Enrollment
590
Texas · 2024-25 NCES data
Elementary school (grades K-5) · Houston, TX
Tinsley El
Federal NCES profile for Tinsley El, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators - Resource Investment Index 29/100.
2024-25 NCES dataElementary school (grades K-5)NCES 482364008614
👥 S:T ratio 26
🌟 Gifted program 70
🎓 Counselors 0
📋 Attendance 21
Scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC indicators, resource allocation, not test scores. Full methodology →
The verdict
Tinsley El earns 29/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes larger than 88% of Texas schools. It is also less racially and ethnically mixed than most Texas schools.
- #91 of 114
- elementary schools in Houston · Resource Index
- 29
- Resource Index · Lower
- 18.4:1
- large classes for Texas
- 97.5%
- free-lunch eligible
Tinsley El has class sizes larger than 88% of Texas schools. Computed live against every Texas school reporting to NCES.
By Resource Investment Index, Tinsley El ranks #91 of 114 elementary schools in Houston, TX.
School address
Teachers (FTE)
32.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
18.4:1
vs 14.7:1 Texas avg
+25% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
97.5%
vs 61.9% Texas avg
+58% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Tinsley El compares with Texas and U.S. medians
What stands out at Tinsley El
Tinsley El is a high-poverty, mid-sized elementary school in Houston, Texas, enrolling 590 students.
Class loads run heavy: 18.4:1 is larger than about 88% of Texas schools and 25% above the 14.7:1 state mean, so each teacher carries more students than is typical.
Economic need is high: 97.5% of students qualify for free meals, 58% above the Texas average, a Title I-weighted population that federal funding formulas prioritise.
With 590 students, its enrollment sits close to the Texas median campus size.
Its Resource Investment Index trails 93% of the 8,960 Texas schools with a score on record, one of the lower results on this measure.
Among 1,397 similarly sized, similarly resourced-need Texas schools statewide, it ranks #1,137, in the lower tier once campus size and economic need are matched.
Its student body is predominantly Hispanic or Latino (90% of enrollment), among the less diverse in the state (diversity index 19/100).
Counselor access is stretched at roughly 590 students per counselor, well above the ASCA-recommended 250:1 ceiling.
Chronic absenteeism is elevated: 31.7% of students missed 10% or more of school days (2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection).
Its district draws 23.2% of revenue from federal sources, an above-typical federal share that tends to track a higher-need student population.
Houston Isd also operates Texas Connections Academy at Houston (8,641 students) and Bellaire H S (3,216 students) alongside Tinsley 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 Tinsley El compares
Tinsley 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 | 18.4:1 | ▲ 25% | 14.7:1 | 15.7:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 97.5% | ▲ 58% | 61.9% | 51.7% |
| Enrollment | 590 | top 38% | - | - |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25
18.4:1
Leaner classes than 22% of US schools, heavier class loads than most.
590
Bigger than 72% of US schools by enrollment, mid-sized for the country.
Equity indicators (what these measure)
Economic need
97.5%
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
18.4:1
students per teacher
- 25% above state mean
Top 88% in Texas - lower ratio than 12% of state schools
Between 16:1 and 20:1, squarely in the typical U.S. public-school staffing range.
Engagement
31.7%
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
$12,031
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 590 students, the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
Discipline context
0
in-school suspensions + 24 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 0.0 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 4.1 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 89.8%
African American 8.5%
White 1.0%
Asian 0.7%
Largest group: Hispanic or Latino at 89.8% of enrollment.
Student-body diversity index 18.6/100
Simpson diversity index - at 18.6, Tinsley El is less mixed than the Texas school average of 44.7.
Programs
Gifted & talented Yes
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Houston Isd, which includes Tinsley El.
$12,031
Per student
-12%
vs Texas
Avg $13,644
-27%
vs U.S.
Avg $16,593
Revenue mix
Local 68.8%
State 8.0%
Federal 23.2%
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 Tinsley El Compares to District-Mates
| School | Enrollment | Economic Profile | Student-Teacher Ratio |
|---|---|---|---|
| Texas Connections Academy at Houston | Larger | No free-lunch data | Higher S:T ratio |
| Bellaire H S | Larger | Lower economic need | Similar S:T ratio |
| Lamar H S | Larger | Lower economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| Westside H S | Larger | Lower economic need | Similar S:T ratio |
| Heights H S | Larger | Lower economic need | Similar S:T ratio |
Comparisons are relative to Tinsley El's own figures; each column derives from NCES Common Core of Data.
Other Schools in This District
- Enrollment
- 8,641
- Students per teacher
- 28:1
- Resource Index
- 24/100
- Enrollment
- 3,216
- Students per teacher
- 18.6:1
- Resource Index
- 38/100
- Enrollment
- 2,968
- Students per teacher
- 20.9:1
- Resource Index
- 43/100
- Enrollment
- 2,729
- Students per teacher
- 17.5:1
- Resource Index
- 50/100
- Enrollment
- 2,426
- Students per teacher
- 19:1
- Resource Index
- 30/100
Similar elementary 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 (~590 students)
Similar student-teacher ratio (~18.4:1)
Next steps
Verify locally before acting on Tinsley El's federal record.
- Compare Tinsley El against another school. Compare schools
- Houston 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 Tinsley El
How many students attend Tinsley El?
Tinsley El has 590 students enrolled. It is an elementary school in Houston, TX.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Tinsley El?
The student-teacher ratio at Tinsley El is 18.4:1, which is 25% higher than the Texas average of 14.7:1 and 17% higher than the national average of 15.7:1.
What percentage of students receive free lunch at Tinsley El?
97.5% of students at Tinsley El are eligible for free lunch, compared to the Texas average of 61.9%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Tinsley El?
The largest demographic group at Tinsley El is Hispanic or Latino at 89.8% of enrollment, in Houston, TX.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Tinsley El?
Tinsley El has a Resource Investment Index of 29/100 (lower 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 Tinsley El rank among elementary schools in Houston?
By Resource Investment Index, Tinsley El ranks #91 of 114 elementary 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 elementary schools in Houston on the city page.
Is Tinsley El a good school?
Tinsley El earns 29/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes larger than 88% 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 Houston Isd?
Besides Tinsley El, Houston Isd also operates Texas Connections Academy at Houston (8,641 students), Bellaire H S (3,216 students), and Lamar H S (2,968 students). See the Houston 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.