Enrollment
470
Texas · 2024-25 NCES data
Other / mixed grade configuration · Mcallen, TX
Thigpen-Zavala El
Federal NCES profile for Thigpen-Zavala El, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators - Resource Investment Index 53/100.
2024-25 NCES dataOther / mixed grade configurationNCES 482967011960
👥 S:T ratio 41
🌟 Gifted program 70
🎓 Counselors 53
📋 Attendance 49
Scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC indicators, resource allocation, not test scores. Full methodology →
The verdict
Thigpen-Zavala El earns 53/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes near the Texas median. It is also less racially and ethnically mixed than most Texas schools.
- #6 of 31
- schools in Mcallen · Resource Index
- 53
- Resource Index · Higher
- 14.7:1
- students per teacher
- 94.3%
- free-lunch eligible
Thigpen-Zavala El has class sizes near the Texas median. Computed live against every Texas school reporting to NCES.
By Resource Investment Index, Thigpen-Zavala El ranks #6 of 31 schools in Mcallen, TX.
School address
Teachers (FTE)
32.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
14.7:1
vs 14.7:1 Texas avg
+0% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
94.3%
vs 61.9% Texas avg
+52% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Thigpen-Zavala El compares with Texas and U.S. medians
What stands out at Thigpen-Zavala El
Thigpen-Zavala El is a high-poverty, mid-sized combined-grade school in Mcallen, Texas, enrolling 470 students.
At 14.7:1, its student-teacher ratio sits close to the Texas median, within a few percentage points of the 14.7:1 state norm, neither notably crowded nor notably small.
Economic need is high: 94.3% of students qualify for free meals, 52% above the Texas average, a Title I-weighted population that federal funding formulas prioritise.
With 470 students, its enrollment sits close to the Texas median campus size.
Its Resource Investment Index lands in the upper third of 8,960 scored Texas schools.
Among 1,571 similarly sized, similarly resourced-need Texas schools statewide, it ranks #49, a top-tier result once campus size and economic need are matched.
Its student body is predominantly Hispanic or Latino (99% of enrollment), among the less diverse in the state (diversity index 3/100).
Counselor coverage is strong, about 235 students per counselor, inside the American School Counselor Association's recommended 250:1.
Attendance runs somewhat below the norm, with 20.4% of students chronically absent per the 2021-22 civil-rights collection.
Its district draws 34.8% of revenue from federal sources, an above-typical federal share that tends to track a higher-need student population.
Mcallen Isd also operates Mcallen H S (2,134 students) and Memorial H S (2,021 students) alongside Thigpen-Zavala 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 Thigpen-Zavala El compares
Thigpen-Zavala 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 | 14.7:1 | ▼ 0% | 14.7:1 | 15.7:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 94.3% | ▲ 52% | 61.9% | 51.7% |
| Enrollment | 470 | top 54% | - | - |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25
14.7:1
Leaner classes than 50% of US schools, a middle-of-the-pack class size.
470
Bigger than 58% of US schools by enrollment, mid-sized for the country.
Equity indicators (what these measure)
Economic need
94.3%
free-lunch eligible
- 52% 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
14.7:1
students per teacher
- 0% above state mean
Top 56% in Texas - lower ratio than 44% of state schools
Close to the 15:1 benchmark most often cited for individualized attention.
Engagement
20.4%
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
$13,933
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
Counselors2.0 FTE
Per 235 students, the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
Discipline context
2
in-school suspensions + 3 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 0.4 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 1.1 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 98.5%
Asian 0.6%
White 0.4%
American Indian / Alaska Native 0.2%
Two or More 0.2%
Largest group: Hispanic or Latino at 98.5% of enrollment.
Student-body diversity index 3.0/100
Simpson diversity index - at 3.0, Thigpen-Zavala El is less mixed than the Texas school average of 44.7.
Programs
Gifted & talented Yes
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Mcallen Isd, which includes Thigpen-Zavala El.
$13,933
Per student
+2%
vs Texas
Avg $13,644
-16%
vs U.S.
Avg $16,593
Revenue mix
Local 29.7%
State 35.5%
Federal 34.8%
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 Thigpen-Zavala El Compares to District-Mates
| School | Enrollment | Economic Profile | Student-Teacher Ratio |
|---|---|---|---|
| Mcallen H S | Larger | Lower economic need | Lower S:T ratio |
| Memorial H S | Larger | Lower economic need | Similar S:T ratio |
| Rowe H S | Larger | Lower economic need | Similar S:T ratio |
| Morris Middle | Larger | Lower economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| Cathey Middle | Larger | Lower economic need | Similar S:T ratio |
Comparisons are relative to Thigpen-Zavala El's own figures; each column derives from NCES Common Core of Data.
Other Schools in This District
- Enrollment
- 2,134
- Students per teacher
- 12.1:1
- Resource Index
- 40/100
- Enrollment
- 2,021
- Students per teacher
- 13.9:1
- Resource Index
- 43/100
- Enrollment
- 1,905
- Students per teacher
- 13.7:1
- Resource Index
- 47/100
- Enrollment
- 999
- Students per teacher
- 16.9:1
- Resource Index
- 36/100
- Enrollment
- 827
- Students per teacher
- 15:1
- Resource Index
- 45/100
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 (~470 students)
Similar student-teacher ratio (~14.7:1)
Next steps
Verify locally before acting on Thigpen-Zavala El's federal record.
- Compare Thigpen-Zavala El against another school. Compare schools
- Mcallen 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 Thigpen-Zavala El
How many students attend Thigpen-Zavala El?
Thigpen-Zavala El has 470 students enrolled. It is a public school in Mcallen, TX.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Thigpen-Zavala El?
The student-teacher ratio at Thigpen-Zavala El is 14.7:1, which is 0% higher than the Texas average of 14.7:1 and 6% lower than the national average of 15.7:1.
What percentage of students receive free lunch at Thigpen-Zavala El?
94.3% of students at Thigpen-Zavala El are eligible for free lunch, compared to the Texas average of 61.9%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Thigpen-Zavala El?
The largest demographic group at Thigpen-Zavala El is Hispanic or Latino at 98.5% of enrollment, in Mcallen, TX.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Thigpen-Zavala El?
Thigpen-Zavala El has a Resource Investment Index of 53/100 (higher 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 Thigpen-Zavala El rank among schools in Mcallen?
By Resource Investment Index, Thigpen-Zavala El ranks #6 of 31 schools in Mcallen, TX. This compares federal resource and staffing data among local peers; it is not a test-score or academic ranking. See all schools in Mcallen on the city page.
Is Thigpen-Zavala El a good school?
Thigpen-Zavala El earns 53/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes near the Texas median. 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 Mcallen Isd?
Besides Thigpen-Zavala El, Mcallen Isd also operates Mcallen H S (2,134 students), Memorial H S (2,021 students), and Rowe H S (1,905 students). See the Mcallen 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.