Enrollment
59
Texas · 2024-25 NCES data
Other / mixed grade configuration · Harlingen, TX
Secondary Alter Ctr
Federal NCES profile for Secondary Alter Ctr, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators - Resource Investment Index 73/100.
2024-25 NCES dataOther / mixed grade configurationNCES 482253006940
👥 S:T ratio 61
🌟 Gifted program 70
🎓 Counselors 88
Scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC indicators, resource allocation, not test scores. Full methodology →
The verdict
Secondary Alter Ctr earns 73/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes smaller than 91% of Texas schools. It is also less racially and ethnically mixed than most Texas schools.
- #1 of 21
- schools in Harlingen · Resource Index
- 73
- Resource Index · Higher
- 9.8:1
- small classes for Texas
- 85.6%
- free-lunch eligible
Secondary Alter Ctr has class sizes smaller than 91% of Texas schools. Computed live against every Texas school reporting to NCES.
By Resource Investment Index, Secondary Alter Ctr ranks #1 of 21 schools in Harlingen, TX.
School address
District: Harlingen Cisd · Texas
NCES ID 482253006940 Verify on NCES CCD record →
Teachers (FTE)
6.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
9.8:1
vs 14.7:1 Texas avg
-33% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
85.6%
vs 61.9% Texas avg
+38% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Secondary Alter Ctr compares with Texas and U.S. medians
What stands out at Secondary Alter Ctr
Secondary Alter Ctr is a high-poverty, small combined-grade school in Harlingen, Texas, enrolling 59 students.
Classes run notably small here: at 9.8:1, Secondary Alter Ctr is leaner than roughly 91% of Texas schools and 33% under the state's 14.7:1 norm, more adult attention per pupil than most peers.
Economic need runs somewhat above the state's typical profile, with 85.6% of students eligible for free meals.
This is a small campus: fewer students than 94% of Texas schools, with 59 enrolled.
Its Resource Investment Index outscores 99% of the 8,960 Texas schools with a score on record, a top-tier result on this measure.
Against 103 statewide peers matched on enrollment and economic need, it ranks in the upper tier at #14.
Its student body is predominantly Hispanic or Latino (95% of enrollment), among the less diverse in the state (diversity index 10/100).
Counselor coverage is strong, about 59 students per counselor, inside the American School Counselor Association's recommended 250:1.
Its district draws 25.6% of revenue from federal sources, an above-typical federal share that tends to track a higher-need student population.
The federal civil-rights collection also records 7 expulsions at this campus for 2021-22.
Harlingen Cisd also operates Harlingen H S (2,433 students) and Harlingen H S - South (2,019 students) alongside Secondary Alter Ctr.
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 Secondary Alter Ctr compares
Secondary Alter Ctr on the metrics families compare, against Texas and U.S. means.
| Metric | This school | vs Texas | Texas avg | U.S. avg |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Students per teacher | 9.8:1 | ▼ 33% | 14.7:1 | 15.7:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 85.6% | ▲ 38% | 61.9% | 51.7% |
| Enrollment | 59 | top 94% | - | - |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25
9.8:1
Leaner classes than 90% of US schools, among the more generously staffed nationally.
59
Bigger than 6% of US schools by enrollment, a small campus.
Equity indicators (what these measure)
Economic need
85.6%
free-lunch eligible
- 38% 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
9.8:1
students per teacher
- 33% below state mean
Top 9% in Texas - lower ratio than 91% of state schools
Well under the widely cited 15:1 individualized-attention benchmark, among the leaner class loads nationally.
Funding equity
$12,718
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 59 students, the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
Discipline context
0
in-school suspensions + 4 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 0.0 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 6.8 per 100 students. Reported via the Civil Rights Data Collection. Includes 7 expulsions.
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 94.9%
White 5.1%
Largest group: Hispanic or Latino at 94.9% of enrollment.
Student-body diversity index 9.7/100
Simpson diversity index - at 9.7, Secondary Alter Ctr is less mixed than the Texas school average of 44.7.
Programs
Gifted & talented Yes
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Harlingen Cisd, which includes Secondary Alter Ctr.
$12,718
Per student
-7%
vs Texas
Avg $13,644
-23%
vs U.S.
Avg $16,593
Revenue mix
Local 21.8%
State 52.6%
Federal 25.6%
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 Secondary Alter Ctr Compares to District-Mates
| School | Enrollment | Economic Profile | Student-Teacher Ratio |
|---|---|---|---|
| Harlingen H S | Larger | Similar economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| Harlingen H S - South | Larger | Lower economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| Dr Abraham P Cano Freshman Academy | Larger | Lower economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| Moises Vela Middle | Larger | Lower economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| Treasure Hills El | Larger | Lower economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
Comparisons are relative to Secondary Alter Ctr's own figures; each column derives from NCES Common Core of Data.
Other Schools in This District
- Enrollment
- 2,433
- Students per teacher
- 17.9:1
- Resource Index
- 41/100
- Enrollment
- 2,019
- Students per teacher
- 18.4:1
- Resource Index
- 49/100
- Enrollment
- 1,188
- Students per teacher
- 16.5:1
- Resource Index
- 45/100
- Enrollment
- 761
- Students per teacher
- 14.1:1
- Resource Index
- 50/100
- Enrollment
- 758
- Students per teacher
- 14.6:1
- Resource Index
- 31/100
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 (~59 students)
Next steps
Verify locally before acting on Secondary Alter Ctr's federal record.
- Compare Secondary Alter Ctr against another school. Compare schools
- Harlingen 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 Secondary Alter Ctr
How many students attend Secondary Alter Ctr?
Secondary Alter Ctr has 59 students enrolled. It is an alternative school in Harlingen, TX.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Secondary Alter Ctr?
The student-teacher ratio at Secondary Alter Ctr is 9.8:1, which is 33% lower than the Texas average of 14.7:1 and 38% 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 Secondary Alter Ctr?
85.6% of students at Secondary Alter Ctr are eligible for free lunch, compared to the Texas average of 61.9%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Secondary Alter Ctr?
The largest demographic group at Secondary Alter Ctr is Hispanic or Latino at 94.9% of enrollment, in Harlingen, TX.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Secondary Alter Ctr?
Secondary Alter Ctr has a Resource Investment Index of 73/100 (higher reported resources relative to schools nationally) based on 3 factors: student-teacher ratio, counselor availability. Not a test-score or academic measure (national median ~41/100, see methodology).
How does Secondary Alter Ctr rank among schools in Harlingen?
By Resource Investment Index, Secondary Alter Ctr ranks #1 of 21 schools in Harlingen, TX. This compares federal resource and staffing data among local peers; it is not a test-score or academic ranking. See all schools in Harlingen on the city page.
Is Secondary Alter Ctr a good school?
Secondary Alter Ctr earns 73/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes smaller than 91% 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 Harlingen Cisd?
Besides Secondary Alter Ctr, Harlingen Cisd also operates Harlingen H S (2,433 students), Harlingen H S - South (2,019 students), and Dr Abraham P Cano Freshman Academy (1,188 students). See the Harlingen 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.