Enrollment
12
Texas · 2024-25 NCES data
Other / mixed grade configuration · Smiley, TX
Marion Alternative Center
Federal NCES profile for Marion Alternative Center, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators - Resource Investment Index 43/100.
2024-25 NCES dataOther / mixed grade configurationNCES 482910013401
🌟 Gifted program 30
🎓 Counselors 99
📋 Attendance 0
Scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC indicators, resource allocation, not test scores. Full methodology →
The verdict
Marion Alternative Center earns 43/100 on the Resource Investment Index on federal resource data. It is also one of the smallest schools in Texas.
- #1 of 3
- public schools in Smiley · Resource Index
- 43
- Resource Index · Typical
- 70.0%
- free-lunch eligible
- 12
- students enrolled
By Resource Investment Index, Marion Alternative Center ranks #1 of 3 public schools in Smiley, TX.
School address
Free-lunch eligible
70.0%
vs 61.9% Texas avg
+13% vs state
What stands out at Marion Alternative Center
Marion Alternative Center is a higher-need, small combined-grade school in Smiley, Texas, enrolling 12 students.
Its free-meal eligibility rate of 70.0% lands close to the Texas typical range, neither a high- nor low-need campus by this measure.
This is a small campus: fewer students than 97% of Texas schools, with 12 enrolled.
Its Resource Investment Index sits near the middle of the pack among 8,960 scored Texas schools.
Among 24 similarly sized, similarly resourced-need Texas schools statewide, it ranks #18, in the lower tier once campus size and economic need are matched.
Its student body is led by Hispanic or Latino (67%) and White (25%) (diversity index 49/100).
Counselor coverage is strong, about 6 students per counselor, inside the American School Counselor Association's recommended 250:1.
Chronic absenteeism is elevated: 83.3% of students missed 10% or more of school days (2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection).
Marion Isd also operates Marion H S (516 students) and Norma Krueger El (398 students) alongside Marion Alternative Center.
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 Marion Alternative Center compares
Marion Alternative Center on the metrics families compare, against Texas and U.S. means.
| Metric | This school | vs Texas | Texas avg | U.S. avg |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Free-lunch eligible | 70.0% | ▲ 13% | 61.9% | 51.7% |
| Enrollment | 12 | top 97% | - | - |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25
12
Bigger than 2% of US schools by enrollment, a small campus.
Equity indicators (what these measure)
Economic need
70.0%
free-lunch eligible
- 13% above the Texas average of 61.9%
Above the 40% Title I schoolwide threshold; federal funds support the whole school, not individual students.
Engagement
83.3%
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
$11,902
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 6 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 66.7%
White 25.0%
African American 8.3%
Largest group: Hispanic or Latino at 66.7% of enrollment.
Student-body diversity index 48.6/100
Simpson diversity index - at 48.6, Marion Alternative Center is more mixed than the Texas school average of 44.7.
Programs
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Marion Isd, which includes Marion Alternative Center.
$11,902
Per student
-13%
vs Texas
Avg $13,644
-28%
vs U.S.
Avg $16,593
Revenue mix
Local 56.2%
State 32.2%
Federal 11.6%
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 Marion Alternative Center Compares to District-Mates
| School | Enrollment | Economic Profile | Student-Teacher Ratio |
|---|---|---|---|
| Marion H S | Larger | Lower economic need | No ratio data |
| Norma Krueger El | Larger | Lower economic need | No ratio data |
| Marion Middle | Larger | Lower economic need | No ratio data |
| Norma Krueger El/Bert Karrer Campus | Larger | Lower economic need | No ratio data |
Comparisons are relative to Marion Alternative Center's own figures; each column derives from NCES Common Core of Data.
Other Schools in This District
- Enrollment
- 516
- Students per teacher
- 13.2:1
- Resource Index
- 42/100
- Enrollment
- 398
- Students per teacher
- 13.3:1
- Resource Index
- 52/100
- Enrollment
- 396
- Students per teacher
- 14.7:1
- Resource Index
- 48/100
- Enrollment
- 387
- Students per teacher
- 14.3:1
- Resource Index
- 52/100
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.
Next steps
Verify locally before acting on Marion Alternative Center's federal record.
- Compare Marion Alternative Center against another school. Compare schools
- Marion 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 Marion Alternative Center
How many students attend Marion Alternative Center?
Marion Alternative Center has 12 students enrolled. It is an alternative school in Smiley, TX.
What percentage of students receive free lunch at Marion Alternative Center?
70.0% of students at Marion Alternative Center are eligible for free lunch, compared to the Texas average of 61.9%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Marion Alternative Center?
The largest demographic group at Marion Alternative Center is Hispanic or Latino at 66.7% of enrollment, in Smiley, TX.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Marion Alternative Center?
Marion Alternative Center has a Resource Investment Index of 43/100 (typical reported resources relative to schools nationally) based on 3 factors: student-teacher ratio, counselor availability, attendance rates. Not a test-score or academic measure (national median ~41/100, see methodology).
How does Marion Alternative Center rank among public schools in Smiley?
By Resource Investment Index, Marion Alternative Center ranks #1 of 3 public schools in Smiley, TX. This compares federal resource and staffing data among local peers; it is not a test-score or academic ranking. See all public schools in Smiley on the city page.
Is Marion Alternative Center a good school?
Marion Alternative Center earns 43/100 on the Resource Investment Index on federal resource data. It is also one of the smallest 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 Marion Isd?
Besides Marion Alternative Center, Marion Isd also operates Marion H S (516 students), Norma Krueger El (398 students), and Marion Middle (396 students). See the Marion 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.