Enrollment
450
Texas · 2024-25 NCES data
Elementary school (grades K-5) · Odessa, TX
Sam Houston El
Federal NCES profile for Sam Houston El, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators - Resource Investment Index 27/100.
2024-25 NCES dataElementary school (grades K-5)NCES 481800001593
👥 S:T ratio 5
🌟 Gifted program 70
🎓 Counselors 10
📋 Attendance 21
Scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC indicators, resource allocation, not test scores. Full methodology →
The verdict
Sam Houston El earns 27/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes larger than 97% of Texas schools.
- #11 of 17
- elementary schools in Odessa · Resource Index
- 27
- Resource Index · Lower
- 23.7:1
- large classes for Texas
- 87.2%
- free-lunch eligible
Sam Houston El has class sizes larger than 97% of Texas schools. Computed live against every Texas school reporting to NCES.
By Resource Investment Index, Sam Houston El ranks #11 of 17 elementary schools in Odessa, TX.
School address
District: Ector County Isd · Texas
NCES ID 481800001593 Verify on NCES CCD record →
Teachers (FTE)
19.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
23.7:1
vs 14.7:1 Texas avg
+61% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
87.2%
vs 61.9% Texas avg
+41% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Sam Houston El compares with Texas and U.S. medians
What stands out at Sam Houston El
Sam Houston El is a high-poverty, mid-sized elementary school in Odessa, Texas, enrolling 450 students.
Class loads run heavy: 23.7:1 is larger than about 97% of Texas schools and 61% 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 87.2% of students eligible for free meals.
With 450 students, its enrollment sits close to the Texas median campus size.
Its Resource Investment Index trails 94% of the 8,960 Texas schools with a score on record, one of the lower results on this measure.
Among 1,899 similarly sized, similarly resourced-need Texas schools statewide, it ranks #1,717, in the lower tier once campus size and economic need are matched.
Its student body is predominantly Hispanic or Latino (87% of enrollment) (diversity index 24/100).
Counselor access is stretched at roughly 450 students per counselor, well above the ASCA-recommended 250:1 ceiling.
Chronic absenteeism is elevated: 31.6% of students missed 10% or more of school days (2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection).
Its district draws 17.9% of revenue from federal sources, an above-typical federal share that tends to track a higher-need student population.
Ector County Isd also operates Permian H S (4,138 students) and Odessa H S (3,814 students) alongside Sam Houston 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 Sam Houston El compares
Sam Houston 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 | 23.7:1 | ▲ 61% | 14.7:1 | 15.7:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 87.2% | ▲ 41% | 61.9% | 51.7% |
| Enrollment | 450 | top 57% | - | - |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25
23.7:1
Leaner classes than 7% of US schools, heavier class loads than most.
450
Bigger than 55% of US schools by enrollment, mid-sized for the country.
Equity indicators (what these measure)
Economic need
87.2%
free-lunch eligible
- 41% 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
23.7:1
students per teacher
- 61% above state mean
Top 97% in Texas - lower ratio than 3% of state schools
Above 20:1, running heavier than the typical U.S. public school; staffing is comparatively stretched.
Engagement
31.6%
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
$11,033
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 450 students, the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
Discipline context
0
in-school suspensions + 2 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 0.0 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 0.4 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 86.7%
White 7.8%
African American 2.4%
Native Hawaiian / Pacific Islander 1.6%
Two or More 1.6%
Largest group: Hispanic or Latino at 86.7% of enrollment.
Student-body diversity index 24.1/100
Simpson diversity index - at 24.1, Sam Houston El is less mixed than the Texas school average of 44.7.
Programs
Gifted & talented Yes
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Ector County Isd, which includes Sam Houston El.
$11,033
Per student
-19%
vs Texas
Avg $13,644
-34%
vs U.S.
Avg $16,593
Revenue mix
Local 46.7%
State 35.4%
Federal 17.9%
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 Sam Houston El Compares to District-Mates
| School | Enrollment | Economic Profile | Student-Teacher Ratio |
|---|---|---|---|
| Permian H S | Larger | Lower economic need | Lower S:T ratio |
| Odessa H S | Larger | Lower economic need | Lower S:T ratio |
| Nimitz Middle | Larger | Lower economic need | Lower S:T ratio |
| Ector College Prep Success Academy | Larger | Lower economic need | Similar S:T ratio |
| Wilson & Young Medal of Honor Middle | Larger | Lower economic need | Lower S:T ratio |
Comparisons are relative to Sam Houston El's own figures; each column derives from NCES Common Core of Data.
Other Schools in This District
- Enrollment
- 4,138
- Students per teacher
- 19.4:1
- Resource Index
- 46/100
- Enrollment
- 3,814
- Students per teacher
- 16.8:1
- Resource Index
- 49/100
- Enrollment
- 1,310
- Students per teacher
- 16.2:1
- Resource Index
- 30/100
- Enrollment
- 1,272
- Students per teacher
- 24:1
- Resource Index
- 22/100
- Enrollment
- 1,227
- Students per teacher
- 18.3:1
- Resource Index
- 39/100
Similar elementary 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 (~450 students)
Similar student-teacher ratio (~23.7:1)
Next steps
Verify locally before acting on Sam Houston El's federal record.
- Compare Sam Houston El against another school. Compare schools
- Ector County 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 Sam Houston El
How many students attend Sam Houston El?
Sam Houston El has 450 students enrolled. It is an elementary school in Odessa, TX.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Sam Houston El?
The student-teacher ratio at Sam Houston El is 23.7:1, which is 61% higher than the Texas average of 14.7:1 and 51% higher than the national average of 15.7:1.
What percentage of students receive free lunch at Sam Houston El?
87.2% of students at Sam Houston El are eligible for free lunch, compared to the Texas average of 61.9%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Sam Houston El?
The largest demographic group at Sam Houston El is Hispanic or Latino at 86.7% of enrollment, in Odessa, TX.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Sam Houston El?
Sam Houston El has a Resource Investment Index of 27/100 (lower 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 Sam Houston El rank among elementary schools in Odessa?
By Resource Investment Index, Sam Houston El ranks #11 of 17 elementary schools in Odessa, TX. This compares federal resource and staffing data among local peers; it is not a test-score or academic ranking. See all elementary schools in Odessa on the city page.
Is Sam Houston El a good school?
Sam Houston El earns 27/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes larger than 97% 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 Ector County Isd?
Besides Sam Houston El, Ector County Isd also operates Permian H S (4,138 students), Odessa H S (3,814 students), and Nimitz Middle (1,310 students). See the Ector County 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.