Enrollment
275
Texas · 2024-25 NCES data
Other / mixed grade configuration · Houston, TX
The Varnett School - East
Federal NCES profile for The Varnett School - East, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators - Resource Investment Index 45/100.
2024-25 NCES dataOther / mixed grade configurationNCES 480007309646Charter school
👥 S:T ratio 31
🌟 Gifted program 30
🎓 Counselors 45
📋 Attendance 73
Scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC indicators, resource allocation, not test scores. Full methodology →
The verdict
The Varnett School - East earns 45/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes larger than 81% of Texas schools. It is also less racially and ethnically mixed than most Texas schools.
- #109 of 435
- schools in Houston · Resource Index
- 45
- Resource Index · Typical
- 17.2:1
- large classes for Texas
- 97.8%
- free-lunch eligible
The Varnett School - East has class sizes larger than 81% of Texas schools. Computed live against every Texas school reporting to NCES.
By Resource Investment Index, The Varnett School - East ranks #109 of 435 schools in Houston, TX.
School address
District: The Varnett Public School · Texas
NCES ID 480007309646 Verify on NCES CCD record →
Teachers (FTE)
16.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
17.2:1
vs 14.7:1 Texas avg
+17% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
97.8%
vs 61.9% Texas avg
+58% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How The Varnett School - East compares with Texas and U.S. medians
What stands out at The Varnett School - East
The Varnett School - East is a high-poverty, mid-sized charter combined-grade school in Houston, Texas, enrolling 275 students.
Class loads run somewhat heavier than typical: 17.2:1 puts it in the larger third of Texas schools by student-teacher ratio.
Economic need is high: 97.8% of students qualify for free meals, 58% above the Texas average, a Title I-weighted population that federal funding formulas prioritise.
Enrollment of 275 puts it in the smaller third of Texas schools by headcount.
Its Resource Investment Index sits near the middle of the pack among 8,960 scored Texas schools.
Against 540 statewide peers matched on enrollment and economic need, it ranks in the upper tier at #190.
Its student body is predominantly Hispanic or Latino (92% of enrollment), among the less diverse in the state (diversity index 16/100).
Counselor coverage runs a bit thin, about 275 students per counselor, somewhat past the ASCA-recommended 250:1 benchmark.
10.9% of students were chronically absent in the 2021-22 collection, in line with the post-pandemic national range.
Its district draws 43.7% of revenue from federal sources, an above-typical federal share that tends to track a higher-need student population.
The Varnett Public School also operates Varnett Charter School (530 students) and The Varnett School - Northeast (354 students) alongside The Varnett School - East.
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 Varnett School - East compares
The Varnett School - East on the metrics families compare, against Texas and U.S. means.
| Metric | This school | vs Texas | Texas avg | U.S. avg |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Students per teacher | 17.2:1 | ▲ 17% | 14.7:1 | 15.7:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 97.8% | ▲ 58% | 61.9% | 51.7% |
| Enrollment | 275 | top 78% | - | - |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25
17.2:1
Leaner classes than 29% of US schools, heavier class loads than most.
275
Bigger than 29% of US schools by enrollment, mid-sized for the country.
Equity indicators (what these measure)
Economic need
97.8%
free-lunch eligible
- 58% 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
17.2:1
students per teacher
- 17% above state mean
Top 81% in Texas - lower ratio than 19% of state schools
Between 16:1 and 20:1, squarely in the typical U.S. public-school staffing range.
Engagement
10.9%
chronically absent (missed 10%+ of school days)
In the 10-15% range, above the pre-pandemic national baseline but within the broader post-pandemic picture.
Funding equity
$15,716
per pupil, district-wide
- above Texas avg of $13,644
Somewhat below the U.S. average per-pupil spend; funding constraints may affect programs, facilities, and staffing.
Support staff
Counselors1.0 FTE
Per 275 students, the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
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
Hispanic or Latino 91.6%
African American 6.2%
Asian 2.2%
Largest group: Hispanic or Latino at 91.6% of enrollment.
Student-body diversity index 15.7/100
Simpson diversity index - at 15.7, The Varnett School - East is less mixed than the Texas school average of 44.7.
Programs
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for The Varnett Public School, which includes The Varnett School - East.
$15,716
Per student
+15%
vs Texas
Avg $13,644
-5%
vs U.S.
Avg $16,593
Revenue mix
Local 2.9%
State 53.4%
Federal 43.7%
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.
How The Varnett School - East Compares to District-Mates
| School | Enrollment | Economic Profile | Student-Teacher Ratio |
|---|---|---|---|
| Varnett Charter School | Larger | Similar economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| The Varnett School - Northeast | Larger | Similar economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
Comparisons are relative to The Varnett School - East's own figures; each column derives from NCES Common Core of Data.
Other Schools in This District
- Enrollment
- 530
- Students per teacher
- 23:1
- Resource Index
- 27/100
- Enrollment
- 354
- Students per teacher
- 22.1:1
- Resource Index
- 23/100
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 (~275 students)
Similar student-teacher ratio (~17.2:1)
Next steps
Verify locally before acting on The Varnett School - East's federal record.
- Compare The Varnett School - East against another school. Compare schools
- The Varnett Public School'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 Varnett School - East
How many students attend The Varnett School - East?
The Varnett School - East has 275 students enrolled. It is a public school in Houston, TX.
What is the student-teacher ratio at The Varnett School - East?
The student-teacher ratio at The Varnett School - East is 17.2:1, which is 17% higher than the Texas average of 14.7:1 and 10% higher than the national average of 15.7:1.
What percentage of students receive free lunch at The Varnett School - East?
97.8% of students at The Varnett School - East are eligible for free lunch, compared to the Texas average of 61.9%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of The Varnett School - East?
The largest demographic group at The Varnett School - East is Hispanic or Latino at 91.6% of enrollment, in Houston, TX.
What is the Resource Investment Index for The Varnett School - East?
The Varnett School - East 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 The Varnett School - East rank among schools in Houston?
By Resource Investment Index, The Varnett School - East ranks #109 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 The Varnett School - East a good school?
The Varnett School - East earns 45/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes larger than 81% of Texas schools. It is also less racially and ethnically mixed than most 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 Varnett Public School?
Besides The Varnett School - East, The Varnett Public School also operates Varnett Charter School (530 students) and The Varnett School - Northeast (354 students). See the The Varnett Public School 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.