Enrollment
336
Texas · 2024-25 NCES data
Other / mixed grade configuration · Laredo, TX
Kennedy Zapata El
Federal NCES profile for Kennedy Zapata El, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators - Resource Investment Index 48/100.
2024-25 NCES dataOther / mixed grade configurationNCES 484365007150
👥 S:T ratio 46
🌟 Gifted program 70
🎓 Counselors 33
📋 Attendance 43
Scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC indicators, resource allocation, not test scores. Full methodology →
The verdict
Kennedy Zapata 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.
- #9 of 56
- schools in Laredo · Resource Index
- 48
- Resource Index · Typical
- 13.4:1
- students per teacher
- 96.5%
- free-lunch eligible
Kennedy Zapata El has class sizes near the Texas median. Computed live against every Texas school reporting to NCES.
By Resource Investment Index, Kennedy Zapata El ranks #9 of 56 schools in Laredo, TX.
School address
Teachers (FTE)
25.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
13.4:1
vs 14.7:1 Texas avg
-9% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
96.5%
vs 61.9% Texas avg
+56% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Kennedy Zapata El compares with Texas and U.S. medians
What stands out at Kennedy Zapata El
Kennedy Zapata El is a high-poverty, mid-sized combined-grade school in Laredo, Texas, enrolling 336 students.
Class sizes run a bit leaner than typical: 13.4:1 puts it in the smaller third of Texas schools by student-teacher ratio.
Economic need is high: 96.5% of students qualify for free meals, 56% above the Texas average, a Title I-weighted population that federal funding formulas prioritise.
Enrollment of 336 puts it in the smaller third of Texas schools by headcount.
Its Resource Investment Index lands in the upper third of 8,960 scored Texas schools.
Against 932 statewide peers matched on enrollment and economic need, it ranks in the upper tier at #144.
Its student body is predominantly Hispanic or Latino (100% of enrollment), among the less diverse in the state (diversity index 0/100).
Counselor availability sits well past the ASCA benchmark, roughly 336 students sharing each counselor, though short of the most stretched campuses.
Attendance runs somewhat below the norm, with 22.6% of students chronically absent per the 2021-22 civil-rights collection.
Its district draws 25.7% of revenue from federal sources, an above-typical federal share that tends to track a higher-need student population.
United Isd also operates United H S (3,463 students) and United South H S (3,252 students) alongside Kennedy Zapata 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 Kennedy Zapata El compares
Kennedy Zapata 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 | 13.4:1 | ▼ 9% | 14.7:1 | 15.7:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 96.5% | ▲ 56% | 61.9% | 51.7% |
| Enrollment | 336 | top 71% | - | - |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25
13.4:1
Leaner classes than 63% of US schools, a middle-of-the-pack class size.
336
Bigger than 38% of US schools by enrollment, mid-sized for the country.
Equity indicators (what these measure)
Economic need
96.5%
free-lunch eligible
- 56% 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
13.4:1
students per teacher
- 9% below state mean
Top 39% in Texas - lower ratio than 61% of state schools
Close to the 15:1 benchmark most often cited for individualized attention.
Engagement
22.6%
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
$12,465
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 336 students, the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
Discipline context
0
in-school suspensions + 0 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 0.0 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 0.0 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 100.0%
Largest group: Hispanic or Latino at 100.0% of enrollment.
Student-body diversity index 0.0/100
Simpson diversity index - at 0.0, Kennedy Zapata El is less mixed than the Texas school average of 44.7.
Programs
Gifted & talented Yes
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for United Isd, which includes Kennedy Zapata El.
$12,465
Per student
-9%
vs Texas
Avg $13,644
-25%
vs U.S.
Avg $16,593
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.
How Kennedy Zapata El Compares to District-Mates
| School | Enrollment | Economic Profile | Student-Teacher Ratio |
|---|---|---|---|
| United H S | Larger | Lower economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| United South H S | Larger | Lower economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| Lyndon B Johnson | Larger | Similar economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| John B Alexander H S | Larger | Lower economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| Elias Herrera Middle | Larger | Lower economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
Comparisons are relative to Kennedy Zapata El's own figures; each column derives from NCES Common Core of Data.
Other Schools in This District
- Enrollment
- 3,463
- Students per teacher
- 15.5:1
- Resource Index
- 48/100
- Enrollment
- 3,252
- Students per teacher
- 16.9:1
- Resource Index
- 46/100
- Enrollment
- 3,240
- Students per teacher
- 16.8:1
- Resource Index
- 50/100
- Enrollment
- 3,171
- Students per teacher
- 18.9:1
- Resource Index
- 43/100
- Enrollment
- 1,146
- Students per teacher
- 19.1:1
- 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 (~336 students)
Next steps
Verify locally before acting on Kennedy Zapata El's federal record.
- Compare Kennedy Zapata El against another school. Compare schools
- United 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 Kennedy Zapata El
How many students attend Kennedy Zapata El?
Kennedy Zapata El has 336 students enrolled. It is a public school in Laredo, TX.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Kennedy Zapata El?
The student-teacher ratio at Kennedy Zapata El is 13.4:1, which is 9% lower than the Texas average of 14.7:1 and 15% 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 Kennedy Zapata El?
96.5% of students at Kennedy Zapata El are eligible for free lunch, compared to the Texas average of 61.9%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Kennedy Zapata El?
The largest demographic group at Kennedy Zapata El is Hispanic or Latino at 100.0% of enrollment, in Laredo, TX.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Kennedy Zapata El?
Kennedy Zapata 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 Kennedy Zapata El rank among schools in Laredo?
By Resource Investment Index, Kennedy Zapata El ranks #9 of 56 schools in Laredo, TX. This compares federal resource and staffing data among local peers; it is not a test-score or academic ranking. See all schools in Laredo on the city page.
Is Kennedy Zapata El a good school?
Kennedy Zapata 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 United Isd?
Besides Kennedy Zapata El, United Isd also operates United H S (3,463 students), United South H S (3,252 students), and Lyndon B Johnson (3,240 students). See the United 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.