Enrollment
227
Texas · 2024-25 NCES data
2024-25 NCES data Other / mixed grade configuration NCES 480016312215 Charter school
Vista Academy of Garland — Garland, TX
Federal NCES profile for Vista Academy of Garland, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators — Resource Investment Index 34/100.
👥 Class size 46
🌟 Gifted program 30
🎓 Counselors 55
📋 Attendance 4
How this works: Each indicator above is scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC data, then averaged into the Resource Investment Index. This measures resource allocation — staffing, programs, and support services — not standardized test scores or academic outcomes. Full methodology →
School address
District: Texas College Preparatory Academies · Texas
Public location data per NCES (National Center for Education Statistics) Common Core of Data. Verify the school's current address on the NCES CCD record.
Teachers (FTE)
25.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
13.4:1
vs 14.6:1 Texas avg
-8% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
84.2%
vs 61.9% Texas avg
+36% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Vista Academy of Garland compares with Texas and U.S. medians
The federal record — no proprietary index, no editorial formula.
PlainSchools publishes the actual federal measurements — enrollment, staffing, demographics, discipline, and finance — straight from the NCES Common Core of Data, CRDC, and F-33 surveys. No composite rating, no opinion-based score on top. You get the same raw numbers researchers and policymakers use, with benchmarks, spending context, and equity indicators computed from the same federal datasets. Full methodology linked below.
What this school's NCES data tells you
Vista Academy of Garland reports 227 enrolled students to the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) alongside 25.0 full-time-equivalent teachers, producing a 13.4:1 student-teacher ratio. That figure sits 8% below the Texas state mean of 14.6:1, signalling more teacher attention per pupil than the state benchmark. Against the national 2024-25 average of 15.9:1, it is 16% lower, a useful calibration for families comparing districts across state lines.
Title I and federal lunch eligibility offer another window into the student body: 84.2% of pupils qualify for free meals, a proxy for household income that federal programs use to direct funding. The free-lunch share is 36% above the Texas average and 63% above the national baseline. Counselor coverage works out to roughly 227 students per counselor, meeting the American School Counselor Association recommendation of 250:1. Chronic absenteeism — missing 10% or more of school days — stands at 38.3% according to the 2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection.
On the finance side, the surrounding Texas College Preparatory Academies spends $8,534 per pupil district-wide, below the Texas average of $17,150 and below the national average of $19,490. Revenue comes 1.1% from local sources (property taxes), 95.4% from the state, and 3.6% from federal programs per the NCES F-33 finance survey. Taken together, these measurements produce a Resource Investment Index of 34/100 (F), calculated from 4 distinct NCES and CRDC indicators measuring resource allocation rather than academic outcomes.
Source: National Center for Education Statistics Common Core of Data + CRDC + F-33 · 2024-25
How Vista Academy of Garland compares
Cross-validating school-level NCES values against Texas state and U.S. national means lets readers see whether this school is an outlier or in line with peers.
| Metric | This school | vs Texas | Texas avg | U.S. avg |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Students per teacher | 13.4:1 | ▼ 8% | 14.6:1 | 15.9:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 84.2% | ▲ 36% | 61.9% | 51.8% |
| Enrollment | 227 | top 18% | — | — |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25
What the federal data reveals about equity at this school
Federal measurements — not ratings — surface the resource and opportunity picture. Below are the indicators that researchers, civil-rights monitors, and funding formulas use to assess equity.
Economic need
84.2%
free-lunch eligible
— 36% 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
13.4:1
students per teacher
— 8% below state mean
Top 33% in Texas — lower ratio than 67% of state schools
Below the 15:1 benchmark — typical of schools with smaller class sizes and more individualized attention.
Engagement
38.3%
chronically absent (missed 10%+ of school days)
Chronic absenteeism at or above 20% — the CDC threshold for "high" — signals significant barriers to regular attendance.
