Enrollment
496
Texas · 2024-25 NCES data
Other / mixed grade configuration · Austin, TX
Houston El
Federal NCES profile for Houston El, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators - Resource Investment Index 48/100.
2024-25 NCES dataOther / mixed grade configurationNCES 480894000322
👥 S:T ratio 50
🌟 Gifted program 70
📋 Attendance 23
Scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC indicators, resource allocation, not test scores. Full methodology →
The verdict
Houston El earns 48/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes smaller than 73% of Texas schools. It is also less racially and ethnically mixed than most Texas schools.
- #35 of 162
- schools in Austin · Resource Index
- 48
- Resource Index · Typical
- 12.4:1
- small classes for Texas
- 89.8%
- free-lunch eligible
Houston El has class sizes smaller than 73% of Texas schools. Computed live against every Texas school reporting to NCES.
By Resource Investment Index, Houston El ranks #35 of 162 schools in Austin, TX.
School address
Teachers (FTE)
40.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
12.4:1
vs 14.7:1 Texas avg
-16% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
89.8%
vs 61.9% Texas avg
+45% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Houston El compares with Texas and U.S. medians
What stands out at Houston El
Houston El is a high-poverty, mid-sized combined-grade school in Austin, Texas, enrolling 496 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.
Economic need is high: 89.8% of students qualify for free meals, 45% above the Texas average, a Title I-weighted population that federal funding formulas prioritise.
With 496 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.
Among 1,881 similarly sized, similarly resourced-need Texas schools statewide, it ranks #195, a top-tier result once campus size and economic need are matched.
Its student body is predominantly Hispanic or Latino (91% of enrollment), among the less diverse in the state (diversity index 18/100).
Chronic absenteeism is elevated: 31.0% of students missed 10% or more of school days (2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection).
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 Houston 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 Houston El compares
Houston 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 | 89.8% | ▲ 45% | 61.9% | 51.7% |
| Enrollment | 496 | top 51% | - | - |
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.
496
Bigger than 61% of US schools by enrollment, mid-sized for the country.
Equity indicators (what these measure)
Economic need
89.8%
free-lunch eligible
- 45% above the Texas average of 61.9%
Well above the 40% Title I schoolwide threshold, among the highest-need profiles in the state; federal funds support the whole school, not individual students.
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
31.0%
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
$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
Counselors0.0 FTE
Student-support staffing from the Civil Rights Data Collection.
Discipline context
0
in-school suspensions + 2 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 0.0 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 0.4 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 90.5%
African American 6.5%
White 1.8%
Two or More 0.8%
American Indian / Alaska Native 0.4%
Largest group: Hispanic or Latino at 90.5% of enrollment.
Student-body diversity index 17.6/100
Simpson diversity index - at 17.6, Houston El is less 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 Houston 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 Houston El Compares to District-Mates
| School | Enrollment | Economic Profile | Student-Teacher Ratio |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bowie H S | Larger | Lower economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| Akins H S | Larger | Lower economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| Austin H S | Larger | Lower economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| Anderson H S | Larger | Lower economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| Mccallum H S | Larger | Lower economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
Comparisons are relative to Houston 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 (~496 students)
Similar student-teacher ratio (~12.4:1)
Next steps
Verify locally before acting on Houston El's federal record.
- Compare Houston 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 Houston El
How many students attend Houston El?
Houston El has 496 students enrolled. It is a public school in Austin, TX.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Houston El?
The student-teacher ratio at Houston 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 Houston El?
89.8% of students at Houston El are eligible for free lunch, compared to the Texas average of 61.9%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Houston El?
The largest demographic group at Houston El is Hispanic or Latino at 90.5% of enrollment, in Austin, TX.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Houston El?
Houston El has a Resource Investment Index of 48/100 (typical reported resources relative to schools nationally) based on 3 factors: student-teacher ratio, attendance rates. Not a test-score or academic measure (national median ~41/100, see methodology).
How does Houston El rank among schools in Austin?
By Resource Investment Index, Houston El ranks #35 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 Houston El a good school?
Houston El earns 48/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes smaller than 73% of Texas schools. It is also less 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 Austin Isd?
Besides Houston 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.