Enrollment
235
Texas · 2024-25 NCES data
2024-25 NCES data Middle school (grades 6-8) NCES 480141812485 Charter school
The Lawson Academy — Houston, TX
Federal NCES profile for The Lawson Academy, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators — Resource Investment Index 44/100.
👥 Class size 55
🌟 Gifted program 30
📋 Attendance 47
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 →
The verdict
The Lawson Academy earns a D Resource Investment Index (44/100), even as it posts class sizes smaller than 87% of Texas schools.
- D
- Resource Index · 44/100
- 11.2:1
- small classes for Texas
- 99.3%
- free-lunch eligible
- 235
- students enrolled
School address
District: The Lawson Academy · 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)
12.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
11.2:1
vs 14.6:1 Texas avg
-23% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
99.3%
vs 61.9% Texas avg
+60% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How The Lawson 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
The Lawson Academy reports 235 enrolled students to the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) alongside 12.0 full-time-equivalent teachers, producing a 11.2:1 student-teacher ratio. That figure sits 23% 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 15.7:1, it is 29% lower, a useful calibration for families comparing districts across state lines.
Title I and federal lunch eligibility offer another window into the student body: 99.3% of pupils qualify for free meals, a proxy for household income that federal programs use to direct funding. The free-lunch share is 60% above the Texas average and 92% above the national baseline. Chronic absenteeism — missing 10% or more of school days — stands at 21.3% according to the 2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection.
On the finance side, the surrounding The Lawson Academy spends $18,598 per pupil district-wide, above the Texas average of $13,644 and above the national average of $16,593. Revenue comes 6.6% from local sources (property taxes), 60.6% from the state, and 32.7% from federal programs per the NCES F-33 finance survey. Taken together, these measurements produce a Resource Investment Index of 44/100 (D), calculated from 3 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 The Lawson 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 | 11.2:1 | ▼ 23% | 14.6:1 | 15.7:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 99.3% | ▲ 60% | 61.9% | 51.8% |
| Enrollment | 235 | top 19% | — | — |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25
Class size vs. every US school
Students per teacher (lower means more individual attention)
11 Among the smallest classes smaller classes than 84% of 92,598 US schools
Each bar is a band; taller bars hold more US schools. The dashed line + filled bar mark this entry. Hover or tap any bar for its full count, share, and where it sits relative to this entry.
Source U.S. Department of Education — NCES Common Core of Data · 2024-25
School size vs. every US school
Total enrollment — where this school sits by size (neither large nor small is 'better')
235 larger than 23% of 95,891 US schools
Each bar is a band; taller bars hold more US schools. The dashed line + filled bar mark this entry. Hover or tap any bar for its full count, share, and where it sits relative to this entry.
Source U.S. Department of Education — NCES Common Core of Data · 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
99.3%
free-lunch eligible
— 60% 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
11.2:1
students per teacher
— 23% below state mean
Top 13% in Texas — lower ratio than 87% of state schools
Below the 15:1 benchmark — typical of schools with smaller class sizes and more individualized attention.
Engagement
21.3%
chronically absent (missed 10%+ of school days)
Chronic absenteeism at or above 20% — the CDC threshold for "high" — signals significant barriers to regular attendance.
Funding equity
$18,598
per pupil, district-wide
— above Texas avg of $13,644
Above the U.S. public-school average, reflecting higher local or state investment per enrolled student.
Support staff
Counselors0.0 FTE
Student-support staffing from the Civil Rights Data Collection.
Discipline context
0
in-school suspensions + 0 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 0.0 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 0.0 per 100 students. Reported via the Civil Rights Data Collection.
Overview
Enrollment 235 Top 19% in Texas — larger than 81% of 9,061 state schools
Teachers (FTE) 12.0
Students per teacher 11.2:1 -23% vs state
Free-lunch eligible 99.3% +60% vs state
NCES ID 480141812485
Student demographics
African American 71.9%
Hispanic or Latino 23.0%
Asian 3.0%
White 1.7%
Native Hawaiian / Pacific Islander 0.4%
Largest group: African American at 71.9% of enrollment.
Programs & staff
Counselors (FTE) 0.0
Discipline & special education
Chronically absent 21.3%
In-school suspensions 0
Out-of-school suspensions 0
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for The Lawson Academy, which includes The Lawson Academy.
$18,598
Per student
+36%
vs Texas
Avg $13,644
+12%
vs U.S.
Avg $16,593
Revenue mix
Local 6.6%
State 60.6%
Federal 32.7%
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.
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 The Lawson Academy
How many students attend The Lawson Academy?
The Lawson Academy has 235 students enrolled. It is a middle school in Houston, TX.
What is the student-teacher ratio at The Lawson Academy?
The student-teacher ratio at The Lawson Academy is 11.2:1, which is 23% lower than the Texas average of 14.6:1 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 The Lawson Academy?
99.3% of students at The Lawson Academy are eligible for free lunch, compared to the Texas average of 61.9%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of The Lawson Academy?
The largest demographic group at The Lawson Academy is African American at 71.9%. The school serves a diverse student body in Houston, TX.
What is the Resource Investment Index for The Lawson Academy?
The Lawson Academy has a Resource Investment Index of 44/100 (D) based on 3 factors: student-teacher ratio, attendance rates. This index measures federal resource allocation — staffing levels, program availability, and support services — not standardized test scores or academic outcomes.
Is The Lawson Academy a good school?
The Lawson Academy earns a D Resource Investment Index (44/100), even as it posts class sizes smaller than 87% of Texas schools. The Resource Investment Index reflects staffing, counselor access, gifted programs, and attendance reported to NCES, not test scores or academic outcomes, so treat it as a resource snapshot rather than an overall rating.