Enrollment
528
Texas · 2024-25 NCES data
Other / mixed grade configuration · San Antonio, TX
Palo Alto El
Federal NCES profile for Palo Alto El, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators - Resource Investment Index 19/100.
2024-25 NCES dataOther / mixed grade configurationNCES 484068004613
👥 S:T ratio 4
🌟 Gifted program 70
🎓 Counselors 0
📋 Attendance 0
Scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC indicators, resource allocation, not test scores. Full methodology →
The verdict
Palo Alto El earns 19/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes larger than 97% of Texas schools. It is also less racially and ethnically mixed than most Texas schools.
- #319 of 327
- schools in San Antonio · Resource Index
- 19
- Resource Index · Lower
- 24:1
- large classes for Texas
- 95.1%
- free-lunch eligible
Palo Alto El has class sizes larger than 97% of Texas schools. Computed live against every Texas school reporting to NCES.
By Resource Investment Index, Palo Alto El ranks #319 of 327 schools in San Antonio, TX.
School address
District: South San Antonio Isd · Texas
NCES ID 484068004613 Verify on NCES CCD record →
Teachers (FTE)
22.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
24:1
vs 14.7:1 Texas avg
+63% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
95.1%
vs 61.9% Texas avg
+54% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Palo Alto El compares with Texas and U.S. medians
What stands out at Palo Alto El
Palo Alto El is a high-poverty, mid-sized combined-grade school in San Antonio, Texas, enrolling 528 students.
Class loads run heavy: 24:1 is larger than about 97% of Texas schools and 63% above the 14.7:1 state mean, so each teacher carries more students than is typical.
Economic need is high: 95.1% of students qualify for free meals, 54% above the Texas average, a Title I-weighted population that federal funding formulas prioritise.
With 528 students, its enrollment sits close to the Texas median campus size.
Its Resource Investment Index trails 98% of the 8,960 Texas schools with a score on record, one of the lower results on this measure.
Among 1,606 similarly sized, similarly resourced-need Texas schools statewide, it ranks #1,553, in the lower tier once campus size and economic need are matched.
Its student body is predominantly Hispanic or Latino (93% of enrollment), among the less diverse in the state (diversity index 14/100).
Counselor access is stretched at roughly 528 students per counselor, well above the ASCA-recommended 250:1 ceiling.
Chronic absenteeism is elevated: 45.6% of students missed 10% or more of school days (2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection).
Its district draws 32.1% of revenue from federal sources, an above-typical federal share that tends to track a higher-need student population.
South San Antonio Isd also operates South San Antonio H S (2,190 students) and Roy Benavidez El (669 students) alongside Palo Alto 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 Palo Alto El compares
Palo Alto 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 | 24:1 | ▲ 63% | 14.7:1 | 15.7:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 95.1% | ▲ 54% | 61.9% | 51.7% |
| Enrollment | 528 | top 46% | - | - |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25
24:1
Leaner classes than 6% of US schools, heavier class loads than most.
528
Bigger than 65% of US schools by enrollment, mid-sized for the country.
Equity indicators (what these measure)
Economic need
95.1%
free-lunch eligible
- 54% above the Texas average of 61.9%
Well above the 40% Title I schoolwide threshold, among the highest-need profiles in the state; federal funds support the whole school, not individual students.
Staffing depth
24:1
students per teacher
- 63% above state mean
Top 97% in Texas - lower ratio than 3% of state schools
Above 20:1, running heavier than the typical U.S. public school; staffing is comparatively stretched.
Engagement
45.6%
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
$12,874
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 528 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 92.6%
White 4.7%
African American 2.3%
American Indian / Alaska Native 0.2%
Two or More 0.2%
Largest group: Hispanic or Latino at 92.6% of enrollment.
Student-body diversity index 14.0/100
Simpson diversity index - at 14.0, Palo Alto El is less mixed than the Texas school average of 44.7.
Programs
Gifted & talented Yes
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for South San Antonio Isd, which includes Palo Alto El.
$12,874
Per student
-6%
vs Texas
Avg $13,644
-22%
vs U.S.
Avg $16,593
Revenue mix
Local 24.7%
State 43.2%
Federal 32.1%
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 Palo Alto El Compares to District-Mates
| School | Enrollment | Economic Profile | Student-Teacher Ratio |
|---|---|---|---|
| South San Antonio H S | Larger | Similar economic need | Similar S:T ratio |
| Roy Benavidez El | Larger | Similar economic need | Lower S:T ratio |
| Robert C Zamora Middle | Similar size | Similar economic need | Similar S:T ratio |
| South San Antonio H S - West Campus | Similar size | Similar economic need | Lower S:T ratio |
| Miguel Carrillo Jr El | Similar size | Similar economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
Comparisons are relative to Palo Alto El's own figures; each column derives from NCES Common Core of Data.
Other Schools in This District
- Enrollment
- 2,190
- Students per teacher
- 22.6:1
- Resource Index
- 35/100
- Enrollment
- 669
- Students per teacher
- 22.3:1
- Resource Index
- 30/100
- Enrollment
- 655
- Students per teacher
- 23.4:1
- Resource Index
- 22/100
- Enrollment
- 521
- Students per teacher
- 12.1:1
- Resource Index
- 42/100
- Enrollment
- 501
- Students per teacher
- 26.4:1
- Resource Index
- 30/100
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 (~528 students)
Next steps
Verify locally before acting on Palo Alto El's federal record.
- Compare Palo Alto El against another school. Compare schools
- South San Antonio 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 Palo Alto El
How many students attend Palo Alto El?
Palo Alto El has 528 students enrolled. It is a public school in San Antonio, TX.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Palo Alto El?
The student-teacher ratio at Palo Alto El is 24:1, which is 63% higher than the Texas average of 14.7:1 and 53% higher than the national average of 15.7:1.
What percentage of students receive free lunch at Palo Alto El?
95.1% of students at Palo Alto El are eligible for free lunch, compared to the Texas average of 61.9%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Palo Alto El?
The largest demographic group at Palo Alto El is Hispanic or Latino at 92.6% of enrollment, in San Antonio, TX.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Palo Alto El?
Palo Alto El has a Resource Investment Index of 19/100 (lower 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 Palo Alto El rank among schools in San Antonio?
By Resource Investment Index, Palo Alto El ranks #319 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 Palo Alto El a good school?
Palo Alto El earns 19/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes larger than 97% 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 South San Antonio Isd?
Besides Palo Alto El, South San Antonio Isd also operates South San Antonio H S (2,190 students), Roy Benavidez El (669 students), and Robert C Zamora Middle (655 students). See the South San Antonio 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.