Enrollment
551
Texas · 2024-25 NCES data
Other / mixed grade configuration · Donna, TX
Patricia S Garza El
Federal NCES profile for Patricia S Garza El, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators - Resource Investment Index 37/100.
2024-25 NCES dataOther / mixed grade configurationNCES 481739008283
👥 S:T ratio 35
🌟 Gifted program 70
🎓 Counselors 41
📋 Attendance 0
Scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC indicators, resource allocation, not test scores. Full methodology →
The verdict
Patricia S Garza El earns 37/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes larger than 73% of Texas schools. It is also less racially and ethnically mixed than most Texas schools.
- #3 of 13
- schools in Donna · Resource Index
- 37
- Resource Index · Typical
- 16.2:1
- large classes for Texas
- 98.5%
- free-lunch eligible
Patricia S Garza El has class sizes larger than 73% of Texas schools. Computed live against every Texas school reporting to NCES.
By Resource Investment Index, Patricia S Garza El ranks #3 of 13 schools in Donna, TX.
School address
Teachers (FTE)
34.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
16.2:1
vs 14.7:1 Texas avg
+10% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
98.5%
vs 61.9% Texas avg
+59% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Patricia S Garza El compares with Texas and U.S. medians
What stands out at Patricia S Garza El
Patricia S Garza El is a high-poverty, mid-sized combined-grade school in Donna, Texas, enrolling 551 students.
Class loads run somewhat heavier than typical: 16.2:1 puts it in the larger third of Texas schools by student-teacher ratio.
Economic need is high: 98.5% of students qualify for free meals, 59% above the Texas average, a Title I-weighted population that federal funding formulas prioritise.
With 551 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 1,314 statewide peers matched on enrollment and economic need, it ranks mid-pack at #669.
Its student body is predominantly Hispanic or Latino (100% of enrollment), among the less diverse in the state (diversity index 0/100).
Counselor coverage runs a bit thin, about 295 students per counselor, somewhat past the ASCA-recommended 250:1 benchmark.
Chronic absenteeism is elevated: 42.1% of students missed 10% or more of school days (2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection).
Its district draws 28.0% of revenue from federal sources, an above-typical federal share that tends to track a higher-need student population.
Donna Isd also operates Donna H S (1,992 students) and Donna North H S (1,974 students) alongside Patricia S Garza 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 Patricia S Garza El compares
Patricia S Garza 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 | 16.2:1 | ▲ 10% | 14.7:1 | 15.7:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 98.5% | ▲ 59% | 61.9% | 51.7% |
| Enrollment | 551 | top 43% | - | - |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25
16.2:1
Leaner classes than 36% of US schools, a middle-of-the-pack class size.
551
Bigger than 68% of US schools by enrollment, mid-sized for the country.
Equity indicators (what these measure)
Economic need
98.5%
free-lunch eligible
- 59% 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
16.2:1
students per teacher
- 10% above state mean
Top 73% in Texas - lower ratio than 27% of state schools
Between 16:1 and 20:1, squarely in the typical U.S. public-school staffing range.
Engagement
42.1%
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
$13,771
per pupil, district-wide
- above Texas avg of $13,644
Somewhat below the U.S. average per-pupil spend; funding constraints may affect programs, facilities, and staffing.
Support staff
Counselors1.9 FTE
Per 295 students, the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
Discipline context
5
in-school suspensions + 12 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 0.9 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 3.1 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 99.8%
White 0.2%
Largest group: Hispanic or Latino at 99.8% of enrollment.
Student-body diversity index 0.4/100
Simpson diversity index - at 0.4, Patricia S Garza El is less mixed than the Texas school average of 44.7.
Programs
Gifted & talented Yes
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Donna Isd, which includes Patricia S Garza El.
$13,771
Per student
+1%
vs Texas
Avg $13,644
-17%
vs U.S.
Avg $16,593
Revenue mix
Local 13.1%
State 58.9%
Federal 28.0%
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 Patricia S Garza El Compares to District-Mates
| School | Enrollment | Economic Profile | Student-Teacher Ratio |
|---|---|---|---|
| Donna H S | Larger | Similar economic need | Lower S:T ratio |
| Donna North H S | Larger | Similar economic need | Lower S:T ratio |
| Veterans Middle | Larger | Similar economic need | Lower S:T ratio |
| Maria Alicia P Munoz El | Similar size | Similar economic need | Similar S:T ratio |
| W a Todd Middle | Similar size | Similar economic need | Lower S:T ratio |
Comparisons are relative to Patricia S Garza El's own figures; each column derives from NCES Common Core of Data.
Other Schools in This District
- Enrollment
- 1,992
- Students per teacher
- 13.9:1
- Resource Index
- 55/100
- Enrollment
- 1,974
- Students per teacher
- 13.4:1
- Resource Index
- 56/100
- Enrollment
- 866
- Students per teacher
- 14.4:1
- Resource Index
- 39/100
- Enrollment
- 688
- Students per teacher
- 17.2:1
- Resource Index
- 25/100
- Enrollment
- 670
- Students per teacher
- 12.4:1
- Resource Index
- 43/100
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 (~551 students)
Next steps
Verify locally before acting on Patricia S Garza El's federal record.
- Compare Patricia S Garza El against another school. Compare schools
- Donna 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 Patricia S Garza El
How many students attend Patricia S Garza El?
Patricia S Garza El has 551 students enrolled. It is a public school in Donna, TX.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Patricia S Garza El?
The student-teacher ratio at Patricia S Garza El is 16.2:1, which is 10% higher than the Texas average of 14.7:1 and 3% higher than the national average of 15.7:1.
What percentage of students receive free lunch at Patricia S Garza El?
98.5% of students at Patricia S Garza El are eligible for free lunch, compared to the Texas average of 61.9%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Patricia S Garza El?
The largest demographic group at Patricia S Garza El is Hispanic or Latino at 99.8% of enrollment, in Donna, TX.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Patricia S Garza El?
Patricia S Garza 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 Patricia S Garza El rank among schools in Donna?
By Resource Investment Index, Patricia S Garza El ranks #3 of 13 schools in Donna, TX. This compares federal resource and staffing data among local peers; it is not a test-score or academic ranking. See all schools in Donna on the city page.
Is Patricia S Garza El a good school?
Patricia S Garza El earns 37/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes larger than 73% 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 Donna Isd?
Besides Patricia S Garza El, Donna Isd also operates Donna H S (1,992 students), Donna North H S (1,974 students), and Veterans Middle (866 students). See the Donna 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.