Enrollment
530
Texas · 2024-25 NCES data
Other / mixed grade configuration · Houston, TX
Varnett Charter School
Federal NCES profile for Varnett Charter School, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators - Resource Investment Index 27/100.
2024-25 NCES dataOther / mixed grade configurationNCES 480007307913Charter school
👥 S:T ratio 8
🌟 Gifted program 30
🎓 Counselors 47
📋 Attendance 23
Scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC indicators, resource allocation, not test scores. Full methodology →
The verdict
Varnett Charter School earns 27/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes larger than 96% of Texas schools.
- #393 of 435
- schools in Houston · Resource Index
- 27
- Resource Index · Lower
- 23:1
- large classes for Texas
- 95.5%
- free-lunch eligible
Varnett Charter School has class sizes larger than 96% of Texas schools. Computed live against every Texas school reporting to NCES.
By Resource Investment Index, Varnett Charter School ranks #393 of 435 schools in Houston, TX.
School address
District: The Varnett Public School · Texas
NCES ID 480007307913 Verify on NCES CCD record →
Teachers (FTE)
23.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
23:1
vs 14.7:1 Texas avg
+56% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
95.5%
vs 61.9% Texas avg
+54% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Varnett Charter School compares with Texas and U.S. medians
What stands out at Varnett Charter School
Varnett Charter School is a high-poverty, mid-sized charter combined-grade school in Houston, Texas, enrolling 530 students.
Class loads run heavy: 23:1 is larger than about 96% of Texas schools and 56% above the 14.7:1 state mean, so each teacher carries more students than is typical.
Economic need is high: 95.5% of students qualify for free meals, 54% above the Texas average, a Title I-weighted population that federal funding formulas prioritise.
With 530 students, its enrollment sits close to the Texas median campus size.
Its Resource Investment Index trails 94% of the 8,960 Texas schools with a score on record, one of the lower results on this measure.
Among 1,585 similarly sized, similarly resourced-need Texas schools statewide, it ranks #1,389, in the lower tier once campus size and economic need are matched.
Its student body is led by Hispanic or Latino (70%) and African American (29%) (diversity index 43/100).
Counselor coverage runs a bit thin, about 265 students per counselor, somewhat past the ASCA-recommended 250:1 benchmark.
Chronic absenteeism is elevated: 30.8% of students missed 10% or more of school days (2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection).
Its district draws 43.7% of revenue from federal sources, an above-typical federal share that tends to track a higher-need student population.
The Varnett Public School also operates The Varnett School - Northeast (354 students) and The Varnett School - East (275 students) alongside Varnett Charter School.
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 Varnett Charter School compares
Varnett Charter School on the metrics families compare, against Texas and U.S. means.
| Metric | This school | vs Texas | Texas avg | U.S. avg |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Students per teacher | 23:1 | ▲ 56% | 14.7:1 | 15.7:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 95.5% | ▲ 54% | 61.9% | 51.7% |
| Enrollment | 530 | top 46% | - | - |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25
23:1
Leaner classes than 8% of US schools, heavier class loads than most.
530
Bigger than 65% of US schools by enrollment, mid-sized for the country.
Equity indicators (what these measure)
Economic need
95.5%
free-lunch eligible
- 54% 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
23:1
students per teacher
- 56% above state mean
Top 96% in Texas - lower ratio than 4% of state schools
Above 20:1, running heavier than the typical U.S. public school; staffing is comparatively stretched.
Engagement
30.8%
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
$15,716
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 265 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 70.0%
African American 29.1%
Two or More 0.6%
White 0.2%
Asian 0.2%
Largest group: Hispanic or Latino at 70.0% of enrollment.
Student-body diversity index 42.5/100
Simpson diversity index - at 42.5, Varnett Charter School is less mixed than the Texas school average of 44.7.
Programs
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for The Varnett Public School, which includes Varnett Charter School.
$15,716
Per student
+15%
vs Texas
Avg $13,644
-5%
vs U.S.
Avg $16,593
Revenue mix
Local 2.9%
State 53.4%
Federal 43.7%
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 Varnett Charter School Compares to District-Mates
| School | Enrollment | Economic Profile | Student-Teacher Ratio |
|---|---|---|---|
| The Varnett School - Northeast | Smaller | Similar economic need | Similar S:T ratio |
| The Varnett School - East | Smaller | Similar economic need | Lower S:T ratio |
Comparisons are relative to Varnett Charter School's own figures; each column derives from NCES Common Core of Data.
Other Schools in This District
- Enrollment
- 354
- Students per teacher
- 22.1:1
- Resource Index
- 23/100
- Enrollment
- 275
- Students per teacher
- 17.2:1
- 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 (~530 students)
Next steps
Verify locally before acting on Varnett Charter School's federal record.
- Compare Varnett Charter School against another school. Compare schools
- The Varnett Public School'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 Varnett Charter School
How many students attend Varnett Charter School?
Varnett Charter School has 530 students enrolled. It is a public school in Houston, TX.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Varnett Charter School?
The student-teacher ratio at Varnett Charter School is 23:1, which is 56% higher than the Texas average of 14.7:1 and 46% higher than the national average of 15.7:1.
What percentage of students receive free lunch at Varnett Charter School?
95.5% of students at Varnett Charter School are eligible for free lunch, compared to the Texas average of 61.9%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Varnett Charter School?
The largest demographic group at Varnett Charter School is Hispanic or Latino at 70.0% of enrollment, in Houston, TX.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Varnett Charter School?
Varnett Charter School has a Resource Investment Index of 27/100 (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 Varnett Charter School rank among schools in Houston?
By Resource Investment Index, Varnett Charter School ranks #393 of 435 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 schools in Houston on the city page.
Is Varnett Charter School a good school?
Varnett Charter School earns 27/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes larger than 96% of 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 The Varnett Public School?
Besides Varnett Charter School, The Varnett Public School also operates The Varnett School - Northeast (354 students) and The Varnett School - East (275 students). See the The Varnett Public School 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.