Enrollment
582
Texas · 2024-25 NCES data
Other / mixed grade configuration · San Benito, TX
Palmer-Laakso El
Federal NCES profile for Palmer-Laakso El, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators - Resource Investment Index 37/100.
2024-25 NCES dataOther / mixed grade configurationNCES 482829007201
👥 S:T ratio 32
🌟 Gifted program 70
🎓 Counselors 0
📋 Attendance 45
Scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC indicators, resource allocation, not test scores. Full methodology →
The verdict
Palmer-Laakso El earns 37/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes larger than 81% of Texas schools. It is also less racially and ethnically mixed than most Texas schools.
- #14 of 20
- schools in San Benito · Resource Index
- 37
- Resource Index · Typical
- 17.1:1
- large classes for Texas
- 78.2%
- free-lunch eligible
Palmer-Laakso El has class sizes larger than 81% of Texas schools. Computed live against every Texas school reporting to NCES.
By Resource Investment Index, Palmer-Laakso El ranks #14 of 20 schools in San Benito, TX.
School address
District: Los Fresnos Cisd · Texas
NCES ID 482829007201 Verify on NCES CCD record →
Teachers (FTE)
34.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
17.1:1
vs 14.7:1 Texas avg
+16% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
78.2%
vs 61.9% Texas avg
+26% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Palmer-Laakso El compares with Texas and U.S. medians
What stands out at Palmer-Laakso El
Palmer-Laakso El is a high-poverty, mid-sized combined-grade school in San Benito, Texas, enrolling 582 students.
Class loads run somewhat heavier than typical: 17.1:1 puts it in the larger third of Texas schools by student-teacher ratio.
Economic need runs somewhat above the state's typical profile, with 78.2% of students eligible for free meals.
With 582 students, its enrollment sits close to the Texas median campus size.
Its Resource Investment Index lands in the lower third of 8,960 scored Texas schools.
Against 2,208 statewide peers matched on enrollment and economic need, it ranks mid-pack at #1,323.
Its student body is predominantly Hispanic or Latino (97% of enrollment), among the less diverse in the state (diversity index 6/100).
Counselor access is stretched at roughly 582 students per counselor, well above the ASCA-recommended 250:1 ceiling.
Attendance runs somewhat below the norm, with 22.0% of students chronically absent per the 2021-22 civil-rights collection.
Its district draws 22.1% of revenue from federal sources, an above-typical federal share that tends to track a higher-need student population.
Los Fresnos Cisd also operates Los Fresnos H S (3,285 students) and Resaca Middle (870 students) alongside Palmer-Laakso 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 Palmer-Laakso El compares
Palmer-Laakso 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 | 17.1:1 | ▲ 16% | 14.7:1 | 15.7:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 78.2% | ▲ 26% | 61.9% | 51.7% |
| Enrollment | 582 | top 39% | - | - |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25
17.1:1
Leaner classes than 30% of US schools, heavier class loads than most.
582
Bigger than 71% of US schools by enrollment, mid-sized for the country.
Equity indicators (what these measure)
Economic need
78.2%
free-lunch eligible
- 26% 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
17.1:1
students per teacher
- 16% above state mean
Top 81% in Texas - lower ratio than 19% of state schools
Between 16:1 and 20:1, squarely in the typical U.S. public-school staffing range.
Engagement
22.0%
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
$12,056
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 582 students, the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
Discipline context
3
in-school suspensions + 3 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 0.5 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 1.0 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 96.7%
White 2.7%
Two or More 0.3%
African American 0.2%
Largest group: Hispanic or Latino at 96.7% of enrollment.
Student-body diversity index 6.4/100
Simpson diversity index - at 6.4, Palmer-Laakso El is less mixed than the Texas school average of 44.7.
Programs
Gifted & talented Yes
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Los Fresnos Cisd, which includes Palmer-Laakso El.
$12,056
Per student
-12%
vs Texas
Avg $13,644
-27%
vs U.S.
Avg $16,593
Revenue mix
Local 23.0%
State 54.9%
Federal 22.1%
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 Palmer-Laakso El Compares to District-Mates
| School | Enrollment | Economic Profile | Student-Teacher Ratio |
|---|---|---|---|
| Los Fresnos H S | Larger | Similar economic need | Similar S:T ratio |
| Resaca Middle | Larger | Similar economic need | Similar S:T ratio |
| Los Cuates Middle | Larger | Similar economic need | Similar S:T ratio |
| Rancho Verde El | Similar size | Similar economic need | Similar S:T ratio |
| Liberty Memorial Middle | Similar size | Higher economic need | Lower S:T ratio |
Comparisons are relative to Palmer-Laakso El's own figures; each column derives from NCES Common Core of Data.
Other Schools in This District
- Enrollment
- 3,285
- Students per teacher
- 15.9:1
- Resource Index
- 47/100
- Enrollment
- 870
- Students per teacher
- 17.1:1
- Resource Index
- 35/100
- Enrollment
- 825
- Students per teacher
- 16.2:1
- Resource Index
- 36/100
- Enrollment
- 696
- Students per teacher
- 17.8:1
- Resource Index
- 37/100
- Enrollment
- 673
- Students per teacher
- 14:1
- Resource Index
- 39/100
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 (~582 students)
Similar student-teacher ratio (~17.1:1)
Next steps
Verify locally before acting on Palmer-Laakso El's federal record.
- Compare Palmer-Laakso El against another school. Compare schools
- Los Fresnos 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 Palmer-Laakso El
How many students attend Palmer-Laakso El?
Palmer-Laakso El has 582 students enrolled. It is a public school in San Benito, TX.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Palmer-Laakso El?
The student-teacher ratio at Palmer-Laakso El is 17.1:1, which is 16% higher than the Texas average of 14.7:1 and 9% higher than the national average of 15.7:1.
What percentage of students receive free lunch at Palmer-Laakso El?
78.2% of students at Palmer-Laakso El are eligible for free lunch, compared to the Texas average of 61.9%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Palmer-Laakso El?
The largest demographic group at Palmer-Laakso El is Hispanic or Latino at 96.7% of enrollment, in San Benito, TX.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Palmer-Laakso El?
Palmer-Laakso El has a Resource Investment Index of 37/100 (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 Palmer-Laakso El rank among schools in San Benito?
By Resource Investment Index, Palmer-Laakso El ranks #14 of 20 schools in San Benito, 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 Benito on the city page.
Is Palmer-Laakso El a good school?
Palmer-Laakso El earns 37/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes larger than 81% 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 Los Fresnos Cisd?
Besides Palmer-Laakso El, Los Fresnos Cisd also operates Los Fresnos H S (3,285 students), Resaca Middle (870 students), and Los Cuates Middle (825 students). See the Los Fresnos 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.