Enrollment
356
Texas · 2024-25 NCES data
Other / mixed grade configuration · Austin, TX
Pillow El
Federal NCES profile for Pillow El, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators - Resource Investment Index 32/100.
2024-25 NCES dataOther / mixed grade configurationNCES 480894000346
👥 S:T ratio 25
🌟 Gifted program 70
📋 Attendance 0
Scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC indicators, resource allocation, not test scores. Full methodology →
The verdict
Pillow El earns 32/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes larger than 89% of Texas schools.
- #137 of 162
- schools in Austin · Resource Index
- 32
- Resource Index · Typical
- 18.7:1
- large classes for Texas
- 71.0%
- free-lunch eligible
Pillow El has class sizes larger than 89% of Texas schools. Computed live against every Texas school reporting to NCES.
By Resource Investment Index, Pillow El ranks #137 of 162 schools in Austin, TX.
School address
Teachers (FTE)
19.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
18.7:1
vs 14.7:1 Texas avg
+27% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
71.0%
vs 61.9% Texas avg
+15% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Pillow El compares with Texas and U.S. medians
What stands out at Pillow El
Pillow El is a higher-need, mid-sized combined-grade school in Austin, Texas, enrolling 356 students.
Class loads run heavy: 18.7:1 is larger than about 89% of Texas schools and 27% above the 14.7:1 state mean, so each teacher carries more students than is typical.
Its free-meal eligibility rate of 71.0% lands close to the Texas typical range, neither a high- nor low-need campus by this measure.
Enrollment of 356 puts it in the smaller third of Texas schools by headcount.
Its Resource Investment Index lands in the lower third of 8,960 scored Texas schools.
Among 1,221 similarly sized, similarly resourced-need Texas schools statewide, it ranks #1,102, in the lower tier once campus size and economic need are matched.
Its student body is led by Hispanic or Latino (70%) and White (12%) (diversity index 48/100).
Chronic absenteeism is elevated: 41.6% of students missed 10% or more of school days (2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection).
Its district draws 18.1% of revenue from federal sources, an above-typical federal share that tends to track a higher-need student population.
Austin Isd also operates Bowie H S (2,876 students) and Akins H S (2,421 students) alongside Pillow 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 Pillow El compares
Pillow 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 | 18.7:1 | ▲ 27% | 14.7:1 | 15.7:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 71.0% | ▲ 15% | 61.9% | 51.7% |
| Enrollment | 356 | top 69% | - | - |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25
18.7:1
Leaner classes than 21% of US schools, heavier class loads than most.
356
Bigger than 41% of US schools by enrollment, mid-sized for the country.
Equity indicators (what these measure)
Economic need
71.0%
free-lunch eligible
- 15% 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
18.7:1
students per teacher
- 27% above state mean
Top 89% in Texas - lower ratio than 11% of state schools
Between 16:1 and 20:1, squarely in the typical U.S. public-school staffing range.
Engagement
41.6%
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
$12,492
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
Counselors0.0 FTE
Student-support staffing from the Civil Rights Data Collection.
Discipline context
0
in-school suspensions + 3 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 0.0 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 0.8 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 70.2%
White 11.5%
African American 8.7%
Asian 7.6%
Two or More 1.7%
American Indian / Alaska Native 0.3%
Largest group: Hispanic or Latino at 70.2% of enrollment.
Student-body diversity index 48.0/100
Simpson diversity index - at 48.0, Pillow El is more mixed than the Texas school average of 44.7.
Programs
Gifted & talented Yes
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Austin Isd, which includes Pillow El.
$12,492
Per student
-8%
vs Texas
Avg $13,644
-25%
vs U.S.
Avg $16,593
Revenue mix
Local 75.2%
State 6.6%
Federal 18.1%
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 Pillow El Compares to District-Mates
| School | Enrollment | Economic Profile | Student-Teacher Ratio |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bowie H S | Larger | Lower economic need | Similar S:T ratio |
| Akins H S | Larger | Lower economic need | Lower S:T ratio |
| Austin H S | Larger | Lower economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| Anderson H S | Larger | Lower economic need | Similar S:T ratio |
| Mccallum H S | Larger | Lower economic need | Similar S:T ratio |
Comparisons are relative to Pillow El's own figures; each column derives from NCES Common Core of Data.
Other Schools in This District
- Enrollment
- 2,876
- Students per teacher
- 19.7:1
- Resource Index
- 43/100
- Enrollment
- 2,421
- Students per teacher
- 16.7:1
- Resource Index
- 48/100
- Enrollment
- 2,323
- Students per teacher
- 20.2:1
- Resource Index
- 37/100
- Enrollment
- 2,223
- Students per teacher
- 18.8:1
- Resource Index
- 37/100
- Enrollment
- 1,897
- Students per teacher
- 19.6:1
- 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 (~356 students)
Similar student-teacher ratio (~18.7:1)
Next steps
Verify locally before acting on Pillow El's federal record.
- Compare Pillow El against another school. Compare schools
- Austin 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 Pillow El
How many students attend Pillow El?
Pillow El has 356 students enrolled. It is a public school in Austin, TX.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Pillow El?
The student-teacher ratio at Pillow El is 18.7:1, which is 27% higher than the Texas average of 14.7:1 and 19% higher than the national average of 15.7:1.
What percentage of students receive free lunch at Pillow El?
71.0% of students at Pillow El are eligible for free lunch, compared to the Texas average of 61.9%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Pillow El?
The largest demographic group at Pillow El is Hispanic or Latino at 70.2% of enrollment, in Austin, TX.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Pillow El?
Pillow El has a Resource Investment Index of 32/100 (typical reported resources relative to schools nationally) based on 3 factors: student-teacher ratio, attendance rates. Not a test-score or academic measure (national median ~41/100, see methodology).
How does Pillow El rank among schools in Austin?
By Resource Investment Index, Pillow El ranks #137 of 162 schools in Austin, TX. This compares federal resource and staffing data among local peers; it is not a test-score or academic ranking. See all schools in Austin on the city page.
Is Pillow El a good school?
Pillow El earns 32/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes larger than 89% of 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 Austin Isd?
Besides Pillow El, Austin Isd also operates Bowie H S (2,876 students), Akins H S (2,421 students), and Austin H S (2,323 students). See the Austin 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.