Enrollment
3,501
Texas · 2024-25 NCES data
High school (grades 9-12) · Houston, TX
Macarthur H S
Federal NCES profile for Macarthur H S, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators - Resource Investment Index 59/100.
2024-25 NCES dataHigh school (grades 9-12)NCES 480771000076
👥 S:T ratio 17
📚 AP courses 100
🌟 Gifted program 70
🎓 Counselors 48
Scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC indicators, resource allocation, not test scores. Full methodology →
The verdict
Macarthur H S earns 59/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes larger than 94% of Texas schools. It is also one of the largest schools in Texas.
- #39 of 102
- high schools in Houston · Resource Index
- 59
- Resource Index · Higher
- 20.7:1
- large classes for Texas
- 82.5%
- free-lunch eligible
Macarthur H S has class sizes larger than 94% of Texas schools. Computed live against every Texas school reporting to NCES.
By Resource Investment Index, Macarthur H S ranks #39 of 102 high schools in Houston, TX.
School address
Teachers (FTE)
169.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
20.7:1
vs 14.7:1 Texas avg
+41% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
82.5%
vs 61.9% Texas avg
+33% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Macarthur H S compares with Texas and U.S. medians
What stands out at Macarthur H S
Macarthur H S is a high-poverty, large high school in Houston, Texas, enrolling 3,501 students.
Class loads run heavy: 20.7:1 is larger than about 94% of Texas schools and 41% above the 14.7:1 state mean, so each teacher carries more students than is typical.
Economic need runs somewhat above the state's typical profile, with 82.5% of students eligible for free meals.
By headcount it is one of the larger campuses in Texas, bigger than 99% of state schools at 3,501 students.
Its Resource Investment Index sits near the middle of the pack among 8,960 scored Texas schools.
Against 69 statewide peers matched on enrollment and economic need, it ranks mid-pack at #38.
Its student body is predominantly Hispanic or Latino (93% of enrollment), among the less diverse in the state (diversity index 13/100).
On the academic-pipeline side it reports 21 Advanced Placement courses.
Counselor coverage runs a bit thin, about 259 students per counselor, somewhat past the ASCA-recommended 250:1 benchmark.
Its district draws 23.6% of revenue from federal sources, an above-typical federal share that tends to track a higher-need student population.
Discipline events run high: 1,009 in- and out-of-school suspensions were reported for 3,501 students in the 2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection.
The federal civil-rights collection also records 3 expulsions at this campus for 2021-22.
Aldine Isd also operates Davis H S Aldine (3,184 students) and Nimitz H S (2,651 students) alongside Macarthur H S.
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 Macarthur H S compares
Macarthur H S on the metrics families compare, against Texas and U.S. means.
| Metric | This school | vs Texas | Texas avg | U.S. avg |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Students per teacher | 20.7:1 | ▲ 41% | 14.7:1 | 15.7:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 82.5% | ▲ 33% | 61.9% | 51.7% |
| Enrollment | 3,501 | top 1% | - | - |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25
20.7:1
Leaner classes than 14% of US schools, heavier class loads than most.
3,501
Bigger than 99% of US schools by enrollment, a large campus nationally.
Equity indicators (what these measure)
Economic need
82.5%
free-lunch eligible
- 33% 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
20.7:1
students per teacher
- 41% above state mean
Top 94% in Texas - lower ratio than 6% of state schools
Above 20:1, running heavier than the typical U.S. public school; staffing is comparatively stretched.
Funding equity
$11,863
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
Counselors13.5 FTE
Per 259 students, the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
Discipline context
671
in-school suspensions + 338 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 19.2 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 28.8 per 100 students. Reported via the Civil Rights Data Collection. Includes 3 expulsions.
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 93.2%
African American 4.6%
White 1.6%
Two or More 0.3%
American Indian / Alaska Native 0.2%
Asian 0.1%
Largest group: Hispanic or Latino at 93.2% of enrollment.
Student-body diversity index 12.9/100
Simpson diversity index - at 12.9, Macarthur H S is less mixed than the Texas school average of 44.7.
Programs
AP courses offered 21
Gifted & talented Yes
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Aldine Isd, which includes Macarthur H S.
$11,863
Per student
-13%
vs Texas
Avg $13,644
-29%
vs U.S.
Avg $16,593
Revenue mix
Local 33.7%
State 42.7%
Federal 23.6%
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 Macarthur H S Compares to District-Mates
| School | Enrollment | Economic Profile | Student-Teacher Ratio |
|---|---|---|---|
| Davis H S Aldine | Similar size | Similar economic need | Lower S:T ratio |
| Nimitz H S | Similar size | Similar economic need | Lower S:T ratio |
| Aldine H S | Smaller | Similar economic need | Lower S:T ratio |
| Eisenhower H S | Smaller | Similar economic need | Lower S:T ratio |
| Blanson Cte H S | Smaller | Similar economic need | Lower S:T ratio |
Comparisons are relative to Macarthur H S's own figures; each column derives from NCES Common Core of Data.
Other Schools in This District
- Enrollment
- 3,184
- Students per teacher
- 19.2:1
- Resource Index
- 47/100
- Enrollment
- 2,651
- Students per teacher
- 18.3:1
- Resource Index
- 50/100
- Enrollment
- 2,481
- Students per teacher
- 17.7:1
- Resource Index
- 52/100
- Enrollment
- 2,262
- Students per teacher
- 14:1
- Resource Index
- 56/100
- Enrollment
- 1,258
- Students per teacher
- 19.1:1
- Resource Index
- 46/100
Similar high 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 (~3,501 students)
Next steps
Verify locally before acting on Macarthur H S's federal record.
- Compare Macarthur H S against another school. Compare schools
- Aldine 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 Macarthur H S
How many students attend Macarthur H S?
Macarthur H S has 3,501 students enrolled. It is a high school in Houston, TX.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Macarthur H S?
The student-teacher ratio at Macarthur H S is 20.7:1, which is 41% higher than the Texas average of 14.7:1 and 32% higher than the national average of 15.7:1.
What percentage of students receive free lunch at Macarthur H S?
82.5% of students at Macarthur H S are eligible for free lunch, compared to the Texas average of 61.9%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Macarthur H S?
The largest demographic group at Macarthur H S is Hispanic or Latino at 93.2% of enrollment, in Houston, TX.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Macarthur H S?
Macarthur H S has a Resource Investment Index of 59/100 (higher reported resources relative to schools nationally) based on 4 factors: student-teacher ratio, AP course offerings, counselor availability. Not a test-score or academic measure (national median ~41/100, see methodology).
How does Macarthur H S rank among high schools in Houston?
By Resource Investment Index, Macarthur H S ranks #39 of 102 high 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 high schools in Houston on the city page.
Is Macarthur H S a good school?
Macarthur H S earns 59/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes larger than 94% of Texas schools. It is also one of the largest schools in Texas. 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 Aldine Isd?
Besides Macarthur H S, Aldine Isd also operates Davis H S Aldine (3,184 students), Nimitz H S (2,651 students), and Aldine H S (2,481 students). See the Aldine 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.