Funding equity
$8,534
per pupil, district-wide
— below Texas avg of $17,150
Below the U.S. average per-pupil spend — funding constraints may affect programs, facilities, and staffing.
Support staff
Counselors1.0 FTE
Per 227 students — the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
Discipline context
0
in-school suspensions + 19 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 0.0 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 8.4 per 100 students. Reported via the Civil Rights Data Collection. Includes 1 expulsion.
Overview
Enrollment 227 Top 18% in Texas — larger than 82% of 9,061 state schools
Teachers (FTE) 25.0
Students per teacher 13.4:1 -8% vs state
Free-lunch eligible 84.2% +36% vs state
NCES ID 480016312215
Student demographics
Hispanic or Latino 77.1%
African American 14.5%
White 5.3%
Asian 1.8%
American Indian / Alaska Native 0.9%
Two or More 0.4%
Largest group: Hispanic or Latino at 77.1% of enrollment.
Programs & staff
Counselors (FTE) 1.0
Students per counselor 227:1
Discipline & special education
Chronically absent 38.3%
In-school suspensions 0
Out-of-school suspensions 19
Expulsions 1
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Texas College Preparatory Academies, which includes Vista Academy of Garland.
$8,534
Per student
-50%
vs Texas
Avg $17,150
-56%
vs U.S.
Avg $19,490
Revenue mix
Local 1.1%
State 95.4%
Federal 3.6%
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.
Other Schools in This District
- Enrollment
- 1,013
- Students per teacher
- 16:1
- Enrollment
- 949
- Students per teacher
- 15.9:1
- Enrollment
- 929
- Students per teacher
- 17.9:1
- Enrollment
- 921
- Students per teacher
- 17.5:1
- Enrollment
- 912
- Students per teacher
- 16.1:1
Similar other schools in Garland
6 comparable other schools (grades Mixed) serving the same city.
S Garland H S
Standard public school
2,001 students 16.4:1 students per teacher
Harmony Science Academy - Garland
Standard public school
759 students 15.1:1 students per teacher
Daugherty El
Standard public school
757 students 16.9:1 students per teacher
Abbett El
Standard public school
710 students 16.3:1 students per teacher
Spring Creek El
Standard public school
673 students 16.7:1 students per teacher
Harmony School of Innovation - Garland
Standard public school
658 students 15.3:1 students per teacher
Educator & family resources
In-depth guides on understanding NCES data, school choice, and education funding.
Understanding NCES data
How CCD, CRDC and EDFacts feed every public-school number you see.
Choose a school district
Eight signals that matter more than the overall ranking number.
How schools are funded
Title I, F-33, state aid formulas and what per-pupil spending really means.
Chronic absenteeism
Why missing 10% of school matters and how it varies by district.
Magnet vs charter vs traditional
Three school types, three funding models, three sets of trade-offs.
School discipline data
What CRDC suspension and expulsion records do and don't reveal.
Frequently asked questions about Vista Academy of Garland
How many students attend Vista Academy of Garland?
Vista Academy of Garland has 227 students enrolled. It is a other school in GARLAND, TX.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Vista Academy of Garland?
The student-teacher ratio at Vista Academy of Garland is 13.4:1, which is 8% lower than the Texas average of 14.6:1 and 16% lower than the national average of 15.9:1. Lower ratios generally mean more individual attention per student.
What percentage of students receive free lunch at Vista Academy of Garland?
84.2% of students at Vista Academy of Garland are eligible for free lunch, compared to the Texas average of 61.9%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Vista Academy of Garland?
The largest demographic group at Vista Academy of Garland is Hispanic or Latino at 77.1%. The school serves a diverse student body in GARLAND, TX.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Vista Academy of Garland?
Vista Academy of Garland has a Resource Investment Index of 34/100 (F) based on 4 factors: student-teacher ratio, counselor availability, attendance rates. This index measures federal resource allocation — staffing levels, program availability, and support services — not standardized test scores or academic outcomes.