Enrollment
548
Texas · 2024-25 NCES data
Other / mixed grade configuration · Mcallen, TX
Jackson El
Federal NCES profile for Jackson El, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators - Resource Investment Index 48/100.
2024-25 NCES dataOther / mixed grade configurationNCES 482967003336
👥 S:T ratio 41
🌟 Gifted program 70
🎓 Counselors 45
📋 Attendance 35
Scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC indicators, resource allocation, not test scores. Full methodology →
The verdict
Jackson El earns 48/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes near the Texas median. It is also less racially and ethnically mixed than most Texas schools.
- #14 of 31
- schools in Mcallen · Resource Index
- 48
- Resource Index · Typical
- 14.8:1
- students per teacher
- 86.5%
- free-lunch eligible
Jackson El has class sizes near the Texas median. Computed live against every Texas school reporting to NCES.
By Resource Investment Index, Jackson El ranks #14 of 31 schools in Mcallen, TX.
School address
Teachers (FTE)
37.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
14.8:1
vs 14.7:1 Texas avg
+1% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
86.5%
vs 61.9% Texas avg
+40% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Jackson El compares with Texas and U.S. medians
What stands out at Jackson El
Jackson El is a high-poverty, mid-sized combined-grade school in Mcallen, Texas, enrolling 548 students.
At 14.8:1, its student-teacher ratio sits close to the Texas median, within a few percentage points of the 14.7:1 state norm, neither notably crowded nor notably small.
Economic need runs somewhat above the state's typical profile, with 86.5% of students eligible for free meals.
With 548 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 2,144 similarly sized, similarly resourced-need Texas schools statewide, it ranks #224, a top-tier result once campus size and economic need are matched.
Its student body is predominantly Hispanic or Latino (95% of enrollment), among the less diverse in the state (diversity index 11/100).
Counselor coverage runs a bit thin, about 274 students per counselor, somewhat past the ASCA-recommended 250:1 benchmark.
Chronic absenteeism is elevated: 25.9% of students missed 10% or more of school days (2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection).
Its district draws 34.8% of revenue from federal sources, an above-typical federal share that tends to track a higher-need student population.
Mcallen Isd also operates Mcallen H S (2,134 students) and Memorial H S (2,021 students) alongside Jackson 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 Jackson El compares
Jackson 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 | 14.8:1 | ▲ 1% | 14.7:1 | 15.7:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 86.5% | ▲ 40% | 61.9% | 51.7% |
| Enrollment | 548 | top 43% | - | - |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25
14.8:1
Leaner classes than 49% of US schools, a middle-of-the-pack class size.
548
Bigger than 67% of US schools by enrollment, mid-sized for the country.
Equity indicators (what these measure)
Economic need
86.5%
free-lunch eligible
- 40% 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
14.8:1
students per teacher
- 1% above state mean
Top 57% in Texas - lower ratio than 43% of state schools
Close to the 15:1 benchmark most often cited for individualized attention.
Engagement
25.9%
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
$13,933
per pupil, district-wide
- above Texas avg of $13,644
Somewhat below the U.S. average per-pupil spend; funding constraints may affect programs, facilities, and staffing.
Support staff
Counselors2.0 FTE
Per 274 students, the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
Discipline context
4
in-school suspensions + 5 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 0.7 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 1.6 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 94.5%
White 4.4%
African American 0.5%
Asian 0.4%
Two or More 0.2%
Largest group: Hispanic or Latino at 94.5% of enrollment.
Student-body diversity index 10.5/100
Simpson diversity index - at 10.5, Jackson El is less mixed than the Texas school average of 44.7.
Programs
Gifted & talented Yes
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Mcallen Isd, which includes Jackson El.
$13,933
Per student
+2%
vs Texas
Avg $13,644
-16%
vs U.S.
Avg $16,593
Revenue mix
Local 29.7%
State 35.5%
Federal 34.8%
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 Jackson El Compares to District-Mates
| School | Enrollment | Economic Profile | Student-Teacher Ratio |
|---|---|---|---|
| Mcallen H S | Larger | Lower economic need | Lower S:T ratio |
| Memorial H S | Larger | Lower economic need | Similar S:T ratio |
| Rowe H S | Larger | Lower economic need | Similar S:T ratio |
| Morris Middle | Larger | Lower economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| Cathey Middle | Larger | Lower economic need | Similar S:T ratio |
Comparisons are relative to Jackson El's own figures; each column derives from NCES Common Core of Data.
Other Schools in This District
- Enrollment
- 2,134
- Students per teacher
- 12.1:1
- Resource Index
- 40/100
- Enrollment
- 2,021
- Students per teacher
- 13.9:1
- Resource Index
- 43/100
- Enrollment
- 1,905
- Students per teacher
- 13.7:1
- Resource Index
- 47/100
- Enrollment
- 999
- Students per teacher
- 16.9:1
- Resource Index
- 36/100
- Enrollment
- 827
- Students per teacher
- 15:1
- Resource Index
- 45/100
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 (~548 students)
Next steps
Verify locally before acting on Jackson El's federal record.
- Compare Jackson El against another school. Compare schools
- Mcallen 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 Jackson El
How many students attend Jackson El?
Jackson El has 548 students enrolled. It is a public school in Mcallen, TX.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Jackson El?
The student-teacher ratio at Jackson El is 14.8:1, which is 1% higher than the Texas average of 14.7:1 and 6% lower than the national average of 15.7:1.
What percentage of students receive free lunch at Jackson El?
86.5% of students at Jackson El are eligible for free lunch, compared to the Texas average of 61.9%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Jackson El?
The largest demographic group at Jackson El is Hispanic or Latino at 94.5% of enrollment, in Mcallen, TX.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Jackson El?
Jackson El has a Resource Investment Index of 48/100 (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 Jackson El rank among schools in Mcallen?
By Resource Investment Index, Jackson El ranks #14 of 31 schools in Mcallen, TX. This compares federal resource and staffing data among local peers; it is not a test-score or academic ranking. See all schools in Mcallen on the city page.
Is Jackson El a good school?
Jackson El earns 48/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes near the Texas median. 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 Mcallen Isd?
Besides Jackson El, Mcallen Isd also operates Mcallen H S (2,134 students), Memorial H S (2,021 students), and Rowe H S (1,905 students). See the Mcallen 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.