Enrollment
235
Texas · 2024-25 NCES data
Middle school (grades 6-8) · Houston, TX
The Lawson Academy
Federal NCES profile for The Lawson Academy, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators - Resource Investment Index 33/100.
2024-25 NCES dataMiddle school (grades 6-8)NCES 480141812485Charter school
👥 S:T ratio 22
🌟 Gifted program 30
📋 Attendance 47
Scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC indicators, resource allocation, not test scores. Full methodology →
The verdict
The Lawson Academy earns 33/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes larger than 92% of Texas schools.
- #98 of 116
- middle schools in Houston · Resource Index
- 33
- Resource Index · Typical
- 19.6:1
- large classes for Texas
- 99.3%
- free-lunch eligible
The Lawson Academy has class sizes larger than 92% of Texas schools. Computed live against every Texas school reporting to NCES.
By Resource Investment Index, The Lawson Academy ranks #98 of 116 middle schools in Houston, TX.
School address
District: The Lawson Academy · Texas
NCES ID 480141812485 Verify on NCES CCD record →
Teachers (FTE)
12.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
19.6:1
vs 14.7:1 Texas avg
+33% 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
What stands out at The Lawson Academy
The Lawson Academy is a high-poverty, mid-sized charter middle school in Houston, Texas, enrolling 235 students.
Class loads run heavy: 19.6:1 is larger than about 92% of Texas schools and 33% above the 14.7:1 state mean, so each teacher carries more students than is typical.
Economic need is high: 99.3% of students qualify for free meals, 60% above the Texas average, a Title I-weighted population that federal funding formulas prioritise.
Enrollment of 235 puts it in the smaller third of Texas schools by headcount.
Its Resource Investment Index lands in the lower third of 8,960 scored Texas schools.
Among 333 similarly sized, similarly resourced-need Texas schools statewide, it ranks #283, in the lower tier once campus size and economic need are matched.
Its student body is led by African American (72%) and Hispanic or Latino (23%) (diversity index 43/100).
Attendance runs somewhat below the norm, with 21.3% of students chronically absent per the 2021-22 civil-rights collection.
The surrounding The Lawson Academy spends $18,598 per pupil, 36% above the Texas average, a better-resourced district than most.
Its district draws 32.7% of revenue from federal sources, an above-typical federal share that tends to track a higher-need student population.
The Lawson Academy is a single-school charter district, so The Lawson Academy operates independently rather than alongside district-mates.
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 The Lawson Academy compares
The Lawson Academy on the metrics families compare, against Texas and U.S. means.
| Metric | This school | vs Texas | Texas avg | U.S. avg |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Students per teacher | 19.6:1 | ▲ 33% | 14.7:1 | 15.7:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 99.3% | ▲ 60% | 61.9% | 51.7% |
| Enrollment | 235 | top 81% | - | - |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25
19.6:1
Leaner classes than 17% of US schools, heavier class loads than most.
235
Bigger than 23% of US schools by enrollment, mid-sized for the country.
Equity indicators (what these measure)
Economic need
99.3%
free-lunch eligible
- 60% above the Texas average of 61.9%
Well above the 40% Title I schoolwide threshold, among the highest-need profiles in the state; federal funds support the whole school, not individual students.
Staffing depth
19.6:1
students per teacher
- 33% above state mean
Top 92% in Texas - lower ratio than 8% of state schools
Between 16:1 and 20:1, squarely in the typical U.S. public-school staffing range.
Engagement
21.3%
chronically absent (missed 10%+ of school days)
At or above 20%, the commonly used threshold for "high" chronic absenteeism, signaling significant barriers to regular attendance.
Funding equity
$18,598
per pupil, district-wide
- above Texas avg of $13,644
Somewhat 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
- 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
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.
Student-body diversity index 42.9/100
Simpson diversity index - at 42.9, The Lawson Academy is about as mixed as the Texas school average of 44.7.
Programs
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.
Similar middle 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 (~235 students)
Similar student-teacher ratio (~19.6:1)
Next steps
Verify locally before acting on The Lawson Academy's federal record.
- Compare The Lawson Academy against another school. Compare schools
- The Lawson Academy'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 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 19.6:1, which is 33% higher than the Texas average of 14.7:1 and 25% higher than the national average of 15.7:1.
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% of enrollment, in Houston, TX.
What is the Resource Investment Index for The Lawson Academy?
The Lawson Academy has a Resource Investment Index of 33/100 (typical reported resources relative to schools nationally) based on 3 factors: student-teacher ratio, attendance rates. Not a test-score or academic measure (national median ~41/100, see methodology).
How does The Lawson Academy rank among middle schools in Houston?
By Resource Investment Index, The Lawson Academy ranks #98 of 116 middle 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 middle schools in Houston on the city page.
Is The Lawson Academy a good school?
The Lawson Academy earns 33/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes larger than 92% 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 The Lawson Academy?
None; The Lawson Academy is a single-school charter district, and The Lawson Academy is its only campus.
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.