Enrollment
456
Texas · 2024-25 NCES data
Other / mixed grade configuration · La Feria, TX
Sam Houston El
Federal NCES profile for Sam Houston El, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators - Resource Investment Index 49/100.
2024-25 NCES dataOther / mixed grade configurationNCES 482604002930
👥 S:T ratio 32
🌟 Gifted program 70
📋 Attendance 46
Scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC indicators, resource allocation, not test scores. Full methodology →
The verdict
Sam Houston El earns 49/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes larger than 79% of Texas schools. It is also less racially and ethnically mixed than most Texas schools.
- #3 of 4
- schools in La Feria · Resource Index
- 49
- Resource Index · Higher
- 16.9:1
- large classes for Texas
- 86.6%
- free-lunch eligible
Sam Houston El has class sizes larger than 79% of Texas schools. Computed live against every Texas school reporting to NCES.
By Resource Investment Index, Sam Houston El ranks #3 of 4 schools in La Feria, TX.
School address
Teachers (FTE)
27.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
16.9:1
vs 14.7:1 Texas avg
+15% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
86.6%
vs 61.9% Texas avg
+40% 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 combined-grade school in La Feria, Texas, enrolling 456 students.
Class loads run somewhat heavier than typical: 16.9:1 puts it in the larger third of Texas schools by student-teacher ratio.
Economic need runs somewhat above the state's typical profile, with 86.6% of students eligible for free meals.
With 456 students, its enrollment sits close to the Texas median campus size.
Its Resource Investment Index lands in the upper third of 8,960 scored Texas schools.
Among 1,950 similarly sized, similarly resourced-need Texas schools statewide, it ranks #202, a top-tier result once campus size and economic need are matched.
Its student body is predominantly Hispanic or Latino (95% of enrollment), among the less diverse in the state (diversity index 10/100).
Attendance runs somewhat below the norm, with 21.7% of students chronically absent per the 2021-22 civil-rights collection.
Its district draws 29.0% of revenue from federal sources, an above-typical federal share that tends to track a higher-need student population.
La Feria Isd also operates La Feria H S (901 students) and W B Green J H (391 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 | 16.9:1 | ▲ 15% | 14.7:1 | 15.7:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 86.6% | ▲ 40% | 61.9% | 51.7% |
| Enrollment | 456 | top 56% | - | - |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25
16.9:1
Leaner classes than 31% of US schools, heavier class loads than most.
456
Bigger than 56% of US schools by enrollment, mid-sized for the country.
Equity indicators (what these measure)
Economic need
86.6%
free-lunch eligible
- 40% 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
16.9:1
students per teacher
- 15% above state mean
Top 79% in Texas - lower ratio than 21% of state schools
Between 16:1 and 20:1, squarely in the typical U.S. public-school staffing range.
Engagement
21.7%
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
$14,020
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
Counselors0.0 FTE
Student-support staffing from the Civil Rights Data Collection.
Discipline context
0
in-school suspensions + 0 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 0.0 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 0.0 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 95.0%
White 4.4%
African American 0.2%
American Indian / Alaska Native 0.2%
Two or More 0.2%
Largest group: Hispanic or Latino at 95.0% of enrollment.
Student-body diversity index 9.6/100
Simpson diversity index - at 9.6, 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 La Feria Isd, which includes Sam Houston El.
$14,020
Per student
+3%
vs Texas
Avg $13,644
-16%
vs U.S.
Avg $16,593
Revenue mix
Local 14.1%
State 56.9%
Federal 29.0%
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 Sam Houston El Compares to District-Mates
| School | Enrollment | Economic Profile | Student-Teacher Ratio |
|---|---|---|---|
| La Feria H S | Larger | Similar economic need | Lower S:T ratio |
| W B Green J H | Similar size | Similar economic need | Lower S:T ratio |
| Noemi Dominguez El | Similar size | Similar economic need | Lower S:T ratio |
| C E Vail El | Similar size | Similar economic need | Similar S:T ratio |
| David G Sanchez El | Smaller | Similar 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
- 901
- Students per teacher
- 13.7:1
- Resource Index
- 50/100
- Enrollment
- 391
- Students per teacher
- 10.9:1
- Resource Index
- 45/100
- Enrollment
- 387
- Students per teacher
- 14.9:1
- Resource Index
- 37/100
- Enrollment
- 376
- Students per teacher
- 16.3:1
- Resource Index
- 51/100
- Enrollment
- 330
- Students per teacher
- 13.8:1
- Resource Index
- 46/100
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 (~456 students)
Similar student-teacher ratio (~16.9:1)
Next steps
Verify locally before acting on Sam Houston El's federal record.
- Compare Sam Houston El against another school. Compare schools
- La Feria 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 456 students enrolled. It is a public school in La Feria, TX.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Sam Houston El?
The student-teacher ratio at Sam Houston El is 16.9:1, which is 15% higher than the Texas average of 14.7:1 and 8% higher than the national average of 15.7:1.
What percentage of students receive free lunch at Sam Houston El?
86.6% 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 95.0% of enrollment, in La Feria, TX.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Sam Houston El?
Sam Houston El has a Resource Investment Index of 49/100 (higher 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 Sam Houston El rank among schools in La Feria?
By Resource Investment Index, Sam Houston El ranks #3 of 4 schools in La Feria, TX. This compares federal resource and staffing data among local peers; it is not a test-score or academic ranking. See all schools in La Feria on the city page.
Is Sam Houston El a good school?
Sam Houston El earns 49/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes larger than 79% 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 La Feria Isd?
Besides Sam Houston El, La Feria Isd also operates La Feria H S (901 students), W B Green J H (391 students), and Noemi Dominguez El (387 students). See the La Feria 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.