Enrollment
363
Texas · 2024-25 NCES data
Elementary school (grades K-5) · Groves, TX
Van Buren El
Federal NCES profile for Van Buren El, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators - Resource Investment Index 48/100.
2024-25 NCES dataElementary school (grades K-5)NCES 483543004023
👥 S:T ratio 40
🌟 Gifted program 70
🎓 Counselors 27
📋 Attendance 53
Scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC indicators, resource allocation, not test scores. Full methodology →
The verdict
Van Buren El earns 48/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes near the Texas median.
- #2 of 3
- public schools in Groves · Resource Index
- 48
- Resource Index · Typical
- 15.1:1
- students per teacher
- 52.6%
- free-lunch eligible
Van Buren El has class sizes near the Texas median. Computed live against every Texas school reporting to NCES.
By Resource Investment Index, Van Buren El ranks #2 of 3 public schools in Groves, TX.
School address
District: Port Neches-Groves Isd · Texas
NCES ID 483543004023 Verify on NCES CCD record →
Teachers (FTE)
24.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
15.1:1
vs 14.7:1 Texas avg
+3% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
52.6%
vs 61.9% Texas avg
-15% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Van Buren El compares with Texas and U.S. medians
What stands out at Van Buren El
Van Buren El is a higher-need, mid-sized elementary school in Groves, Texas, enrolling 363 students.
Class loads run somewhat heavier than typical: 15.1:1 puts it in the larger third of Texas schools by student-teacher ratio.
Economic need runs somewhat below the state's typical profile, with 52.6% of students eligible for free meals.
Enrollment of 363 puts it in the smaller third of Texas schools by headcount.
Its Resource Investment Index lands in the upper third of 8,960 scored Texas schools.
Against 1,023 statewide peers matched on enrollment and economic need, it ranks mid-pack at #509.
Counselor availability sits well past the ASCA benchmark, roughly 363 students sharing each counselor, though short of the most stretched campuses.
Attendance runs somewhat below the norm, with 18.7% of students chronically absent per the 2021-22 civil-rights collection.
Port Neches-Groves Isd also operates Port Neches-Groves H S (1,720 students) and Groves Middle (647 students) alongside Van Buren 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 Van Buren El compares
Van Buren 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 | 15.1:1 | ▲ 3% | 14.7:1 | 15.7:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 52.6% | ▼ 15% | 61.9% | 51.7% |
| Enrollment | 363 | top 68% | - | - |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25
15.1:1
Leaner classes than 46% of US schools, a middle-of-the-pack class size.
363
Bigger than 42% of US schools by enrollment, mid-sized for the country.
Equity indicators (what these measure)
Economic need
52.6%
free-lunch eligible
- 15% below the Texas average of 61.9%
Above the 40% Title I schoolwide threshold; federal funds support the whole school, not individual students.
Staffing depth
15.1:1
students per teacher
- 3% above state mean
Top 61% in Texas - lower ratio than 39% of state schools
Close to the 15:1 benchmark most often cited for individualized attention.
Engagement
18.7%
chronically absent (missed 10%+ of school days)
In the 15-20% range, nearing the "high" absenteeism threshold.
Funding equity
$11,122
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 363 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.
Programs
Gifted & talented Yes
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Port Neches-Groves Isd, which includes Van Buren El.
$11,122
Per student
-18%
vs Texas
Avg $13,644
-33%
vs U.S.
Avg $16,593
Revenue mix
Local 62.3%
State 26.4%
Federal 11.2%
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 Van Buren El Compares to District-Mates
| School | Enrollment | Economic Profile | Student-Teacher Ratio |
|---|---|---|---|
| Port Neches-Groves H S | Larger | Lower economic need | Similar S:T ratio |
| Groves Middle | Larger | Similar economic need | Similar S:T ratio |
| Port Neches Middle | Larger | Lower economic need | Similar S:T ratio |
| Ridgewood El | Similar size | Lower economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| Taft El | Similar size | Similar economic need | Similar S:T ratio |
Comparisons are relative to Van Buren El's own figures; each column derives from NCES Common Core of Data.
Other Schools in This District
- Enrollment
- 1,720
- Students per teacher
- 15.1:1
- Resource Index
- 44/100
- Enrollment
- 647
- Students per teacher
- 14.7:1
- Resource Index
- 43/100
- Enrollment
- 575
- Students per teacher
- 14:1
- Resource Index
- 38/100
- Enrollment
- 431
- Students per teacher
- 17.2:1
- Resource Index
- 43/100
- Enrollment
- 414
- Students per teacher
- 15.3:1
- Resource Index
- 32/100
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 (~363 students)
Similar student-teacher ratio (~15.1:1)
Next steps
Verify locally before acting on Van Buren El's federal record.
- Compare Van Buren El against another school. Compare schools
- Port Neches-Groves 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 Van Buren El
How many students attend Van Buren El?
Van Buren El has 363 students enrolled. It is an elementary school in Groves, TX.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Van Buren El?
The student-teacher ratio at Van Buren El is 15.1:1, which is 3% higher than the Texas average of 14.7:1 and 4% lower than the national average of 15.7:1.
What percentage of students receive free lunch at Van Buren El?
52.6% of students at Van Buren El are eligible for free lunch, compared to the Texas average of 61.9%.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Van Buren El?
Van Buren 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 Van Buren El rank among public schools in Groves?
By Resource Investment Index, Van Buren El ranks #2 of 3 public schools in Groves, TX. This compares federal resource and staffing data among local peers; it is not a test-score or academic ranking. See all public schools in Groves on the city page.
Is Van Buren El a good school?
Van Buren El earns 48/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes near the Texas median. 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 Port Neches-Groves Isd?
Besides Van Buren El, Port Neches-Groves Isd also operates Port Neches-Groves H S (1,720 students), Groves Middle (647 students), and Port Neches Middle (575 students). See the Port Neches-Groves 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.