Enrollment
321
Texas · 2024-25 NCES data
Other / mixed grade configuration · San Antonio, TX
Nichols El
Federal NCES profile for Nichols El, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators - Resource Investment Index 52/100.
2024-25 NCES dataOther / mixed grade configurationNCES 483312009136
👥 S:T ratio 56
🌟 Gifted program 70
🎓 Counselors 36
📋 Attendance 46
Scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC indicators, resource allocation, not test scores. Full methodology →
The verdict
Nichols El earns 52/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes smaller than 84% of Texas schools.
- #34 of 327
- schools in San Antonio · Resource Index
- 52
- Resource Index · Higher
- 11.1:1
- small classes for Texas
- 35.9%
- free-lunch eligible
Nichols El has class sizes smaller than 84% of Texas schools. Computed live against every Texas school reporting to NCES.
By Resource Investment Index, Nichols El ranks #34 of 327 schools in San Antonio, TX.
School address
District: Northside Isd · Texas
NCES ID 483312009136 Verify on NCES CCD record →
Teachers (FTE)
29.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
11.1:1
vs 14.7:1 Texas avg
-24% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
35.9%
vs 61.9% Texas avg
-42% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Nichols El compares with Texas and U.S. medians
What stands out at Nichols El
Nichols El is a mid-sized combined-grade school in San Antonio, Texas, enrolling 321 students.
Class sizes run a bit leaner than typical: 11.1:1 puts it in the smaller third of Texas schools by student-teacher ratio.
Economic need runs somewhat below the state's typical profile, with 35.9% of students eligible for free meals.
Enrollment of 321 puts it in the smaller third of Texas schools by headcount.
Its Resource Investment Index lands in the upper third of 8,960 scored Texas schools.
Against 561 statewide peers matched on enrollment and economic need, it ranks mid-pack at #261.
Its student body is led by Hispanic or Latino (71%) and White (21%) (diversity index 45/100).
Counselor coverage runs a bit thin, about 321 students per counselor, somewhat past the ASCA-recommended 250:1 benchmark.
Attendance runs somewhat below the norm, with 21.5% of students chronically absent per the 2021-22 civil-rights collection.
The surrounding Northside Isd spends $10,615 per pupil, 22% below the Texas average, a leaner-resourced district than most.
Its district draws 17.6% of revenue from federal sources, an above-typical federal share that tends to track a higher-need student population.
Northside Isd also operates Brennan H S (2,965 students) and Harlan H S (2,778 students) alongside Nichols 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 Nichols El compares
Nichols 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 | 11.1:1 | ▼ 24% | 14.7:1 | 15.7:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 35.9% | ▼ 42% | 61.9% | 51.7% |
| Enrollment | 321 | top 73% | - | - |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25
11.1:1
Leaner classes than 82% of US schools, among the more generously staffed nationally.
321
Bigger than 35% of US schools by enrollment, mid-sized for the country.
Equity indicators (what these measure)
Economic need
35.9%
free-lunch eligible
- 42% below the Texas average of 61.9%
Below the 40% Title I threshold; federal aid targets individual qualifying students rather than schoolwide programs.
Staffing depth
11.1:1
students per teacher
- 24% below state mean
Top 16% in Texas - lower ratio than 84% of state schools
Well under the widely cited 15:1 individualized-attention benchmark, among the leaner class loads nationally.
Engagement
21.5%
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
$10,615
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
Counselors1.0 FTE
Per 321 students, the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
Discipline context
3
in-school suspensions + 0 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 0.9 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 0.9 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 70.7%
White 20.9%
Two or More 4.7%
African American 2.2%
Asian 1.2%
American Indian / Alaska Native 0.3%
Largest group: Hispanic or Latino at 70.7% of enrollment.
Student-body diversity index 45.4/100
Simpson diversity index - at 45.4, Nichols El is about as mixed as the Texas school average of 44.7.
Programs
Gifted & talented Yes
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Northside Isd, which includes Nichols El.
$10,615
Per student
-22%
vs Texas
Avg $13,644
-36%
vs U.S.
Avg $16,593
Revenue mix
Local 60.8%
State 21.6%
Federal 17.6%
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 Nichols El Compares to District-Mates
| School | Enrollment | Economic Profile | Student-Teacher Ratio |
|---|---|---|---|
| Brennan H S | Larger | Similar economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| Harlan H S | Larger | Lower economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| Clark H S | Larger | Similar economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| Taft H S | Larger | Similar economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| Brandeis H S | Larger | Similar economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
Comparisons are relative to Nichols El's own figures; each column derives from NCES Common Core of Data.
Other Schools in This District
- Enrollment
- 2,965
- Students per teacher
- 16.9:1
- Resource Index
- 32/100
- Enrollment
- 2,778
- Students per teacher
- 18.9:1
- Resource Index
- 38/100
- Enrollment
- 2,750
- Students per teacher
- 16.9:1
- Resource Index
- 37/100
- Enrollment
- 2,670
- Students per teacher
- 16.6:1
- Resource Index
- 43/100
- Enrollment
- 2,657
- Students per teacher
- 16.8:1
- Resource Index
- 41/100
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 (~321 students)
Similar student-teacher ratio (~11.1:1)
Next steps
Verify locally before acting on Nichols El's federal record.
- Compare Nichols El against another school. Compare schools
- Northside 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 Nichols El
How many students attend Nichols El?
Nichols El has 321 students enrolled. It is a public school in San Antonio, TX.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Nichols El?
The student-teacher ratio at Nichols El is 11.1:1, which is 24% lower than the Texas average of 14.7:1 and 29% 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 Nichols El?
35.9% of students at Nichols El are eligible for free lunch, compared to the Texas average of 61.9%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Nichols El?
The largest demographic group at Nichols El is Hispanic or Latino at 70.7% of enrollment, in San Antonio, TX.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Nichols El?
Nichols El has a Resource Investment Index of 52/100 (higher 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 Nichols El rank among schools in San Antonio?
By Resource Investment Index, Nichols El ranks #34 of 327 schools in San Antonio, TX. This compares federal resource and staffing data among local peers; it is not a test-score or academic ranking. See all schools in San Antonio on the city page.
Is Nichols El a good school?
Nichols El earns 52/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes smaller than 84% 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 Northside Isd?
Besides Nichols El, Northside Isd also operates Brennan H S (2,965 students), Harlan H S (2,778 students), and Clark H S (2,750 students). See the Northside 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.