Enrollment
444
Texas · 2024-25 NCES data
Other / mixed grade configuration · Rice, TX
Rice El
Federal NCES profile for Rice El, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators - Resource Investment Index 42/100.
2024-25 NCES dataOther / mixed grade configurationNCES 483696004114
👥 S:T ratio 26
🌟 Gifted program 70
🎓 Counselors 11
📋 Attendance 61
Scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC indicators, resource allocation, not test scores. Full methodology →
The verdict
Rice El earns 42/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes larger than 88% of Texas schools.
- #3 of 3
- public schools in Rice · Resource Index
- 42
- Resource Index · Typical
- 18.5:1
- large classes for Texas
- 76.7%
- free-lunch eligible
Rice El has class sizes larger than 88% of Texas schools. Computed live against every Texas school reporting to NCES.
By Resource Investment Index, Rice El ranks #3 of 3 public schools in Rice, TX.
School address
Teachers (FTE)
24.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
18.5:1
vs 14.7:1 Texas avg
+26% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
76.7%
vs 61.9% Texas avg
+24% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Rice El compares with Texas and U.S. medians
What stands out at Rice El
Rice El is a high-poverty, mid-sized combined-grade school in Rice, Texas, enrolling 444 students.
Class loads run heavy: 18.5:1 is larger than about 88% of Texas schools and 26% above the 14.7:1 state mean, so each teacher carries more students than is typical.
Economic need runs somewhat above the state's typical profile, with 76.7% of students eligible for free meals.
With 444 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 1,853 statewide peers matched on enrollment and economic need, it ranks mid-pack at #796.
Its student body is led by Hispanic or Latino (78%) and White (19%) (diversity index 36/100).
Counselor access is stretched at roughly 444 students per counselor, well above the ASCA-recommended 250:1 ceiling.
15.8% of students were chronically absent in the 2021-22 collection, in line with the post-pandemic national range.
Rice Isd also operates Rice H S (340 students) and Rice Intermediate/Middle School (321 students) alongside Rice 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 Rice El compares
Rice 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 | 18.5:1 | ▲ 26% | 14.7:1 | 15.7:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 76.7% | ▲ 24% | 61.9% | 51.7% |
| Enrollment | 444 | top 58% | - | - |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25
18.5:1
Leaner classes than 22% of US schools, heavier class loads than most.
444
Bigger than 54% of US schools by enrollment, mid-sized for the country.
Equity indicators (what these measure)
Economic need
76.7%
free-lunch eligible
- 24% 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
18.5:1
students per teacher
- 26% above state mean
Top 88% in Texas - lower ratio than 12% of state schools
Between 16:1 and 20:1, squarely in the typical U.S. public-school staffing range.
Engagement
15.8%
chronically absent (missed 10%+ of school days)
In the 15-20% range, nearing the "high" absenteeism threshold.
Funding equity
$11,553
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 444 students, the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
Discipline context
24
in-school suspensions + 0 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 5.4 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 5.4 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 77.5%
White 19.1%
African American 1.8%
Two or More 1.6%
Largest group: Hispanic or Latino at 77.5% of enrollment.
Student-body diversity index 36.2/100
Simpson diversity index - at 36.2, Rice El is less mixed than the Texas school average of 44.7.
Programs
Gifted & talented Yes
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Rice Isd, which includes Rice El.
$11,553
Per student
-15%
vs Texas
Avg $13,644
-30%
vs U.S.
Avg $16,593
Revenue mix
Local 20.2%
State 67.0%
Federal 12.9%
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 Rice El Compares to District-Mates
| School | Enrollment | Economic Profile | Student-Teacher Ratio |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rice H S | Similar size | Lower economic need | Lower S:T ratio |
| Rice Intermediate/Middle School | Smaller | Similar economic need | Lower S:T ratio |
Comparisons are relative to Rice El's own figures; each column derives from NCES Common Core of Data.
Other Schools in This District
- Enrollment
- 340
- Students per teacher
- 12.6:1
- Resource Index
- 57/100
- Enrollment
- 321
- Students per teacher
- 16.1:1
- Resource Index
- 47/100
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 (~444 students)
Similar student-teacher ratio (~18.5:1)
Next steps
Verify locally before acting on Rice El's federal record.
- Compare Rice El against another school. Compare schools
- Rice 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 Rice El
How many students attend Rice El?
Rice El has 444 students enrolled. It is a public school in Rice, TX.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Rice El?
The student-teacher ratio at Rice El is 18.5:1, which is 26% higher than the Texas average of 14.7:1 and 18% higher than the national average of 15.7:1.
What percentage of students receive free lunch at Rice El?
76.7% of students at Rice El are eligible for free lunch, compared to the Texas average of 61.9%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Rice El?
The largest demographic group at Rice El is Hispanic or Latino at 77.5% of enrollment, in Rice, TX.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Rice El?
Rice El has a Resource Investment Index of 42/100 (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 Rice El rank among public schools in Rice?
By Resource Investment Index, Rice El ranks #3 of 3 public schools in Rice, TX. This compares federal resource and staffing data among local peers; it is not a test-score or academic ranking. See all public schools in Rice on the city page.
Is Rice El a good school?
Rice El earns 42/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes larger than 88% 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 Rice Isd?
Besides Rice El, Rice Isd also operates Rice H S (340 students) and Rice Intermediate/Middle School (321 students). See the Rice 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.