Enrollment
1,069
Texas · 2024-25 NCES data
Middle school (grades 6-8) · Houston, TX
Lawson Middle
Federal NCES profile for Lawson Middle, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators - Resource Investment Index 28/100.
2024-25 NCES dataMiddle school (grades 6-8)NCES 482364002442
👥 S:T ratio 44
🌟 Gifted program 70
🎓 Counselors 0
📋 Attendance 0
Scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC indicators, resource allocation, not test scores. Full methodology →
The verdict
Lawson Middle earns 28/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes near the Texas median.
- #107 of 116
- middle schools in Houston · Resource Index
- 28
- Resource Index · Lower
- 14.1:1
- students per teacher
- 95.4%
- free-lunch eligible
Lawson Middle has class sizes near the Texas median. Computed live against every Texas school reporting to NCES.
By Resource Investment Index, Lawson Middle ranks #107 of 116 middle schools in Houston, TX.
School address
Teachers (FTE)
76.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
14.1:1
vs 14.7:1 Texas avg
-4% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
95.4%
vs 61.9% Texas avg
+54% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Lawson Middle compares with Texas and U.S. medians
What stands out at Lawson Middle
Lawson Middle is a high-poverty, large middle school in Houston, Texas, enrolling 1,069 students.
At 14.1:1, its student-teacher ratio sits close to the Texas median, within a few percentage points of the 14.7:1 state norm, neither notably crowded nor notably small.
Economic need is high: 95.4% of students qualify for free meals, 54% above the Texas average, a Title I-weighted population that federal funding formulas prioritise.
By headcount it is one of the larger campuses in Texas, bigger than 90% of state schools at 1,069 students.
Its Resource Investment Index trails 94% of the 8,960 Texas schools with a score on record, one of the lower results on this measure.
Among 559 similarly sized, similarly resourced-need Texas schools statewide, it ranks #458, in the lower tier once campus size and economic need are matched.
Its student body is led by Hispanic or Latino (61%) and African American (38%) (diversity index 49/100).
Counselor access is stretched at roughly 829 students per counselor, well above the ASCA-recommended 250:1 ceiling.
Chronic absenteeism is elevated: 50.9% of students missed 10% or more of school days (2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection).
Its district draws 23.2% of revenue from federal sources, an above-typical federal share that tends to track a higher-need student population.
Discipline events run high: 369 in- and out-of-school suspensions were reported for 1,069 students in the 2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection.
Houston Isd also operates Texas Connections Academy at Houston (8,641 students) and Bellaire H S (3,216 students) alongside Lawson Middle.
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 Lawson Middle compares
Lawson Middle on the metrics families compare, against Texas and U.S. means.
| Metric | This school | vs Texas | Texas avg | U.S. avg |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Students per teacher | 14.1:1 | ▼ 4% | 14.7:1 | 15.7:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 95.4% | ▲ 54% | 61.9% | 51.7% |
| Enrollment | 1,069 | top 10% | - | - |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25
14.1:1
Leaner classes than 56% of US schools, a middle-of-the-pack class size.
1,069
Bigger than 92% of US schools by enrollment, a large campus nationally.
Equity indicators (what these measure)
Economic need
95.4%
free-lunch eligible
- 54% 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
14.1:1
students per teacher
- 4% below state mean
Top 49% in Texas - lower ratio than 51% of state schools
Close to the 15:1 benchmark most often cited for individualized attention.
Engagement
50.9%
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
$12,031
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
Counselors1.3 FTE
Per 829 students, the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
Discipline context
195
in-school suspensions + 174 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 18.2 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 34.5 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 61.0%
African American 37.6%
White 0.7%
Asian 0.3%
American Indian / Alaska Native 0.2%
Two or More 0.2%
Largest group: Hispanic or Latino at 61.0% of enrollment.
Student-body diversity index 48.6/100
Simpson diversity index - at 48.6, Lawson Middle is more mixed than the Texas school average of 44.7.
Programs
Gifted & talented Yes
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Houston Isd, which includes Lawson Middle.
$12,031
Per student
-12%
vs Texas
Avg $13,644
-27%
vs U.S.
Avg $16,593
Revenue mix
Local 68.8%
State 8.0%
Federal 23.2%
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 Lawson Middle Compares to District-Mates
| School | Enrollment | Economic Profile | Student-Teacher Ratio |
|---|---|---|---|
| Texas Connections Academy at Houston | Larger | No free-lunch data | Higher S:T ratio |
| Bellaire H S | Larger | Lower economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| Lamar H S | Larger | Lower economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| Westside H S | Larger | Lower economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| Heights H S | Larger | Lower economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
Comparisons are relative to Lawson Middle's own figures; each column derives from NCES Common Core of Data.
Other Schools in This District
- Enrollment
- 8,641
- Students per teacher
- 28:1
- Resource Index
- 24/100
- Enrollment
- 3,216
- Students per teacher
- 18.6:1
- Resource Index
- 38/100
- Enrollment
- 2,968
- Students per teacher
- 20.9:1
- Resource Index
- 43/100
- Enrollment
- 2,729
- Students per teacher
- 17.5:1
- Resource Index
- 50/100
- Enrollment
- 2,426
- Students per teacher
- 19:1
- Resource Index
- 30/100
Similar middle 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 (~1,069 students)
Similar student-teacher ratio (~14.1:1)
Next steps
Verify locally before acting on Lawson Middle's federal record.
- Compare Lawson Middle against another school. Compare schools
- Houston 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 Lawson Middle
How many students attend Lawson Middle?
Lawson Middle has 1,069 students enrolled. It is a middle school in Houston, TX.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Lawson Middle?
The student-teacher ratio at Lawson Middle is 14.1:1, which is 4% lower than the Texas average of 14.7:1 and 10% 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 Lawson Middle?
95.4% of students at Lawson Middle are eligible for free lunch, compared to the Texas average of 61.9%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Lawson Middle?
The largest demographic group at Lawson Middle is Hispanic or Latino at 61.0% of enrollment, in Houston, TX.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Lawson Middle?
Lawson Middle has a Resource Investment Index of 28/100 (lower 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 Lawson Middle rank among middle schools in Houston?
By Resource Investment Index, Lawson Middle ranks #107 of 116 middle 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 middle schools in Houston on the city page.
Is Lawson Middle a good school?
Lawson Middle earns 28/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes near the Texas median. 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 Houston Isd?
Besides Lawson Middle, Houston Isd also operates Texas Connections Academy at Houston (8,641 students), Bellaire H S (3,216 students), and Lamar H S (2,968 students). See the Houston 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.