Enrollment
780
Texas · 2024-25 NCES data
Other / mixed grade configuration · Houston, TX
Kipp Zenith Academy
Federal NCES profile for Kipp Zenith Academy, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators - Resource Investment Index 32/100.
2024-25 NCES dataOther / mixed grade configurationNCES 480026411247Charter school
👥 S:T ratio 24
🌟 Gifted program 30
🎓 Counselors 22
📋 Attendance 53
Scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC indicators, resource allocation, not test scores. Full methodology →
The verdict
Kipp Zenith Academy earns 32/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes larger than 90% of Texas schools.
- #347 of 435
- schools in Houston · Resource Index
- 32
- Resource Index · Typical
- 19:1
- large classes for Texas
- 90.5%
- free-lunch eligible
Kipp Zenith Academy has class sizes larger than 90% of Texas schools. Computed live against every Texas school reporting to NCES.
By Resource Investment Index, Kipp Zenith Academy ranks #347 of 435 schools in Houston, TX.
School address
District: Kipp Texas Public Schools · Texas
NCES ID 480026411247 Verify on NCES CCD record →
Teachers (FTE)
41.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
19:1
vs 14.7:1 Texas avg
+29% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
90.5%
vs 61.9% Texas avg
+46% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Kipp Zenith Academy compares with Texas and U.S. medians
What stands out at Kipp Zenith Academy
Kipp Zenith Academy is a high-poverty, mid-sized charter combined-grade school in Houston, Texas, enrolling 780 students.
Class loads run heavy: 19:1 is larger than about 90% of Texas schools and 29% above the 14.7:1 state mean, so each teacher carries more students than is typical.
Economic need is high: 90.5% of students qualify for free meals, 46% above the Texas average, a Title I-weighted population that federal funding formulas prioritise.
Enrollment of 780 puts it in the larger third of Texas schools by headcount.
Its Resource Investment Index lands in the lower third of 8,960 scored Texas schools.
Against 1,453 statewide peers matched on enrollment and economic need, it ranks mid-pack at #1,016.
Its student body is led by African American (75%) and Hispanic or Latino (22%) (diversity index 38/100).
Counselor availability sits well past the ASCA benchmark, roughly 390 students sharing each counselor, though short of the most stretched campuses.
Attendance runs somewhat below the norm, with 18.8% of students chronically absent per the 2021-22 civil-rights collection.
Its district draws 19.8% of revenue from federal sources, an above-typical federal share that tends to track a higher-need student population.
Kipp Texas Public Schools also operates Kipp Mosaic Pri (1,092 students) and Kipp Sharp Prep (1,078 students) alongside Kipp Zenith Academy.
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 Kipp Zenith Academy compares
Kipp Zenith Academy on the metrics families compare, against Texas and U.S. means.
| Metric | This school | vs Texas | Texas avg | U.S. avg |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Students per teacher | 19:1 | ▲ 29% | 14.7:1 | 15.7:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 90.5% | ▲ 46% | 61.9% | 51.7% |
| Enrollment | 780 | top 20% | - | - |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25
19:1
Leaner classes than 20% of US schools, heavier class loads than most.
780
Bigger than 85% of US schools by enrollment, a large campus nationally.
Equity indicators (what these measure)
Economic need
90.5%
free-lunch eligible
- 46% 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
19:1
students per teacher
- 29% above state mean
Top 90% in Texas - lower ratio than 10% of state schools
Between 16:1 and 20:1, squarely in the typical U.S. public-school staffing range.
Engagement
18.8%
chronically absent (missed 10%+ of school days)
In the 15-20% range, nearing the "high" absenteeism threshold.
Funding equity
$12,327
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
Counselors2.0 FTE
Per 390 students, the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
Discipline context
0
in-school suspensions + 5 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 0.0 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 0.6 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
African American 75.4%
Hispanic or Latino 21.8%
Two or More 1.9%
Asian 0.5%
White 0.3%
Native Hawaiian / Pacific Islander 0.1%
Largest group: African American at 75.4% of enrollment.
Student-body diversity index 38.4/100
Simpson diversity index - at 38.4, Kipp Zenith Academy is less mixed than the Texas school average of 44.7.
Programs
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Kipp Texas Public Schools, which includes Kipp Zenith Academy.
$12,327
Per student
-10%
vs Texas
Avg $13,644
-26%
vs U.S.
Avg $16,593
Revenue mix
Local 5.0%
State 75.2%
Federal 19.8%
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 Kipp Zenith Academy Compares to District-Mates
| School | Enrollment | Economic Profile | Student-Teacher Ratio |
|---|---|---|---|
| Kipp Mosaic Pri | Larger | Similar economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| Kipp Sharp Prep | Larger | Lower economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| Kipp Connect Houston Pri | Larger | Similar economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| Kipp Journey Pri | Larger | Lower economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| Kipp Unity Pri | Larger | Similar economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
Comparisons are relative to Kipp Zenith Academy's own figures; each column derives from NCES Common Core of Data.
Other Schools in This District
- Enrollment
- 1,092
- Students per teacher
- 35.2:1
- Resource Index
- 36/100
- Enrollment
- 1,078
- Students per teacher
- 28.4:1
- Resource Index
- 36/100
- Enrollment
- 1,056
- Students per teacher
- 24:1
- Resource Index
- 41/100
- Enrollment
- 1,052
- Students per teacher
- 27:1
- Resource Index
- 34/100
- Enrollment
- 1,050
- Students per teacher
- 26.3:1
- Resource Index
- 37/100
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 (~780 students)
Next steps
Verify locally before acting on Kipp Zenith Academy's federal record.
- Compare Kipp Zenith Academy against another school. Compare schools
- Kipp Texas Public Schools'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 Kipp Zenith Academy
How many students attend Kipp Zenith Academy?
Kipp Zenith Academy has 780 students enrolled. It is a public school in Houston, TX.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Kipp Zenith Academy?
The student-teacher ratio at Kipp Zenith Academy is 19:1, which is 29% higher than the Texas average of 14.7:1 and 21% higher than the national average of 15.7:1.
What percentage of students receive free lunch at Kipp Zenith Academy?
90.5% of students at Kipp Zenith Academy are eligible for free lunch, compared to the Texas average of 61.9%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Kipp Zenith Academy?
The largest demographic group at Kipp Zenith Academy is African American at 75.4% of enrollment, in Houston, TX.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Kipp Zenith Academy?
Kipp Zenith Academy has a Resource Investment Index of 32/100 (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 Kipp Zenith Academy rank among schools in Houston?
By Resource Investment Index, Kipp Zenith Academy ranks #347 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 Kipp Zenith Academy a good school?
Kipp Zenith Academy earns 32/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes larger than 90% 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 Kipp Texas Public Schools?
Besides Kipp Zenith Academy, Kipp Texas Public Schools also operates Kipp Mosaic Pri (1,092 students), Kipp Sharp Prep (1,078 students), and Kipp Connect Houston Pri (1,056 students). See the Kipp Texas Public Schools 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.