Enrollment
123
Texas · 2024-25 NCES data
Middle school (grades 6-8) · Santa Maria, TX
Santa Maria Middle
Federal NCES profile for Santa Maria Middle, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators - Resource Investment Index 68/100.
2024-25 NCES dataMiddle school (grades 6-8)NCES 483933013399
👥 S:T ratio 55
🌟 Gifted program 70
🎓 Counselors 75
📋 Attendance 70
Scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC indicators, resource allocation, not test scores. Full methodology →
The verdict
Santa Maria Middle earns 68/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes smaller than 83% of Texas schools. It is also less racially and ethnically mixed than most Texas schools.
- #1 of 4
- public schools in Santa Maria · Resource Index
- 68
- Resource Index · Higher
- 11.2:1
- small classes for Texas
- 99.2%
- free-lunch eligible
Santa Maria Middle has class sizes smaller than 83% of Texas schools. Computed live against every Texas school reporting to NCES.
By Resource Investment Index, Santa Maria Middle ranks #1 of 4 public schools in Santa Maria, TX.
School address
District: Santa Maria Isd · Texas
NCES ID 483933013399 Verify on NCES CCD record →
Teachers (FTE)
11.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
11.2:1
vs 14.7:1 Texas avg
-24% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
99.2%
vs 61.9% Texas avg
+60% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Santa Maria Middle compares with Texas and U.S. medians
What stands out at Santa Maria Middle
Santa Maria Middle is a high-poverty, small middle school in Santa Maria, Texas, enrolling 123 students.
Class sizes run a bit leaner than typical: 11.2:1 puts it in the smaller third of Texas schools by student-teacher ratio.
Economic need is high: 99.2% of students qualify for free meals, 60% above the Texas average, a Title I-weighted population that federal funding formulas prioritise.
Enrollment of 123 puts it in the smaller third of Texas schools by headcount.
Its Resource Investment Index outscores 97% of the 8,960 Texas schools with a score on record, a top-tier result on this measure.
Against 113 statewide peers matched on enrollment and economic need, it ranks in the upper tier at #18.
Its student body is predominantly Hispanic or Latino (99% of enrollment), among the less diverse in the state (diversity index 2/100).
Counselor coverage is strong, about 123 students per counselor, inside the American School Counselor Association's recommended 250:1.
12.2% of students were chronically absent in the 2021-22 collection, in line with the post-pandemic national range.
The surrounding Santa Maria Isd spends $20,404 per pupil, 50% above the Texas average, a better-resourced district than most.
Its district draws 28.2% of revenue from federal sources, an above-typical federal share that tends to track a higher-need student population.
Santa Maria Isd also operates Tony Gonzalez El (224 students) and Santa Maria H S (165 students) alongside Santa Maria Middle.
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 Santa Maria Middle compares
Santa Maria Middle on the metrics families compare, against Texas and U.S. means.
| Metric | This school | vs Texas | Texas avg | U.S. avg |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Students per teacher | 11.2:1 | ▼ 24% | 14.7:1 | 15.7:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 99.2% | ▲ 60% | 61.9% | 51.7% |
| Enrollment | 123 | top 90% | - | - |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25
11.2:1
Leaner classes than 82% of US schools, among the more generously staffed nationally.
123
Bigger than 12% of US schools by enrollment, a small campus.
Equity indicators (what these measure)
Economic need
99.2%
free-lunch eligible
- 60% above the Texas average of 61.9%
Well above the 40% Title I schoolwide threshold, among the highest-need profiles in the state; federal funds support the whole school, not individual students.
Staffing depth
11.2:1
students per teacher
- 24% below state mean
Top 17% in Texas - lower ratio than 83% of state schools
Well under the widely cited 15:1 individualized-attention benchmark, among the leaner class loads nationally.
Engagement
12.2%
chronically absent (missed 10%+ of school days)
In the 10-15% range, above the pre-pandemic national baseline but within the broader post-pandemic picture.
Funding equity
$20,404
per pupil, district-wide
- above Texas avg of $13,644
Well above the U.S. public-school average, reflecting substantially higher local or state investment per enrolled student.
Support staff
Counselors1.0 FTE
Per 123 students, the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
Discipline context
7
in-school suspensions + 2 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 5.7 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 7.3 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 99.2%
African American 0.8%
Largest group: Hispanic or Latino at 99.2% of enrollment.
Student-body diversity index 1.6/100
Simpson diversity index - at 1.6, Santa Maria Middle is less mixed than the Texas school average of 44.7.
Programs
Gifted & talented Yes
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Santa Maria Isd, which includes Santa Maria Middle.
$20,404
Per student
+50%
vs Texas
Avg $13,644
+23%
vs U.S.
Avg $16,593
Revenue mix
Local 9.4%
State 62.4%
Federal 28.2%
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 Santa Maria Middle Compares to District-Mates
| School | Enrollment | Economic Profile | Student-Teacher Ratio |
|---|---|---|---|
| Tony Gonzalez El | Larger | Similar economic need | Similar S:T ratio |
| Santa Maria H S | Larger | Similar economic need | Lower S:T ratio |
| Santa Maria Academic Academy-Options Campus (6-12) | Smaller | Similar economic need | Lower S:T ratio |
| Santa Maria Daep | Smaller | No free-lunch data | No ratio data |
Comparisons are relative to Santa Maria Middle's own figures; each column derives from NCES Common Core of Data.
Other Schools in This District
- Enrollment
- 224
- Students per teacher
- 10.2:1
- Resource Index
- 59/100
- Enrollment
- 165
- Students per teacher
- 8.3:1
- Resource Index
- 63/100
- Enrollment
- 9
- Students per teacher
- 2.3:1
- Resource Index
- 60/100
- Enrollment
- 3
- Students per teacher
- -
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 (~123 students)
Similar student-teacher ratio (~11.2:1)
Next steps
Verify locally before acting on Santa Maria Middle's federal record.
- Compare Santa Maria Middle against another school. Compare schools
- Santa Maria 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 Santa Maria Middle
How many students attend Santa Maria Middle?
Santa Maria Middle has 123 students enrolled. It is a middle school in Santa Maria, TX.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Santa Maria Middle?
The student-teacher ratio at Santa Maria Middle is 11.2:1, which is 24% lower than the Texas average of 14.7:1 and 29% 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 Santa Maria Middle?
99.2% of students at Santa Maria Middle are eligible for free lunch, compared to the Texas average of 61.9%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Santa Maria Middle?
The largest demographic group at Santa Maria Middle is Hispanic or Latino at 99.2% of enrollment, in Santa Maria, TX.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Santa Maria Middle?
Santa Maria Middle has a Resource Investment Index of 68/100 (higher 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 Santa Maria Middle rank among public schools in Santa Maria?
By Resource Investment Index, Santa Maria Middle ranks #1 of 4 public schools in Santa Maria, 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 Santa Maria on the city page.
Is Santa Maria Middle a good school?
Santa Maria Middle earns 68/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes smaller than 83% 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 Santa Maria Isd?
Besides Santa Maria Middle, Santa Maria Isd also operates Tony Gonzalez El (224 students), Santa Maria H S (165 students), and Santa Maria Academic Academy-Options Campus (6-12) (9 students). See the Santa Maria 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.