Enrollment
840
Texas · 2024-25 NCES data
2024-25 NCES data High school (grades 9-12) NCES 483715000429
South Texas Isd Science Academy — Mercedes, TX
Federal NCES profile for South Texas Isd Science Academy, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators — Resource Investment Index 65/100.
👥 Class size 46
📚 AP courses 100
🌟 Gifted program 70
🎓 Counselors 51
📋 Attendance 56
How this works: Each indicator above is scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC data, then averaged into the Resource Investment Index. This measures resource allocation — staffing, programs, and support services — not standardized test scores or academic outcomes. Full methodology →
School address
District: South Texas Isd · Texas
Public location data per NCES (National Center for Education Statistics) Common Core of Data. Verify the school's current address on the NCES CCD record.
Teachers (FTE)
59.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
13.5:1
vs 14.6:1 Texas avg
-8% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
33.8%
vs 61.9% Texas avg
-45% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How South Texas Isd Science Academy compares with Texas and U.S. medians
The federal record — no proprietary index, no editorial formula.
PlainSchools publishes the actual federal measurements — enrollment, staffing, demographics, discipline, and finance — straight from the NCES Common Core of Data, CRDC, and F-33 surveys. No composite rating, no opinion-based score on top. You get the same raw numbers researchers and policymakers use, with benchmarks, spending context, and equity indicators computed from the same federal datasets. Full methodology linked below.
What this school's NCES data tells you
South Texas Isd Science Academy reports 840 enrolled students to the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) alongside 59.0 full-time-equivalent teachers, producing a 13.5:1 student-teacher ratio. That figure sits 8% below the Texas state mean of 14.6:1, signalling more teacher attention per pupil than the state benchmark. Against the national 2024-25 average of 15.9:1, it is 15% lower, a useful calibration for families comparing districts across state lines.
Title I and federal lunch eligibility offer another window into the student body: 33.8% of pupils qualify for free meals, a proxy for household income that federal programs use to direct funding. The free-lunch share is 45% below the Texas average and 35% below the national baseline. The school offers 22 Advanced Placement courses, a stronger academic pipeline indicator than enrollment alone. Counselor coverage works out to roughly 246 students per counselor, meeting the American School Counselor Association recommendation of 250:1. Chronic absenteeism — missing 10% or more of school days — stands at 17.6% according to the 2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection.
On the finance side, the surrounding South Texas Isd spends $18,944 per pupil district-wide, above the Texas average of $17,150 and below the national average of $19,490. Revenue comes 38.1% from local sources (property taxes), 49.4% from the state, and 12.5% from federal programs per the NCES F-33 finance survey. Taken together, these measurements produce a Resource Investment Index of 65/100 (B-), calculated from 5 distinct NCES and CRDC indicators measuring resource allocation rather than academic outcomes.
Source: National Center for Education Statistics Common Core of Data + CRDC + F-33 · 2024-25
How South Texas Isd Science Academy compares
Cross-validating school-level NCES values against Texas state and U.S. national means lets readers see whether this school is an outlier or in line with peers.
| Metric | This school | vs Texas | Texas avg | U.S. avg |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Students per teacher | 13.5:1 | ▼ 8% | 14.6:1 | 15.9:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 33.8% | ▼ 45% | 61.9% | 51.8% |
| Enrollment | 840 | top 83% | — | — |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25
What the federal data reveals about equity at this school
Federal measurements — not ratings — surface the resource and opportunity picture. Below are the indicators that researchers, civil-rights monitors, and funding formulas use to assess equity.
Economic need
33.8%
free-lunch eligible
— 45% below the Texas average of 61.9%
Below the 40% Title I threshold — federal aid targets individual qualifying students rather than schoolwide programs.
Staffing depth
13.5:1
students per teacher
— 8% below state mean
Top 34% in Texas — lower ratio than 66% of state schools
Below the 15:1 benchmark — typical of schools with smaller class sizes and more individualized attention.
Engagement
17.6%
chronically absent (missed 10%+ of school days)
Between 10–20% — above the pre-pandemic baseline of ~15% nationally but within the current U.S. range.
