Enrollment
781
Texas · 2024-25 NCES data
2024-25 NCES data Middle school (grades 6-8) NCES 482566005918
Palo Alto Middle — Killeen, TX
Federal NCES profile for Palo Alto Middle, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators — Resource Investment Index 33/100.
👥 Class size 36
🌟 Gifted program 70
🎓 Counselors 26
📋 Attendance 0
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: Killeen 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)
49.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
16.1:1
vs 14.6:1 Texas avg
+10% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
70.5%
vs 61.9% Texas avg
+14% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Palo Alto Middle 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
Palo Alto Middle reports 781 enrolled students to the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) alongside 49.0 full-time-equivalent teachers, producing a 16.1:1 student-teacher ratio. That figure sits 10% above the Texas state mean of 14.6:1, signalling larger average class loads than peers in the same state. Against the national 2024-25 average of 15.9:1, it is 1% higher, a useful calibration for families comparing districts across state lines.
Title I and federal lunch eligibility offer another window into the student body: 70.5% of pupils qualify for free meals, a proxy for household income that federal programs use to direct funding. The free-lunch share is 14% above the Texas average and 36% above the national baseline. Counselor coverage works out to roughly 372 students per counselor, above the ASCA-recommended ceiling of 250:1. Chronic absenteeism — missing 10% or more of school days — stands at 45.2% according to the 2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection.
On the finance side, the surrounding Killeen Isd spends $13,583 per pupil district-wide, below the Texas average of $17,150 and below the national average of $19,490. Revenue comes 19.6% from local sources (property taxes), 54.7% from the state, and 25.7% from federal programs per the NCES F-33 finance survey. Taken together, these measurements produce a Resource Investment Index of 33/100 (F), calculated from 4 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 Palo Alto Middle 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 | 16.1:1 | ▲ 10% | 14.6:1 | 15.9:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 70.5% | ▲ 14% | 61.9% | 51.8% |
| Enrollment | 781 | top 80% | — | — |
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
70.5%
free-lunch eligible
— 14% 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
16.1:1
students per teacher
— 10% above state mean
Top 73% in Texas — lower ratio than 27% of state schools
Between 15:1 and 20:1 — in line with the typical U.S. public-school staffing range.
Engagement
45.2%
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
$13,583
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
Counselors2.1 FTE
Per 372 students — the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
Discipline context
194
in-school suspensions + 120 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 24.8 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 40.2 per 100 students. Reported via the Civil Rights Data Collection.
Overview
Enrollment 781 Top 80% in Texas — larger than 20% of 9,061 state schools
Teachers (FTE) 49.0
Students per teacher 16.1:1 +10% vs state
Free-lunch eligible 70.5% +14% vs state
NCES ID 482566005918
Student demographics
African American 49.9%
Hispanic or Latino 31.1%
White 9.5%
Two or More 5.4%
Native Hawaiian / Pacific Islander 2.3%
Asian 1.5%
American Indian / Alaska Native 0.3%
Largest group: African American at 49.9% of enrollment.
Programs & staff
Gifted & talented Yes
Counselors (FTE) 2.1
Students per counselor 372:1
Discipline & special education
Chronically absent 45.2%
In-school suspensions 194
Out-of-school suspensions 120
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Killeen Isd, which includes Palo Alto Middle.
$13,583
Per student
-21%
vs Texas
Avg $17,150
-30%
vs U.S.
Avg $19,490
Revenue mix
Local 19.6%
State 54.7%
Federal 25.7%
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
- 2,192
- Students per teacher
- 17.7:1
- Enrollment
- 2,165
- Students per teacher
- 17.5:1
- Enrollment
- 2,083
- Students per teacher
- 16.3:1
- Enrollment
- 2,031
- Students per teacher
- 16.8:1
- Enrollment
- 1,761
- Students per teacher
- 14.8:1
Similar middle schools in Killeen
6 comparable middle schools (grades 6-8) serving the same city.
Roy J Smith Middle
Standard public school
1,135 students 19:1 students per teacher
Charles E Patterson Middle
Standard public school
746 students 17.9:1 students per teacher
Rancier Middle
Standard public school
735 students 15:1 students per teacher
Live Oak Ridge Middle
Standard public school
676 students 17.8:1 students per teacher
Liberty Hill Middle
Standard public school
674 students 15.8:1 students per teacher
Manor Middle
Standard public school
592 students 15.7:1 students per teacher
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 Palo Alto Middle
How many students attend Palo Alto Middle?
Palo Alto Middle has 781 students enrolled. It is a middle school in KILLEEN, TX.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Palo Alto Middle?
The student-teacher ratio at Palo Alto Middle is 16.1:1, which is 10% higher than the Texas average of 14.6:1 and 1% higher than the national average of 15.9:1.
What percentage of students receive free lunch at Palo Alto Middle?
70.5% of students at Palo Alto Middle are eligible for free lunch, compared to the Texas average of 61.9%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Palo Alto Middle?
The largest demographic group at Palo Alto Middle is African American at 49.9%. The school serves a diverse student body in KILLEEN, TX.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Palo Alto Middle?
Palo Alto Middle has a Resource Investment Index of 33/100 (F) based on 4 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.