Enrollment
857
Texas · 2024-25 NCES data
2024-25 NCES data Middle school (grades 6-8) NCES 483540004001
Jefferson Middle — Port Arthur, TX
Federal NCES profile for Jefferson Middle, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators — Resource Investment Index 36/100.
👥 Class size 47
🌟 Gifted program 70
🎓 Counselors 14
📋 Attendance 11
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
Jefferson Middle earns an F Resource Investment Index (36/100), with class sizes near the Texas median.
- F
- Resource Index · 36/100
- 13.3:1
- students per teacher
- 89.4%
- free-lunch eligible
- 857
- students enrolled
School address
District: Port Arthur Isd · 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)
63.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
13.3:1
vs 14.6:1 Texas avg
-9% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
89.4%
vs 61.9% Texas avg
+44% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Jefferson Middle 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
Jefferson Middle reports 857 enrolled students to the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) alongside 63.0 full-time-equivalent teachers, producing a 13.3:1 student-teacher ratio. That figure sits 9% below the Texas state mean of 14.6:1, signalling more teacher attention per pupil than the state benchmark. Against the national 2024-25 average of 15.9:1, it is 16% lower, a useful calibration for families comparing districts across state lines.
Title I and federal lunch eligibility offer another window into the student body: 89.4% of pupils qualify for free meals, a proxy for household income that federal programs use to direct funding. The free-lunch share is 44% above the Texas average and 73% above the national baseline. Counselor coverage works out to roughly 429 students per counselor, above the ASCA-recommended ceiling of 250:1. Chronic absenteeism — missing 10% or more of school days — stands at 35.6% according to the 2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection.
On the finance side, the surrounding Port Arthur Isd spends $16,495 per pupil district-wide, below the Texas average of $17,150 and below the national average of $19,490. Revenue comes 52.9% from local sources (property taxes), 26.2% from the state, and 20.9% from federal programs per the NCES F-33 finance survey. Taken together, these measurements produce a Resource Investment Index of 36/100 (F), calculated from 4 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 Jefferson Middle 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 | 13.3:1 | ▼ 9% | 14.6:1 | 15.9:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 89.4% | ▲ 44% | 61.9% | 51.8% |
| Enrollment | 857 | top 84% | — | — |
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)
13 Among the smallest classes smaller classes than 66% 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')
857 larger than 88% 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
89.4%
free-lunch eligible
— 44% 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
13.3:1
students per teacher
— 9% below state mean
Top 31% in Texas — lower ratio than 69% of state schools
Below the 15:1 benchmark — typical of schools with smaller class sizes and more individualized attention.
Engagement
35.6%
chronically absent (missed 10%+ of school days)
Chronic absenteeism at or above 20% — the CDC threshold for "high" — signals significant barriers to regular attendance.
Funding equity
$16,495
per pupil, district-wide
— below Texas avg of $17,150
Below the U.S. average per-pupil spend — funding constraints may affect programs, facilities, and staffing.
Support staff
Counselors2.0 FTE
Per 429 students — the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
Discipline context
50
in-school suspensions + 286 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 5.8 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 39.2 per 100 students. Reported via the Civil Rights Data Collection. Includes 42 expulsions.
Overview
Enrollment 857 Top 84% in Texas — larger than 16% of 9,061 state schools
Teachers (FTE) 63.0
Students per teacher 13.3:1 -9% vs state
Free-lunch eligible 89.4% +44% vs state
NCES ID 483540004001
Student demographics
Hispanic or Latino 63.8%
African American 28.0%
American Indian / Alaska Native 2.9%
Asian 2.8%
White 2.0%
Two or More 0.5%
Largest group: Hispanic or Latino at 63.8% of enrollment.
Programs & staff
Gifted & talented Yes
Counselors (FTE) 2.0
Students per counselor 429:1
Discipline & special education
Chronically absent 35.6%
In-school suspensions 50
Out-of-school suspensions 286
Expulsions 42
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Port Arthur Isd, which includes Jefferson Middle.
$16,495
Per student
-4%
vs Texas
Avg $17,150
-15%
vs U.S.
Avg $19,490
Revenue mix
Local 52.9%
State 26.2%
Federal 20.9%
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.
Other Schools in This District
- Enrollment
- 2,140
- Students per teacher
- 12.5:1
- Enrollment
- 689
- Students per teacher
- 14.9:1
- Enrollment
- 670
- Students per teacher
- 16.3:1
- Enrollment
- 644
- Students per teacher
- 16.7:1
- Enrollment
- 619
- Students per teacher
- 12.9:1
Similar middle schools in Port Arthur
3 comparable middle schools (grades 6-8) serving the same city.
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 Jefferson Middle
How many students attend Jefferson Middle?
Jefferson Middle has 857 students enrolled. It is a middle school in PORT ARTHUR, TX.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Jefferson Middle?
The student-teacher ratio at Jefferson Middle is 13.3:1, which is 9% lower than the Texas average of 14.6:1 and 16% lower than the national average of 15.9:1. Lower ratios generally mean more individual attention per student.
What percentage of students receive free lunch at Jefferson Middle?
89.4% of students at Jefferson Middle are eligible for free lunch, compared to the Texas average of 61.9%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Jefferson Middle?
The largest demographic group at Jefferson Middle is Hispanic or Latino at 63.8%. The school serves a diverse student body in PORT ARTHUR, TX.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Jefferson Middle?
Jefferson Middle has a Resource Investment Index of 36/100 (F) based on 4 factors: student-teacher ratio, counselor availability, attendance rates. This index measures federal resource allocation — staffing levels, program availability, and support services — not standardized test scores or academic outcomes.