Funding equity
$18,944
per pupil, district-wide
— above Texas avg of $17,150
Below the U.S. average per-pupil spend — funding constraints may affect programs, facilities, and staffing.
Support staff
Counselors3.4 FTE
Per 246 students — the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
Discipline context
11
in-school suspensions + 8 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 1.3 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 2.3 per 100 students. Reported via the Civil Rights Data Collection.
Overview
Enrollment 840 Top 83% in Texas — larger than 17% of 9,061 state schools
Teachers (FTE) 59.0
Students per teacher 13.5:1 -8% vs state
Free-lunch eligible 33.8% -45% vs state
NCES ID 483715000429
Student demographics
Hispanic or Latino 82.9%
White 8.2%
Asian 6.4%
African American 1.7%
Two or More 0.8%
Largest group: Hispanic or Latino at 82.9% of enrollment.
Programs & staff
AP courses offered 22
Gifted & talented Yes
Counselors (FTE) 3.4
Students per counselor 246:1
Discipline & special education
Chronically absent 17.6%
In-school suspensions 11
Out-of-school suspensions 8
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for South Texas Isd, which includes South Texas Isd Science Academy.
$18,944
Per student
+10%
vs Texas
Avg $17,150
-3%
vs U.S.
Avg $19,490
Revenue mix
Local 38.1%
State 49.4%
Federal 12.5%
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.
Other Schools in This District
- Enrollment
- 820
- Students per teacher
- 14.8:1
- Enrollment
- 802
- Students per teacher
- 15.5:1
- Enrollment
- 781
- Students per teacher
- 14:1
- Enrollment
- 781
- Students per teacher
- 15.2:1
- Enrollment
- 403
- Students per teacher
- 12.6:1
Similar high schools in Mercedes
5 comparable high schools (grades 9-12) serving the same city.
South Texas Isd Health Professions
Standard public school
781 students 14:1 students per teacher
Mercedes Early College Academy
Alternative education program
355 students 17.7:1 students per teacher
Triumph Public High Schools-Mercedes
Alternative education program
109 students 14.1:1 students per teacher
Mercedes Academic Academy
Alternative education program
100 students 18.8:1 students per teacher
South Palm Gardens H S
Alternative education program
72 students 13:1 students per teacher
Educator & family resources
In-depth guides on understanding NCES data, school choice, and education funding.
Understanding NCES data
How CCD, CRDC and EDFacts feed every public-school number you see.
Choose a school district
Eight signals that matter more than the overall ranking number.
How schools are funded
Title I, F-33, state aid formulas and what per-pupil spending really means.
Chronic absenteeism
Why missing 10% of school matters and how it varies by district.
Magnet vs charter vs traditional
Three school types, three funding models, three sets of trade-offs.
School discipline data
What CRDC suspension and expulsion records do and don't reveal.
Frequently asked questions about South Texas Isd Science Academy
How many students attend South Texas Isd Science Academy?
South Texas Isd Science Academy has 840 students enrolled. It is a high school in MERCEDES, TX.
What is the student-teacher ratio at South Texas Isd Science Academy?
The student-teacher ratio at South Texas Isd Science Academy is 13.5:1, which is 8% lower than the Texas average of 14.6:1 and 15% lower than the national average of 15.9:1. Lower ratios generally mean more individual attention per student.
What percentage of students receive free lunch at South Texas Isd Science Academy?
33.8% of students at South Texas Isd Science Academy are eligible for free lunch, compared to the Texas average of 61.9%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of South Texas Isd Science Academy?
The largest demographic group at South Texas Isd Science Academy is Hispanic or Latino at 82.9%. The school serves a diverse student body in MERCEDES, TX.
What is the Resource Investment Index for South Texas Isd Science Academy?
South Texas Isd Science Academy has a Resource Investment Index of 65/100 (B-) based on 5 factors: student-teacher ratio, AP course offerings, counselor availability, attendance rates. This index measures federal resource allocation — staffing levels, program availability, and support services — not standardized test scores or academic outcomes.