Enrollment
730
Texas · 2024-25 NCES data
Other / mixed grade configuration · Harlingen, TX
Lee H Means El
Federal NCES profile for Lee H Means El, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators - Resource Investment Index 39/100.
2024-25 NCES dataOther / mixed grade configurationNCES 482253012048
👥 S:T ratio 36
🌟 Gifted program 70
🎓 Counselors 0
📋 Attendance 50
Scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC indicators, resource allocation, not test scores. Full methodology →
The verdict
Lee H Means El earns 39/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes larger than 70% of Texas schools. It is also less racially and ethnically mixed than most Texas schools.
- #13 of 21
- schools in Harlingen · Resource Index
- 39
- Resource Index · Typical
- 15.9:1
- large classes for Texas
- 64.4%
- free-lunch eligible
Lee H Means El has class sizes larger than 70% of Texas schools. Computed live against every Texas school reporting to NCES.
By Resource Investment Index, Lee H Means El ranks #13 of 21 schools in Harlingen, TX.
School address
District: Harlingen Cisd · Texas
NCES ID 482253012048 Verify on NCES CCD record →
Teachers (FTE)
46.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
15.9:1
vs 14.7:1 Texas avg
+8% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
64.4%
vs 61.9% Texas avg
+4% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Lee H Means El compares with Texas and U.S. medians
What stands out at Lee H Means El
Lee H Means El is a higher-need, mid-sized combined-grade school in Harlingen, Texas, enrolling 730 students.
Class loads run somewhat heavier than typical: 15.9:1 puts it in the larger third of Texas schools by student-teacher ratio.
Its free-meal eligibility rate of 64.4% lands close to the Texas typical range, neither a high- nor low-need campus by this measure.
Enrollment of 730 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 1,545 statewide peers matched on enrollment and economic need, it ranks mid-pack at #867.
Its student body is predominantly Hispanic or Latino (93% of enrollment), among the less diverse in the state (diversity index 13/100).
Counselor access is stretched at roughly 664 students per counselor, well above the ASCA-recommended 250:1 ceiling.
Attendance runs somewhat below the norm, with 20.0% of students chronically absent per the 2021-22 civil-rights collection.
Its district draws 25.6% of revenue from federal sources, an above-typical federal share that tends to track a higher-need student population.
Harlingen Cisd also operates Harlingen H S (2,433 students) and Harlingen H S - South (2,019 students) alongside Lee H Means 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 Lee H Means El compares
Lee H Means 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 | 64.4% | ▲ 4% | 61.9% | 51.7% |
| Enrollment | 730 | top 24% | - | - |
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.
730
Bigger than 82% of US schools by enrollment, a large campus nationally.
Equity indicators (what these measure)
Economic need
64.4%
free-lunch eligible
- 4% 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
20.0%
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
$12,718
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
Counselors1.1 FTE
Per 664 students, the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
Discipline context
0
in-school suspensions + 6 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 0.0 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 0.8 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 93.0%
White 5.9%
Two or More 0.5%
Asian 0.4%
African American 0.1%
Largest group: Hispanic or Latino at 93.0% of enrollment.
Student-body diversity index 13.2/100
Simpson diversity index - at 13.2, Lee H Means El is less mixed than the Texas school average of 44.7.
Programs
Gifted & talented Yes
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Harlingen Cisd, which includes Lee H Means El.
$12,718
Per student
-7%
vs Texas
Avg $13,644
-23%
vs U.S.
Avg $16,593
Revenue mix
Local 21.8%
State 52.6%
Federal 25.6%
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 Lee H Means El Compares to District-Mates
| School | Enrollment | Economic Profile | Student-Teacher Ratio |
|---|---|---|---|
| Harlingen H S | Larger | Higher economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| Harlingen H S - South | Larger | Similar economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| Dr Abraham P Cano Freshman Academy | Larger | Higher economic need | Similar S:T ratio |
| Moises Vela Middle | Similar size | Similar economic need | Lower S:T ratio |
| Treasure Hills El | Similar size | Similar economic need | Similar S:T ratio |
Comparisons are relative to Lee H Means El's own figures; each column derives from NCES Common Core of Data.
Other Schools in This District
- Enrollment
- 2,433
- Students per teacher
- 17.9:1
- Resource Index
- 41/100
- Enrollment
- 2,019
- Students per teacher
- 18.4:1
- Resource Index
- 49/100
- Enrollment
- 1,188
- Students per teacher
- 16.5:1
- Resource Index
- 45/100
- Enrollment
- 761
- Students per teacher
- 14.1:1
- Resource Index
- 50/100
- Enrollment
- 758
- Students per teacher
- 14.6:1
- 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 (~730 students)
Next steps
Verify locally before acting on Lee H Means El's federal record.
- Compare Lee H Means El against another school. Compare schools
- Harlingen Cisd'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 Lee H Means El
How many students attend Lee H Means El?
Lee H Means El has 730 students enrolled. It is a public school in Harlingen, TX.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Lee H Means El?
The student-teacher ratio at Lee H Means 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 Lee H Means El?
64.4% of students at Lee H Means El are eligible for free lunch, compared to the Texas average of 61.9%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Lee H Means El?
The largest demographic group at Lee H Means El is Hispanic or Latino at 93.0% of enrollment, in Harlingen, TX.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Lee H Means El?
Lee H Means El has a Resource Investment Index of 39/100 (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 Lee H Means El rank among schools in Harlingen?
By Resource Investment Index, Lee H Means El ranks #13 of 21 schools in Harlingen, TX. This compares federal resource and staffing data among local peers; it is not a test-score or academic ranking. See all schools in Harlingen on the city page.
Is Lee H Means El a good school?
Lee H Means El earns 39/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes larger than 70% of Texas schools. 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 Harlingen Cisd?
Besides Lee H Means El, Harlingen Cisd also operates Harlingen H S (2,433 students), Harlingen H S - South (2,019 students), and Dr Abraham P Cano Freshman Academy (1,188 students). See the Harlingen Cisd 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.