Enrollment
572
Texas · 2024-25 NCES data
Other / mixed grade configuration · Pharr, TX
Vanguard Picasso
Federal NCES profile for Vanguard Picasso, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators - Resource Investment Index 35/100.
2024-25 NCES dataOther / mixed grade configurationNCES 480019512828Charter school
👥 S:T ratio 35
🌟 Gifted program 70
🎓 Counselors 0
📋 Attendance 36
Scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC indicators, resource allocation, not test scores. Full methodology →
The verdict
Vanguard Picasso earns 35/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes larger than 74% of Texas schools. It is also less racially and ethnically mixed than most Texas schools.
- #9 of 25
- schools in Pharr · Resource Index
- 35
- Resource Index · Typical
- 16.3:1
- large classes for Texas
- 78.9%
- free-lunch eligible
Vanguard Picasso has class sizes larger than 74% of Texas schools. Computed live against every Texas school reporting to NCES.
By Resource Investment Index, Vanguard Picasso ranks #9 of 25 schools in Pharr, TX.
School address
Teachers (FTE)
35.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
16.3:1
vs 14.7:1 Texas avg
+11% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
78.9%
vs 61.9% Texas avg
+27% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Vanguard Picasso compares with Texas and U.S. medians
What stands out at Vanguard Picasso
Vanguard Picasso is a high-poverty, mid-sized charter combined-grade school in Pharr, Texas, enrolling 572 students.
Class loads run somewhat heavier than typical: 16.3:1 puts it in the larger third of Texas schools by student-teacher ratio.
Economic need runs somewhat above the state's typical profile, with 78.9% of students eligible for free meals.
With 572 students, its enrollment sits close to the Texas median campus size.
Its Resource Investment Index lands in the lower third of 8,960 scored Texas schools.
Against 2,246 statewide peers matched on enrollment and economic need, it ranks mid-pack at #1,511.
Its student body is predominantly Hispanic or Latino (98% of enrollment), among the less diverse in the state (diversity index 5/100).
Counselor access is stretched at roughly 572 students per counselor, well above the ASCA-recommended 250:1 ceiling.
Chronic absenteeism is elevated: 25.5% of students missed 10% or more of school days (2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection).
Its district draws 29.0% of revenue from federal sources, an above-typical federal share that tends to track a higher-need student population.
Vanguard Academy also operates Vanguard Rembrandt (1,978 students) and Vanguard Beethoven (1,782 students) alongside Vanguard Picasso.
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 Vanguard Picasso compares
Vanguard Picasso on the metrics families compare, against Texas and U.S. means.
| Metric | This school | vs Texas | Texas avg | U.S. avg |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Students per teacher | 16.3:1 | ▲ 11% | 14.7:1 | 15.7:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 78.9% | ▲ 27% | 61.9% | 51.7% |
| Enrollment | 572 | top 40% | - | - |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25
16.3:1
Leaner classes than 36% of US schools, a middle-of-the-pack class size.
572
Bigger than 70% of US schools by enrollment, mid-sized for the country.
Equity indicators (what these measure)
Economic need
78.9%
free-lunch eligible
- 27% above the Texas average of 61.9%
Above the 40% Title I schoolwide threshold; federal funds support the whole school, not individual students.
Staffing depth
16.3:1
students per teacher
- 11% above state mean
Top 74% in Texas - lower ratio than 26% of state schools
Between 16:1 and 20:1, squarely in the typical U.S. public-school staffing range.
Engagement
25.5%
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
$13,567
per pupil, district-wide
- below 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 572 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 97.7%
White 1.9%
African American 0.2%
Asian 0.2%
Largest group: Hispanic or Latino at 97.7% of enrollment.
Student-body diversity index 4.5/100
Simpson diversity index - at 4.5, Vanguard Picasso is less mixed than the Texas school average of 44.7.
Programs
Gifted & talented Yes
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Vanguard Academy, which includes Vanguard Picasso.
$13,567
Per student
-1%
vs Texas
Avg $13,644
-18%
vs U.S.
Avg $16,593
Revenue mix
Local 1.4%
State 69.5%
Federal 29.0%
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 Vanguard Picasso Compares to District-Mates
| School | Enrollment | Economic Profile | Student-Teacher Ratio |
|---|---|---|---|
| Vanguard Rembrandt | Larger | Similar economic need | Similar S:T ratio |
| Vanguard Beethoven | Larger | Lower economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| Vanguard Mozart | Larger | Similar economic need | Similar S:T ratio |
| Vanguard Van Gogh | Larger | Similar economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
Comparisons are relative to Vanguard Picasso's own figures; each column derives from NCES Common Core of Data.
Other Schools in This District
- Enrollment
- 1,978
- Students per teacher
- 15.1:1
- Resource Index
- 38/100
- Enrollment
- 1,782
- Students per teacher
- 18.6:1
- Resource Index
- 40/100
- Enrollment
- 1,236
- Students per teacher
- 15.6:1
- Resource Index
- 41/100
- Enrollment
- 1,048
- Students per teacher
- 21:1
- Resource Index
- 38/100
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 (~572 students)
Next steps
Verify locally before acting on Vanguard Picasso's federal record.
- Compare Vanguard Picasso against another school. Compare schools
- Vanguard Academy'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 Vanguard Picasso
How many students attend Vanguard Picasso?
Vanguard Picasso has 572 students enrolled. It is a public school in Pharr, TX.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Vanguard Picasso?
The student-teacher ratio at Vanguard Picasso is 16.3:1, which is 11% higher than the Texas average of 14.7:1 and 4% higher than the national average of 15.7:1.
What percentage of students receive free lunch at Vanguard Picasso?
78.9% of students at Vanguard Picasso are eligible for free lunch, compared to the Texas average of 61.9%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Vanguard Picasso?
The largest demographic group at Vanguard Picasso is Hispanic or Latino at 97.7% of enrollment, in Pharr, TX.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Vanguard Picasso?
Vanguard Picasso has a Resource Investment Index of 35/100 (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 Vanguard Picasso rank among schools in Pharr?
By Resource Investment Index, Vanguard Picasso ranks #9 of 25 schools in Pharr, TX. This compares federal resource and staffing data among local peers; it is not a test-score or academic ranking. See all schools in Pharr on the city page.
Is Vanguard Picasso a good school?
Vanguard Picasso earns 35/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes larger than 74% 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 Vanguard Academy?
Besides Vanguard Picasso, Vanguard Academy also operates Vanguard Rembrandt (1,978 students), Vanguard Beethoven (1,782 students), and Vanguard Mozart (1,236 students). See the Vanguard Academy 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.