Enrollment
556
Texas · 2024-25 NCES data
Other / mixed grade configuration · Houston, TX
Joan Link El
Federal NCES profile for Joan Link El, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators - Resource Investment Index 35/100.
2024-25 NCES dataOther / mixed grade configurationNCES 484122005816
👥 S:T ratio 36
🌟 Gifted program 70
🎓 Counselors 0
📋 Attendance 33
Scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC indicators, resource allocation, not test scores. Full methodology →
The verdict
Joan Link El earns 35/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes larger than 70% of Texas schools.
- #305 of 435
- schools in Houston · Resource Index
- 35
- Resource Index · Typical
- 15.9:1
- large classes for Texas
- 84.1%
- free-lunch eligible
Joan Link El has class sizes larger than 70% of Texas schools. Computed live against every Texas school reporting to NCES.
By Resource Investment Index, Joan Link El ranks #305 of 435 schools in Houston, TX.
School address
Teachers (FTE)
35.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
15.9:1
vs 14.7:1 Texas avg
+8% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
84.1%
vs 61.9% Texas avg
+36% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Joan Link El compares with Texas and U.S. medians
What stands out at Joan Link El
Joan Link El is a high-poverty, mid-sized combined-grade school in Houston, Texas, enrolling 556 students.
Class loads run somewhat heavier than typical: 15.9:1 puts it in the larger third of Texas schools by student-teacher ratio.
Economic need runs somewhat above the state's typical profile, with 84.1% of students eligible for free meals.
With 556 students, its enrollment sits close to the Texas median campus size.
Its Resource Investment Index lands in the lower third of 8,960 scored Texas schools.
Against 2,282 statewide peers matched on enrollment and economic need, it ranks mid-pack at #1,464.
Its student body is led by Hispanic or Latino (73%) and African American (22%) (diversity index 42/100).
Counselor access is stretched at roughly 556 students per counselor, well above the ASCA-recommended 250:1 ceiling.
Chronic absenteeism is elevated: 27.0% of students missed 10% or more of school days (2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection).
Its district draws 20.7% of revenue from federal sources, an above-typical federal share that tends to track a higher-need student population.
Spring Isd also operates Spring H S (2,594 students) and Andy Dekaney H S (2,485 students) alongside Joan Link 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 Joan Link El compares
Joan Link 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 | 15.9:1 | ▲ 8% | 14.7:1 | 15.7:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 84.1% | ▲ 36% | 61.9% | 51.7% |
| Enrollment | 556 | top 42% | - | - |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25
15.9:1
Leaner classes than 39% of US schools, a middle-of-the-pack class size.
556
Bigger than 68% of US schools by enrollment, mid-sized for the country.
Equity indicators (what these measure)
Economic need
84.1%
free-lunch eligible
- 36% 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
15.9:1
students per teacher
- 8% above state mean
Top 70% in Texas - lower ratio than 30% of state schools
Close to the 15:1 benchmark most often cited for individualized attention.
Engagement
27.0%
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
$11,574
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 556 students, the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
Discipline context
13
in-school suspensions + 3 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 2.3 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 2.9 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 72.8%
African American 22.1%
White 2.2%
Two or More 1.8%
Asian 0.9%
American Indian / Alaska Native 0.2%
Largest group: Hispanic or Latino at 72.8% of enrollment.
Student-body diversity index 42.0/100
Simpson diversity index - at 42.0, Joan Link El is less mixed than the Texas school average of 44.7.
Programs
Gifted & talented Yes
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Spring Isd, which includes Joan Link El.
$11,574
Per student
-15%
vs Texas
Avg $13,644
-30%
vs U.S.
Avg $16,593
Revenue mix
Local 44.2%
State 35.1%
Federal 20.7%
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 Joan Link El Compares to District-Mates
| School | Enrollment | Economic Profile | Student-Teacher Ratio |
|---|---|---|---|
| Spring H S | Larger | Lower economic need | Similar S:T ratio |
| Andy Dekaney H S | Larger | Lower economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| Westfield H S | Larger | Lower economic need | Similar S:T ratio |
| Carl Wunsche Sr H S | Larger | Lower economic need | Similar S:T ratio |
| Rickey C Bailey Middle | Larger | Lower economic need | Similar S:T ratio |
Comparisons are relative to Joan Link El's own figures; each column derives from NCES Common Core of Data.
Other Schools in This District
- Enrollment
- 2,594
- Students per teacher
- 15.8:1
- Resource Index
- 54/100
- Enrollment
- 2,485
- Students per teacher
- 18.4:1
- Resource Index
- 43/100
- Enrollment
- 2,264
- Students per teacher
- 14.8:1
- Resource Index
- 51/100
- Enrollment
- 1,503
- Students per teacher
- 15.7:1
- Resource Index
- 50/100
- Enrollment
- 982
- Students per teacher
- 16.4:1
- Resource Index
- 31/100
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 (~556 students)
Next steps
Verify locally before acting on Joan Link El's federal record.
- Compare Joan Link El against another school. Compare schools
- Spring 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 Joan Link El
How many students attend Joan Link El?
Joan Link El has 556 students enrolled. It is a public school in Houston, TX.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Joan Link El?
The student-teacher ratio at Joan Link El is 15.9:1, which is 8% higher than the Texas average of 14.7:1 and 1% higher than the national average of 15.7:1.
What percentage of students receive free lunch at Joan Link El?
84.1% of students at Joan Link El are eligible for free lunch, compared to the Texas average of 61.9%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Joan Link El?
The largest demographic group at Joan Link El is Hispanic or Latino at 72.8% of enrollment, in Houston, TX.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Joan Link El?
Joan Link El has a Resource Investment Index of 35/100 (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 Joan Link El rank among schools in Houston?
By Resource Investment Index, Joan Link El ranks #305 of 435 schools in Houston, TX. This compares federal resource and staffing data among local peers; it is not a test-score or academic ranking. See all schools in Houston on the city page.
Is Joan Link El a good school?
Joan Link El earns 35/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes larger than 70% of 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 Spring Isd?
Besides Joan Link El, Spring Isd also operates Spring H S (2,594 students), Andy Dekaney H S (2,485 students), and Westfield H S (2,264 students). See the Spring 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.