Enrollment
690
Texas · 2024-25 NCES data
Other / mixed grade configuration · Houston, TX
South Belt El
Federal NCES profile for South Belt El, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators - Resource Investment Index 43/100.
2024-25 NCES dataOther / mixed grade configurationNCES 483432010780
👥 S:T ratio 44
🌟 Gifted program 70
🎓 Counselors 0
📋 Attendance 59
Scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC indicators, resource allocation, not test scores. Full methodology →
The verdict
South Belt El earns 43/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes near the Texas median.
- #150 of 435
- schools in Houston · Resource Index
- 43
- Resource Index · Typical
- 14.1:1
- students per teacher
- 52.4%
- free-lunch eligible
South Belt El has class sizes near the Texas median. Computed live against every Texas school reporting to NCES.
By Resource Investment Index, South Belt El ranks #150 of 435 schools in Houston, TX.
School address
Teachers (FTE)
49.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
14.1:1
vs 14.7:1 Texas avg
-4% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
52.4%
vs 61.9% Texas avg
-15% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How South Belt El compares with Texas and U.S. medians
What stands out at South Belt El
South Belt El is a higher-need, mid-sized combined-grade school in Houston, Texas, enrolling 690 students.
At 14.1:1, its student-teacher ratio sits close to the Texas median, within a few percentage points of the 14.7:1 state norm, neither notably crowded nor notably small.
Economic need runs somewhat below the state's typical profile, with 52.4% of students eligible for free meals.
Enrollment of 690 puts it in the larger third of Texas schools by headcount.
Its Resource Investment Index sits near the middle of the pack among 8,960 scored Texas schools.
Against 1,376 statewide peers matched on enrollment and economic need, it ranks mid-pack at #569.
Its student body is led by Hispanic or Latino (56%) and Asian (18%) (diversity index 62/100).
Counselor access is stretched at roughly 690 students per counselor, well above the ASCA-recommended 250:1 ceiling.
16.5% of students were chronically absent in the 2021-22 collection, in line with the post-pandemic national range.
Its district draws 24.8% of revenue from federal sources, an above-typical federal share that tends to track a higher-need student population.
Pasadena Isd also operates Dobie H S (3,692 students) and Pasadena Memorial H S (3,177 students) alongside South Belt 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 South Belt El compares
South Belt 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 | 14.1:1 | ▼ 4% | 14.7:1 | 15.7:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 52.4% | ▼ 15% | 61.9% | 51.7% |
| Enrollment | 690 | top 28% | - | - |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25
14.1:1
Leaner classes than 56% of US schools, a middle-of-the-pack class size.
690
Bigger than 80% of US schools by enrollment, a large campus nationally.
Equity indicators (what these measure)
Economic need
52.4%
free-lunch eligible
- 15% below the Texas average of 61.9%
Above the 40% Title I schoolwide threshold; federal funds support the whole school, not individual students.
Staffing depth
14.1:1
students per teacher
- 4% below state mean
Top 49% in Texas - lower ratio than 51% of state schools
Close to the 15:1 benchmark most often cited for individualized attention.
Engagement
16.5%
chronically absent (missed 10%+ of school days)
In the 15-20% range, nearing the "high" absenteeism threshold.
Funding equity
$13,221
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 690 students, the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
Discipline context
15
in-school suspensions + 1 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 2.2 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 2.3 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 55.9%
Asian 18.4%
African American 14.5%
White 9.3%
Two or More 1.6%
Native Hawaiian / Pacific Islander 0.3%
Largest group: Hispanic or Latino at 55.9% of enrollment.
Student-body diversity index 62.4/100
Simpson diversity index - at 62.4, South Belt El is more mixed than the Texas school average of 44.7.
Programs
Gifted & talented Yes
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Pasadena Isd, which includes South Belt El.
$13,221
Per student
-3%
vs Texas
Avg $13,644
-20%
vs U.S.
Avg $16,593
Revenue mix
Local 31.7%
State 43.5%
Federal 24.8%
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 South Belt El Compares to District-Mates
| School | Enrollment | Economic Profile | Student-Teacher Ratio |
|---|---|---|---|
| Dobie H S | Larger | Similar economic need | Similar S:T ratio |
| Pasadena Memorial H S | Larger | Similar economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| Sam Rayburn H S | Larger | Higher economic need | Similar S:T ratio |
| Pasadena H S | Larger | Higher economic need | Similar S:T ratio |
| South Houston H S | Larger | Higher economic need | Similar S:T ratio |
Comparisons are relative to South Belt El's own figures; each column derives from NCES Common Core of Data.
Other Schools in This District
- Enrollment
- 3,692
- Students per teacher
- 14.9:1
- Resource Index
- 48/100
- Enrollment
- 3,177
- Students per teacher
- 16.5:1
- Resource Index
- 42/100
- Enrollment
- 2,627
- Students per teacher
- 14.4:1
- Resource Index
- 49/100
- Enrollment
- 2,217
- Students per teacher
- 14.6:1
- Resource Index
- 47/100
- Enrollment
- 2,185
- Students per teacher
- 13.8:1
- Resource Index
- 51/100
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 (~690 students)
Next steps
Verify locally before acting on South Belt El's federal record.
- Compare South Belt El against another school. Compare schools
- Pasadena 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 South Belt El
How many students attend South Belt El?
South Belt El has 690 students enrolled. It is a public school in Houston, TX.
What is the student-teacher ratio at South Belt El?
The student-teacher ratio at South Belt El is 14.1:1, which is 4% lower than the Texas average of 14.7:1 and 10% 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 South Belt El?
52.4% of students at South Belt El are eligible for free lunch, compared to the Texas average of 61.9%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of South Belt El?
The largest demographic group at South Belt El is Hispanic or Latino at 55.9% of enrollment, in Houston, TX. Its student body is more racially and ethnically mixed than most US schools, with a diversity index of 62.4/100.
What is the Resource Investment Index for South Belt El?
South Belt El has a Resource Investment Index of 43/100 (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 South Belt El rank among schools in Houston?
By Resource Investment Index, South Belt El ranks #150 of 435 schools in Houston, TX. This compares federal resource and staffing data among local peers; it is not a test-score or academic ranking. See all schools in Houston on the city page.
Is South Belt El a good school?
South Belt El earns 43/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes near the Texas median. 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 Pasadena Isd?
Besides South Belt El, Pasadena Isd also operates Dobie H S (3,692 students), Pasadena Memorial H S (3,177 students), and Sam Rayburn H S (2,627 students). See the Pasadena 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.