared to the Texas average of 61.9%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Houston Classical?
The largest demographic group at Houston Classical is African American at 52.0%. The school serves a diverse student body in Houston, TX.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Houston Classical?
Houston Classical has a Resource Investment Index of 45/100 (D) based on 3 factors: student-teacher ratio, attendance rates. This index measures federal resource allocation — staffing levels, program availability, and support services — not standardized test scores or academic outcomes.
Is Houston Classical a good school?
Houston Classical earns a D Resource Investment Index (45/100), with class sizes larger than 81% of Texas schools. The Resource Investment Index reflects staffing, counselor access, gifted programs, and attendance reported to NCES, not test scores or academic outcomes, so treat it as a resource snapshot rather than an overall rating.