Enrollment
720
Texas · 2024-25 NCES data
Other / mixed grade configuration · Katy, TX
Sundown El
Federal NCES profile for Sundown El, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators - Resource Investment Index 45/100.
2024-25 NCES dataOther / mixed grade configurationNCES 482517005752
👥 S:T ratio 55
🌟 Gifted program 70
🎓 Counselors 0
📋 Attendance 57
Scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC indicators, resource allocation, not test scores. Full methodology →
The verdict
Sundown El earns 45/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes smaller than 82% of Texas schools.
- #32 of 54
- schools in Katy · Resource Index
- 45
- Resource Index · Typical
- 11.3:1
- small classes for Texas
- 80.7%
- free-lunch eligible
Sundown El has class sizes smaller than 82% of Texas schools. Computed live against every Texas school reporting to NCES.
By Resource Investment Index, Sundown El ranks #32 of 54 schools in Katy, TX.
School address
Teachers (FTE)
64.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
11.3:1
vs 14.7:1 Texas avg
-23% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
80.7%
vs 61.9% Texas avg
+30% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Sundown El compares with Texas and U.S. medians
What stands out at Sundown El
Sundown El is a high-poverty, mid-sized combined-grade school in Katy, Texas, enrolling 720 students.
Class sizes run a bit leaner than typical: 11.3:1 puts it in the smaller third of Texas schools by student-teacher ratio.
Economic need runs somewhat above the state's typical profile, with 80.7% of students eligible for free meals.
Enrollment of 720 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 2,073 statewide peers matched on enrollment and economic need, it ranks in the upper tier at #354.
Its student body is led by Hispanic or Latino (72%) and African American (17%) (diversity index 45/100).
Counselor access is stretched at roughly 720 students per counselor, well above the ASCA-recommended 250:1 ceiling.
17.4% of students were chronically absent in the 2021-22 collection, in line with the post-pandemic national range.
Katy Isd also operates Seven Lakes H S (3,773 students) and Cinco Ranch H S (3,740 students) alongside Sundown 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 Sundown El compares
Sundown 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 | 11.3:1 | ▼ 23% | 14.7:1 | 15.7:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 80.7% | ▲ 30% | 61.9% | 51.7% |
| Enrollment | 720 | top 25% | - | - |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25
11.3:1
Leaner classes than 81% of US schools, among the more generously staffed nationally.
720
Bigger than 81% of US schools by enrollment, a large campus nationally.
Equity indicators (what these measure)
Economic need
80.7%
free-lunch eligible
- 30% 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
11.3:1
students per teacher
- 23% below state mean
Top 18% in Texas - lower ratio than 82% of state schools
Well under the widely cited 15:1 individualized-attention benchmark, among the leaner class loads nationally.
Engagement
17.4%
chronically absent (missed 10%+ of school days)
In the 15-20% range, nearing the "high" absenteeism threshold.
Funding equity
$11,068
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 720 students, the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
Discipline context
23
in-school suspensions + 2 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 3.2 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 3.5 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 72.2%
African American 16.5%
White 7.4%
Asian 1.8%
Two or More 1.8%
American Indian / Alaska Native 0.1%
Native Hawaiian / Pacific Islander 0.1%
Largest group: Hispanic or Latino at 72.2% of enrollment.
Student-body diversity index 44.5/100
Simpson diversity index - at 44.5, Sundown El is about as mixed as the Texas school average of 44.7.
Programs
Gifted & talented Yes
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Katy Isd, which includes Sundown El.
$11,068
Per student
-19%
vs Texas
Avg $13,644
-33%
vs U.S.
Avg $16,593
Revenue mix
Local 54.4%
State 35.6%
Federal 10.0%
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 Sundown El Compares to District-Mates
| School | Enrollment | Economic Profile | Student-Teacher Ratio |
|---|---|---|---|
| Seven Lakes H S | Larger | Lower economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| Cinco Ranch H S | Larger | Lower economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| Katy H S | Larger | Lower economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| Paetow H S | Larger | Lower economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| Taylor H S | Larger | Lower economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
Comparisons are relative to Sundown El's own figures; each column derives from NCES Common Core of Data.
Other Schools in This District
- Enrollment
- 3,773
- Students per teacher
- 18.1:1
- Resource Index
- 43/100
- Enrollment
- 3,740
- Students per teacher
- 17.8:1
- Resource Index
- 40/100
- Enrollment
- 3,543
- Students per teacher
- 17.3:1
- Resource Index
- 39/100
- Enrollment
- 3,447
- Students per teacher
- 16.4:1
- Resource Index
- 34/100
- Enrollment
- 3,384
- Students per teacher
- 17.9:1
- Resource Index
- 36/100
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 (~720 students)
Similar student-teacher ratio (~11.3:1)
Next steps
Verify locally before acting on Sundown El's federal record.
- Compare Sundown El against another school. Compare schools
- Katy 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 Sundown El
How many students attend Sundown El?
Sundown El has 720 students enrolled. It is a public school in Katy, TX.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Sundown El?
The student-teacher ratio at Sundown El is 11.3:1, which is 23% lower than the Texas average of 14.7:1 and 28% 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 Sundown El?
80.7% of students at Sundown El are eligible for free lunch, compared to the Texas average of 61.9%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Sundown El?
The largest demographic group at Sundown El is Hispanic or Latino at 72.2% of enrollment, in Katy, TX.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Sundown El?
Sundown El has a Resource Investment Index of 45/100 (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 Sundown El rank among schools in Katy?
By Resource Investment Index, Sundown El ranks #32 of 54 schools in Katy, TX. This compares federal resource and staffing data among local peers; it is not a test-score or academic ranking. See all schools in Katy on the city page.
Is Sundown El a good school?
Sundown El earns 45/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes smaller than 82% of 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 Katy Isd?
Besides Sundown El, Katy Isd also operates Seven Lakes H S (3,773 students), Cinco Ranch H S (3,740 students), and Katy H S (3,543 students). See the Katy 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.