Enrollment
3,171
Texas · 2024-25 NCES data
2024-25 NCES data High school (grades 9-12) NCES 484365007094
John B Alexander H S — Laredo, TX
Federal NCES profile for John B Alexander H S, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators — Resource Investment Index 53/100.
👥 Class size 27
📚 AP courses 90
🌟 Gifted program 70
🎓 Counselors 33
📋 Attendance 44
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 →
School address
District: United 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)
168.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
18.3:1
vs 14.6:1 Texas avg
+25% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
59.5%
vs 61.9% Texas avg
-4% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How John B Alexander H S 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
John B Alexander H S reports 3,171 enrolled students to the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) alongside 168.0 full-time-equivalent teachers, producing a 18.3:1 student-teacher ratio. That figure sits 25% 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 15.9:1, it is 15% higher, a useful calibration for families comparing districts across state lines.
Title I and federal lunch eligibility offer another window into the student body: 59.5% of pupils qualify for free meals, a proxy for household income that federal programs use to direct funding. The free-lunch share is 4% below the Texas average and 15% above the national baseline. The school offers 18 Advanced Placement courses, a stronger academic pipeline indicator than enrollment alone. Counselor coverage works out to roughly 337 students per counselor, above the ASCA-recommended ceiling of 250:1. Chronic absenteeism — missing 10% or more of school days — stands at 22.4% according to the 2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection.
On the finance side, the surrounding United Isd spends $13,953 per pupil district-wide, below the Texas average of $17,150 and below the national average of $19,490. Revenue comes 38.4% from local sources (property taxes), 35.9% from the state, and 25.7% from federal programs per the NCES F-33 finance survey. Taken together, these measurements produce a Resource Investment Index of 53/100 (C-), calculated from 5 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 John B Alexander H S 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 | 18.3:1 | ▲ 25% | 14.6:1 | 15.9:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 59.5% | ▼ 4% | 61.9% | 51.8% |
| Enrollment | 3,171 | top 99% | — | — |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 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
59.5%
free-lunch eligible
— 4% below the Texas average of 61.9%
Above the 40% Title I schoolwide threshold — federal funds support the whole school, not individual students.
Staffing depth
18.3:1
students per teacher
— 25% above state mean
Top 91% in Texas — lower ratio than 9% of state schools
Between 15:1 and 20:1 — in line with the typical U.S. public-school staffing range.
Engagement
22.4%
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
$13,953
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
Counselors9.4 FTE
Per 337 students — the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
Discipline context
155
in-school suspensions + 133 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 4.9 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 9.1 per 100 students. Reported via the Civil Rights Data Collection. Includes 1 expulsion.
Overview
Enrollment 3,171 Top 99% in Texas — larger than 1% of 9,061 state schools
Teachers (FTE) 168.0
Students per teacher 18.3:1 +25% vs state
Free-lunch eligible 59.5% -4% vs state
NCES ID 484365007094
Student demographics
Hispanic or Latino 98.7%
Asian 0.6%
White 0.5%
American Indian / Alaska Native 0.1%
Largest group: Hispanic or Latino at 98.7% of enrollment.
Programs & staff
AP courses offered 18
Gifted & talented Yes
Counselors (FTE) 9.4
Students per counselor 337:1
Discipline & special education
Chronically absent 22.4%
In-school suspensions 155
Out-of-school suspensions 133
Expulsions 1
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for United Isd, which includes John B Alexander H S.
$13,953
Per student
-19%
vs Texas
Avg $17,150
-28%
vs U.S.
Avg $19,490
Revenue mix
Local 38.4%
State 35.9%
Federal 25.7%
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.
Other Schools in This District
- Enrollment
- 3,463
- Students per teacher
- 16.3:1
- Enrollment
- 3,252
- Students per teacher
- 16.9:1
- Enrollment
- 3,240
- Students per teacher
- 16.8:1
- Enrollment
- 1,146
- Students per teacher
- 18.3:1
- Enrollment
- 999
- Students per teacher
- 18.2:1
Similar high schools in Laredo
6 comparable high schools (grades 9-12) serving the same city.
United H S
Standard public school
3,463 students 16.3:1 students per teacher
United South H S
Standard public school
3,252 students 16.9:1 students per teacher
Lyndon B Johnson
Standard public school
3,240 students 16.8:1 students per teacher
Nixon H S
Standard public school
2,124 students 14.6:1 students per teacher
Harmony School of Excellence - Laredo
Standard public school
671 students 14.2:1 students per teacher
Hector J Garcia Early College H S
Standard public school
392 students 21:1 students per teacher
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 John B Alexander H S
How many students attend John B Alexander H S?
John B Alexander H S has 3,171 students enrolled. It is a high school in LAREDO, TX.
What is the student-teacher ratio at John B Alexander H S?
The student-teacher ratio at John B Alexander H S is 18.3:1, which is 25% higher than the Texas average of 14.6:1 and 15% higher than the national average of 15.9:1.
What percentage of students receive free lunch at John B Alexander H S?
59.5% of students at John B Alexander H S are eligible for free lunch, compared to the Texas average of 61.9%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of John B Alexander H S?
The largest demographic group at John B Alexander H S is Hispanic or Latino at 98.7%. The school serves a diverse student body in LAREDO, TX.
What is the Resource Investment Index for John B Alexander H S?
John B Alexander H S has a Resource Investment Index of 53/100 (C-) based on 5 factors: student-teacher ratio, AP course offerings, counselor availability, attendance rates. This index measures federal resource allocation — staffing levels, program availability, and support services — not standardized test scores or academic outcomes.