Enrollment
658
Texas · 2024-25 NCES data
Middle school (grades 6-8) · Brownsville, TX
Vela Middle
Federal NCES profile for Vela Middle, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators - Resource Investment Index 47/100.
2024-25 NCES dataMiddle school (grades 6-8)NCES 481168000426
👥 S:T ratio 45
🌟 Gifted program 70
🎓 Counselors 59
📋 Attendance 15
Scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC indicators, resource allocation, not test scores. Full methodology →
The verdict
Vela Middle earns 47/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes near the Texas median. It is also less racially and ethnically mixed than most Texas schools.
- #5 of 10
- middle schools in Brownsville · Resource Index
- 47
- Resource Index · Typical
- 13.7:1
- students per teacher
- 60.3%
- free-lunch eligible
Vela Middle has class sizes near the Texas median. Computed live against every Texas school reporting to NCES.
By Resource Investment Index, Vela Middle ranks #5 of 10 middle schools in Brownsville, TX.
School address
District: Brownsville Isd · Texas
NCES ID 481168000426 Verify on NCES CCD record →
Teachers (FTE)
48.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
13.7:1
vs 14.7:1 Texas avg
-7% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
60.3%
vs 61.9% Texas avg
-3% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Vela Middle compares with Texas and U.S. medians
What stands out at Vela Middle
Vela Middle is a higher-need, mid-sized middle school in Brownsville, Texas, enrolling 658 students.
At 13.7:1, its student-teacher ratio sits close to the Texas median, within a few percentage points of the 14.7:1 state norm, neither notably crowded nor notably small.
Its free-meal eligibility rate of 60.3% lands close to the Texas typical range, neither a high- nor low-need campus by this measure.
Enrollment of 658 puts it in the larger third of Texas schools by headcount.
Its Resource Investment Index sits near the middle of the pack among 8,960 scored Texas schools.
Against 1,563 statewide peers matched on enrollment and economic need, it ranks in the upper tier at #320.
Its student body is predominantly Hispanic or Latino (98% of enrollment), among the less diverse in the state (diversity index 3/100).
Counselor coverage is strong, about 206 students per counselor, inside the American School Counselor Association's recommended 250:1.
Chronic absenteeism is elevated: 34.0% of students missed 10% or more of school days (2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection).
Its district draws 30.3% of revenue from federal sources, an above-typical federal share that tends to track a higher-need student population.
Brownsville Isd also operates Veterans Memorial Early College H S (2,216 students) and Rivera Early College H S (2,150 students) alongside Vela Middle.
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 Vela Middle compares
Vela Middle on the metrics families compare, against Texas and U.S. means.
| Metric | This school | vs Texas | Texas avg | U.S. avg |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Students per teacher | 13.7:1 | ▼ 7% | 14.7:1 | 15.7:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 60.3% | ▼ 3% | 61.9% | 51.7% |
| Enrollment | 658 | top 31% | - | - |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25
13.7:1
Leaner classes than 60% of US schools, a middle-of-the-pack class size.
658
Bigger than 77% of US schools by enrollment, mid-sized for the country.
Equity indicators (what these measure)
Economic need
60.3%
free-lunch eligible
- 3% 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
13.7:1
students per teacher
- 7% below state mean
Top 43% in Texas - lower ratio than 57% of state schools
Close to the 15:1 benchmark most often cited for individualized attention.
Engagement
34.0%
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
$14,009
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
Counselors3.2 FTE
Per 206 students, the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
Discipline context
83
in-school suspensions + 26 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 12.6 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 16.6 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 98.3%
Asian 1.2%
African American 0.3%
White 0.2%
Largest group: Hispanic or Latino at 98.3% of enrollment.
Student-body diversity index 3.4/100
Simpson diversity index - at 3.4, Vela Middle is less mixed than the Texas school average of 44.7.
Programs
Gifted & talented Yes
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Brownsville Isd, which includes Vela Middle.
$14,009
Per student
+3%
vs Texas
Avg $13,644
-16%
vs U.S.
Avg $16,593
Revenue mix
Local 13.9%
State 55.9%
Federal 30.3%
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 Vela Middle Compares to District-Mates
| School | Enrollment | Economic Profile | Student-Teacher Ratio |
|---|---|---|---|
| Veterans Memorial Early College H S | Larger | Lower economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| Rivera Early College H S | Larger | Similar economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| Hanna Early College H S | Larger | Similar economic need | Similar S:T ratio |
| Lopez Early College H S | Larger | Similar economic need | Similar S:T ratio |
| Pace Early College H S | Larger | Similar economic need | Similar S:T ratio |
Comparisons are relative to Vela Middle's own figures; each column derives from NCES Common Core of Data.
Other Schools in This District
- Enrollment
- 2,216
- Students per teacher
- 16.3:1
- Resource Index
- 40/100
- Enrollment
- 2,150
- Students per teacher
- 15.2:1
- Resource Index
- 55/100
- Enrollment
- 2,039
- Students per teacher
- 14:1
- Resource Index
- 55/100
- Enrollment
- 1,739
- Students per teacher
- 13.5:1
- Resource Index
- 42/100
- Enrollment
- 1,621
- Students per teacher
- 13.4:1
- Resource Index
- 39/100
Similar middle 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 (~658 students)
Similar student-teacher ratio (~13.7:1)
Next steps
Verify locally before acting on Vela Middle's federal record.
- Compare Vela Middle against another school. Compare schools
- Brownsville 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 Vela Middle
How many students attend Vela Middle?
Vela Middle has 658 students enrolled. It is a middle school in Brownsville, TX.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Vela Middle?
The student-teacher ratio at Vela Middle is 13.7:1, which is 7% lower than the Texas average of 14.7:1 and 13% lower than the national average of 15.7:1. Lower ratios generally mean more individual attention per student.
What percentage of students receive free lunch at Vela Middle?
60.3% of students at Vela Middle are eligible for free lunch, compared to the Texas average of 61.9%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Vela Middle?
The largest demographic group at Vela Middle is Hispanic or Latino at 98.3% of enrollment, in Brownsville, TX.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Vela Middle?
Vela Middle has a Resource Investment Index of 47/100 (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 Vela Middle rank among middle schools in Brownsville?
By Resource Investment Index, Vela Middle ranks #5 of 10 middle schools in Brownsville, TX. This compares federal resource and staffing data among local peers; it is not a test-score or academic ranking. See all middle schools in Brownsville on the city page.
Is Vela Middle a good school?
Vela Middle earns 47/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes near the Texas median. 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 Brownsville Isd?
Besides Vela Middle, Brownsville Isd also operates Veterans Memorial Early College H S (2,216 students), Rivera Early College H S (2,150 students), and Hanna Early College H S (2,039 students). See the Brownsville 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.