Enrollment
591
Texas · 2024-25 NCES data
Middle school (grades 6-8) · Palmhurst, TX
Rafael a Cantu J H
Federal NCES profile for Rafael a Cantu J H, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators - Resource Investment Index 43/100.
2024-25 NCES dataMiddle school (grades 6-8)NCES 483104011388
👥 S:T ratio 49
🌟 Gifted program 70
🎓 Counselors 54
📋 Attendance 0
Scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC indicators, resource allocation, not test scores. Full methodology →
The verdict
Rafael a Cantu J H earns 43/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes near the Texas median. It is also less racially and ethnically mixed than most Texas schools.
- 43
- Resource Index · Typical
- 12.8:1
- students per teacher
- 88.6%
- free-lunch eligible
- 591
- students enrolled
Rafael a Cantu J H has class sizes near the Texas median. Computed live against every Texas school reporting to NCES.
School address
Teachers (FTE)
46.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
12.8:1
vs 14.7:1 Texas avg
-13% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
88.6%
vs 61.9% Texas avg
+43% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Rafael a Cantu J H compares with Texas and U.S. medians
What stands out at Rafael a Cantu J H
Rafael a Cantu J H is a high-poverty, mid-sized middle school in Palmhurst, Texas, enrolling 591 students.
Class sizes run a bit leaner than typical: 12.8:1 puts it in the smaller third of Texas schools by student-teacher ratio.
Economic need runs somewhat above the state's typical profile, with 88.6% of students eligible for free meals.
With 591 students, its enrollment sits close to the Texas median campus size.
Its Resource Investment Index sits near the middle of the pack among 8,960 scored Texas schools.
Against 2,009 statewide peers matched on enrollment and economic need, it ranks in the upper tier at #509.
Its student body is predominantly Hispanic or Latino (97% of enrollment), among the less diverse in the state (diversity index 5/100).
Counselor coverage is strong, about 231 students per counselor, inside the American School Counselor Association's recommended 250:1.
Chronic absenteeism is elevated: 45.7% of students missed 10% or more of school days (2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection).
Its district draws 37.0% of revenue from federal sources, an above-typical federal share that tends to track a higher-need student population.
Discipline events run high: 148 in- and out-of-school suspensions were reported for 591 students in the 2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection.
Mission Cisd also operates Mission H S (2,154 students) and Veterans Memorial H S (1,737 students) alongside Rafael a Cantu J H.
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 Rafael a Cantu J H compares
Rafael a Cantu J H on the metrics families compare, against Texas and U.S. means.
| Metric | This school | vs Texas | Texas avg | U.S. avg |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Students per teacher | 12.8:1 | ▼ 13% | 14.7:1 | 15.7:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 88.6% | ▲ 43% | 61.9% | 51.7% |
| Enrollment | 591 | top 38% | - | - |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25
12.8:1
Leaner classes than 68% of US schools, among the more generously staffed nationally.
591
Bigger than 72% of US schools by enrollment, mid-sized for the country.
Equity indicators (what these measure)
Economic need
88.6%
free-lunch eligible
- 43% 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
12.8:1
students per teacher
- 13% below state mean
Top 32% in Texas - lower ratio than 68% of state schools
Well under the widely cited 15:1 individualized-attention benchmark, among the leaner class loads nationally.
Engagement
45.7%
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
$13,552
per pupil, district-wide
- below Texas avg of $13,644
Somewhat below the U.S. average per-pupil spend; funding constraints may affect programs, facilities, and staffing.
Support staff
Counselors2.6 FTE
Per 231 students, the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
Discipline context
112
in-school suspensions + 36 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 19.0 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 25.0 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 97.3%
White 2.2%
Two or More 0.3%
African American 0.2%
Largest group: Hispanic or Latino at 97.3% of enrollment.
Student-body diversity index 5.3/100
Simpson diversity index - at 5.3, Rafael a Cantu J H is less mixed than the Texas school average of 44.7.
Programs
Gifted & talented Yes
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Mission Cisd, which includes Rafael a Cantu J H.
$13,552
Per student
-1%
vs Texas
Avg $13,644
-18%
vs U.S.
Avg $16,593
Revenue mix
Local 13.3%
State 49.7%
Federal 37.0%
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 Rafael a Cantu J H Compares to District-Mates
| School | Enrollment | Economic Profile | Student-Teacher Ratio |
|---|---|---|---|
| Mission H S | Larger | Similar economic need | Similar S:T ratio |
| Veterans Memorial H S | Larger | Lower economic need | Similar S:T ratio |
| White J H | Larger | Similar economic need | Similar S:T ratio |
| Alton Memorial J H | Larger | Similar economic need | Similar S:T ratio |
| Mission J H | Similar size | Lower economic need | Similar S:T ratio |
Comparisons are relative to Rafael a Cantu J H's own figures; each column derives from NCES Common Core of Data.
Other Schools in This District
- Enrollment
- 2,154
- Students per teacher
- 13.4:1
- Resource Index
- 59/100
- Enrollment
- 1,737
- Students per teacher
- 12.7:1
- Resource Index
- 58/100
- Enrollment
- 831
- Students per teacher
- 14.1:1
- Resource Index
- 40/100
- Enrollment
- 819
- Students per teacher
- 13.2:1
- Resource Index
- 35/100
- Enrollment
- 711
- Students per teacher
- 13.4:1
- Resource Index
- 42/100
Similar middle 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 (~591 students)
Similar student-teacher ratio (~12.8:1)
Next steps
Verify locally before acting on Rafael a Cantu J H's federal record.
- Compare Rafael a Cantu J H against another school. Compare schools
- Mission 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 Rafael a Cantu J H
How many students attend Rafael a Cantu J H?
Rafael a Cantu J H has 591 students enrolled. It is a middle school in Palmhurst, TX.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Rafael a Cantu J H?
The student-teacher ratio at Rafael a Cantu J H is 12.8:1, which is 13% lower than the Texas average of 14.7:1 and 18% lower than the national average of 15.7:1. Lower ratios generally mean more individual attention per student.
What percentage of students receive free lunch at Rafael a Cantu J H?
88.6% of students at Rafael a Cantu J H are eligible for free lunch, compared to the Texas average of 61.9%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Rafael a Cantu J H?
The largest demographic group at Rafael a Cantu J H is Hispanic or Latino at 97.3% of enrollment, in Palmhurst, TX.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Rafael a Cantu J H?
Rafael a Cantu J H has a Resource Investment Index of 43/100 (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).
Is Rafael a Cantu J H a good school?
Rafael a Cantu J H earns 43/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes near the Texas median. 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 Mission Cisd?
Besides Rafael a Cantu J H, Mission Cisd also operates Mission H S (2,154 students), Veterans Memorial H S (1,737 students), and White J H (831 students). See the Mission 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.