Enrollment
403
Texas · 2024-25 NCES data
2024-25 NCES data High school (grades 9-12) NCES 483411003794
Palmer H S — Palmer, TX
Federal NCES profile for Palmer H S, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators — Resource Investment Index 39/100.
👥 Class size 47
📚 AP courses 10
🌟 Gifted program 70
🎓 Counselors 19
📋 Attendance 50
How this works: Each indicator above is scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC data, then averaged into the Resource Investment Index. This measures resource allocation — staffing, programs, and support services — not standardized test scores or academic outcomes. Full methodology →
School address
District: Palmer Isd · Texas
Public location data per NCES (National Center for Education Statistics) Common Core of Data. Verify the school's current address on the NCES CCD record.
Teachers (FTE)
28.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
13.2:1
vs 14.6:1 Texas avg
-10% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
37.6%
vs 61.9% Texas avg
-39% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Palmer H S compares with Texas and U.S. medians
The federal record — no proprietary index, no editorial formula.
PlainSchools publishes the actual federal measurements — enrollment, staffing, demographics, discipline, and finance — straight from the NCES Common Core of Data, CRDC, and F-33 surveys. No composite rating, no opinion-based score on top. You get the same raw numbers researchers and policymakers use, with benchmarks, spending context, and equity indicators computed from the same federal datasets. Full methodology linked below.
What this school's NCES data tells you
Palmer H S reports 403 enrolled students to the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) alongside 28.0 full-time-equivalent teachers, producing a 13.2:1 student-teacher ratio. That figure sits 10% below the Texas state mean of 14.6:1, signalling more teacher attention per pupil than the state benchmark. Against the national 2024-25 average of 15.9:1, it is 17% lower, a useful calibration for families comparing districts across state lines.
Title I and federal lunch eligibility offer another window into the student body: 37.6% of pupils qualify for free meals, a proxy for household income that federal programs use to direct funding. The free-lunch share is 39% below the Texas average and 27% below the national baseline. Counselor coverage works out to roughly 403 students per counselor, above the ASCA-recommended ceiling of 250:1. Chronic absenteeism — missing 10% or more of school days — stands at 20.1% according to the 2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection.
On the finance side, the surrounding Palmer Isd spends $15,854 per pupil district-wide, below the Texas average of $17,150 and below the national average of $19,490. Revenue comes 30.6% from local sources (property taxes), 54.9% from the state, and 14.5% from federal programs per the NCES F-33 finance survey. Taken together, these measurements produce a Resource Investment Index of 39/100 (F), calculated from 5 distinct NCES and CRDC indicators measuring resource allocation rather than academic outcomes.
Source: National Center for Education Statistics Common Core of Data + CRDC + F-33 · 2024-25
How Palmer H S compares
Cross-validating school-level NCES values against Texas state and U.S. national means lets readers see whether this school is an outlier or in line with peers.
| Metric | This school | vs Texas | Texas avg | U.S. avg |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Students per teacher | 13.2:1 | ▼ 10% | 14.6:1 | 15.9:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 37.6% | ▼ 39% | 61.9% | 51.8% |
| Enrollment | 403 | top 37% | — | — |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25
What the federal data reveals about equity at this school
Federal measurements — not ratings — surface the resource and opportunity picture. Below are the indicators that researchers, civil-rights monitors, and funding formulas use to assess equity.
Economic need
37.6%
free-lunch eligible
— 39% 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
13.2:1
students per teacher
— 10% below state mean
Top 30% in Texas — lower ratio than 70% of state schools
Below the 15:1 benchmark — typical of schools with smaller class sizes and more individualized attention.
Engagement
20.1%
chronically absent (missed 10%+ of school days)
Chronic absenteeism at or above 20% — the CDC threshold for "high" — signals significant barriers to regular attendance.
Funding equity
$15,854
per pupil, district-wide
— below Texas avg of $17,150
Below the U.S. average per-pupil spend — funding constraints may affect programs, facilities, and staffing.
Support staff
Counselors1.0 FTE
Per 403 students — the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
Discipline context
48
in-school suspensions + 7 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 11.9 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 13.6 per 100 students. Reported via the Civil Rights Data Collection. Includes 1 expulsion.
Overview
Enrollment 403 Top 37% in Texas — larger than 63% of 9,061 state schools
Teachers (FTE) 28.0
Students per teacher 13.2:1 -10% vs state
Free-lunch eligible 37.6% -39% vs state
NCES ID 483411003794
Student demographics
White 47.4%
Hispanic or Latino 46.7%
Two or More 3.2%
African American 1.5%
Asian 0.7%
American Indian / Alaska Native 0.5%
Largest group: White at 47.4% of enrollment.
Programs & staff
AP program Not offered
Gifted & talented Yes
Counselors (FTE) 1.0
Students per counselor 403:1
Discipline & special education
Chronically absent 20.1%
In-school suspensions 48
Out-of-school suspensions 7
Expulsions 1
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Palmer Isd, which includes Palmer H S.
$15,854
Per student
-8%
vs Texas
Avg $17,150
-19%
vs U.S.
Avg $19,490
Revenue mix
Local 30.6%
State 54.9%
Federal 14.5%
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.
Other Schools in This District
- Enrollment
- 525
- Students per teacher
- 15.2:1
- Enrollment
- 423
- Students per teacher
- 15.5:1
Educator & family resources
In-depth guides on understanding NCES data, school choice, and education funding.
Understanding NCES data
How CCD, CRDC and EDFacts feed every public-school number you see.
Choose a school district
Eight signals that matter more than the overall ranking number.
How schools are funded
Title I, F-33, state aid formulas and what per-pupil spending really means.
Chronic absenteeism
Why missing 10% of school matters and how it varies by district.
Magnet vs charter vs traditional
Three school types, three funding models, three sets of trade-offs.
School discipline data
What CRDC suspension and expulsion records do and don't reveal.
Frequently asked questions about Palmer H S
How many students attend Palmer H S?
Palmer H S has 403 students enrolled. It is a high school in PALMER, TX.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Palmer H S?
The student-teacher ratio at Palmer H S is 13.2:1, which is 10% lower than the Texas average of 14.6:1 and 17% lower than the national average of 15.9:1. Lower ratios generally mean more individual attention per student.
What percentage of students receive free lunch at Palmer H S?
37.6% of students at Palmer H S are eligible for free lunch, compared to the Texas average of 61.9%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Palmer H S?
The largest demographic group at Palmer H S is White at 47.4%. The school serves a diverse student body in PALMER, TX.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Palmer H S?
Palmer H S has a Resource Investment Index of 39/100 (F) based on 5 factors: student-teacher ratio, counselor availability, attendance rates. This index measures federal resource allocation — staffing levels, program availability, and support services — not standardized test scores or academic outcomes.