Enrollment
988
Texas · 2024-25 NCES data
Other / mixed grade configuration · The Woodlands, TX
Tough El
Federal NCES profile for Tough El, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators - Resource Investment Index 48/100.
2024-25 NCES dataOther / mixed grade configurationNCES 481500009352
👥 S:T ratio 38
🌟 Gifted program 70
🎓 Counselors 1
📋 Attendance 84
Scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC indicators, resource allocation, not test scores. Full methodology →
The verdict
Tough El earns 48/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes near the Texas median. It is also more racially and ethnically mixed than most Texas schools.
- #1 of 15
- schools in The Woodlands · Resource Index
- 48
- Resource Index · Typical
- 15.4:1
- students per teacher
- 4.9%
- free-lunch eligible
Tough El has class sizes near the Texas median. Computed live against every Texas school reporting to NCES.
By Resource Investment Index, Tough El ranks #1 of 15 schools in The Woodlands, TX.
School address
District: Conroe Isd · Texas
NCES ID 481500009352 Verify on NCES CCD record →
Teachers (FTE)
64.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
15.4:1
vs 14.7:1 Texas avg
+5% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
4.9%
vs 61.9% Texas avg
-92% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Tough El compares with Texas and U.S. medians
What stands out at Tough El
Tough El is a lower-poverty, large combined-grade school in The Woodlands, Texas, enrolling 988 students.
Class loads run somewhat heavier than typical: 15.4:1 puts it in the larger third of Texas schools by student-teacher ratio.
Comparatively few students face economic hardship here, 4.9% free-meal eligibility runs 92% below the Texas average.
Enrollment of 988 puts it in the larger third of Texas schools by headcount.
Its Resource Investment Index lands in the upper third of 8,960 scored Texas schools.
Against 325 statewide peers matched on enrollment and economic need, it ranks in the upper tier at #96.
Its student body is led by White (47%) and Hispanic or Latino (27%), more mixed than most schools in the state (diversity index 67/100).
Counselor access is stretched at roughly 494 students per counselor, well above the ASCA-recommended 250:1 ceiling.
Attendance holds up well here: only 6.6% of students were chronically absent, below the typical post-pandemic national figure.
The surrounding Conroe Isd spends $9,973 per pupil, 27% below the Texas average, a leaner-resourced district than most.
Conroe Isd also operates Conroe H S (5,252 students) and The Woodlands H S (4,444 students) alongside Tough 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 Tough El compares
Tough 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 | 15.4:1 | ▲ 5% | 14.7:1 | 15.7:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 4.9% | ▼ 92% | 61.9% | 51.7% |
| Enrollment | 988 | top 11% | - | - |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25
15.4:1
Leaner classes than 43% of US schools, a middle-of-the-pack class size.
988
Bigger than 91% of US schools by enrollment, a large campus nationally.
Equity indicators (what these measure)
Economic need
4.9%
free-lunch eligible
- 92% below the Texas average of 61.9%
Below the 40% Title I threshold, among the lower-need profiles in the state; federal aid targets individual qualifying students rather than schoolwide programs.
Staffing depth
15.4:1
students per teacher
- 5% above state mean
Top 64% in Texas - lower ratio than 36% of state schools
Close to the 15:1 benchmark most often cited for individualized attention.
Engagement
6.6%
chronically absent (missed 10%+ of school days)
In the 5-10% range, close to the pre-pandemic national baseline.
Funding equity
$9,973
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
Counselors2.0 FTE
Per 494 students, the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
Discipline context
3
in-school suspensions + 0 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 0.3 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 0.3 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
White 46.9%
Hispanic or Latino 27.2%
Asian 16.1%
Two or More 7.1%
African American 2.6%
Native Hawaiian / Pacific Islander 0.1%
Largest group: White at 46.9% of enrollment.
Student-body diversity index 67.4/100
Simpson diversity index - at 67.4, Tough El is more mixed than the Texas school average of 44.7.
Programs
Gifted & talented Yes
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Conroe Isd, which includes Tough El.
$9,973
Per student
-27%
vs Texas
Avg $13,644
-40%
vs U.S.
Avg $16,593
Revenue mix
Local 62.2%
State 25.0%
Federal 12.8%
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 Tough El Compares to District-Mates
| School | Enrollment | Economic Profile | Student-Teacher Ratio |
|---|---|---|---|
| Conroe H S | Larger | Higher economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| The Woodlands H S | Larger | Similar economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| Grand Oaks H S | Larger | Higher economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| College Park H S | Larger | Higher economic need | Similar S:T ratio |
| Caney Creek H S | Larger | Higher economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
Comparisons are relative to Tough El's own figures; each column derives from NCES Common Core of Data.
Other Schools in This District
- Enrollment
- 5,252
- Students per teacher
- 17.8:1
- Resource Index
- 43/100
- Enrollment
- 4,444
- Students per teacher
- 18.5:1
- Resource Index
- 49/100
- Enrollment
- 3,836
- Students per teacher
- 19.6:1
- Resource Index
- 49/100
- Enrollment
- 3,313
- Students per teacher
- 16.8:1
- Resource Index
- 50/100
- Enrollment
- 2,783
- Students per teacher
- 18:1
- 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 (~988 students)
Similar student-teacher ratio (~15.4:1)
Next steps
Verify locally before acting on Tough El's federal record.
- Compare Tough El against another school. Compare schools
- Conroe 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 Tough El
How many students attend Tough El?
Tough El has 988 students enrolled. It is a public school in The Woodlands, TX.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Tough El?
The student-teacher ratio at Tough El is 15.4:1, which is 5% higher than the Texas average of 14.7:1 and 2% lower than the national average of 15.7:1.
What percentage of students receive free lunch at Tough El?
4.9% of students at Tough El are eligible for free lunch, compared to the Texas average of 61.9%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Tough El?
The largest demographic group at Tough El is White at 46.9% of enrollment, in The Woodlands, TX. Its student body is more racially and ethnically mixed than most US schools, with a diversity index of 67.4/100.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Tough El?
Tough El has a Resource Investment Index of 48/100 (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 Tough El rank among schools in The Woodlands?
By Resource Investment Index, Tough El ranks #1 of 15 schools in The Woodlands, TX. This compares federal resource and staffing data among local peers; it is not a test-score or academic ranking. See all schools in The Woodlands on the city page.
Is Tough El a good school?
Tough El earns 48/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes near the Texas median. It is also more 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 Conroe Isd?
Besides Tough El, Conroe Isd also operates Conroe H S (5,252 students), The Woodlands H S (4,444 students), and Grand Oaks H S (3,836 students). See the Conroe 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.