Enrollment
547
Texas · 2024-25 NCES data
2024-25 NCES data Middle school (grades 6-8) NCES 482364005501
Welch Middle — Houston, TX
Federal NCES profile for Welch Middle, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators — Resource Investment Index 25/100.
👥 Class size 28
🌟 Gifted program 70
🎓 Counselors 0
📋 Attendance 0
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: Houston Isd · 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)
36.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
17.9:1
vs 14.6:1 Texas avg
+23% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
96.0%
vs 61.9% Texas avg
+55% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Welch Middle 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
Welch Middle reports 547 enrolled students to the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) alongside 36.0 full-time-equivalent teachers, producing a 17.9:1 student-teacher ratio. That figure sits 23% above the Texas state mean of 14.6:1, signalling larger average class loads than peers in the same state. Against the national 2024-25 average of 15.9:1, it is 13% higher, a useful calibration for families comparing districts across state lines.
Title I and federal lunch eligibility offer another window into the student body: 96.0% of pupils qualify for free meals, a proxy for household income that federal programs use to direct funding. The free-lunch share is 55% above the Texas average and 85% above the national baseline. Counselor coverage works out to roughly 547 students per counselor, above the ASCA-recommended ceiling of 250:1. Chronic absenteeism — missing 10% or more of school days — stands at 48.8% according to the 2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection.
On the finance side, the surrounding Houston Isd spends $14,515 per pupil district-wide, below the Texas average of $17,150 and below the national average of $19,490. Revenue comes 68.8% from local sources (property taxes), 8.0% from the state, and 23.2% from federal programs per the NCES F-33 finance survey. Taken together, these measurements produce a Resource Investment Index of 25/100 (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 Welch Middle 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 | 17.9:1 | ▲ 23% | 14.6:1 | 15.9:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 96.0% | ▲ 55% | 61.9% | 51.8% |
| Enrollment | 547 | top 56% | — | — |
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
96.0%
free-lunch eligible
— 55% 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
17.9:1
students per teacher
— 23% above state mean
Top 89% in Texas — lower ratio than 11% of state schools
Between 15:1 and 20:1 — in line with the typical U.S. public-school staffing range.
Engagement
48.8%
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
$14,515
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 547 students — the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
Discipline context
44
in-school suspensions + 59 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 8.0 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 18.8 per 100 students. Reported via the Civil Rights Data Collection.
Overview
Enrollment 547 Top 56% in Texas — larger than 44% of 9,061 state schools
Teachers (FTE) 36.0
Students per teacher 17.9:1 +23% vs state
Free-lunch eligible 96.0% +55% vs state
NCES ID 482364005501
Student demographics
Hispanic or Latino 58.3%
African American 30.9%
Asian 7.9%
White 1.5%
Two or More 0.9%
American Indian / Alaska Native 0.4%
Native Hawaiian / Pacific Islander 0.2%
Largest group: Hispanic or Latino at 58.3% of enrollment.
Programs & staff
Gifted & talented Yes
Counselors (FTE) 1.0
Students per counselor 547:1
Discipline & special education
Chronically absent 48.8%
In-school suspensions 44
Out-of-school suspensions 59
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Houston Isd, which includes Welch Middle.
$14,515
Per student
-15%
vs Texas
Avg $17,150
-26%
vs U.S.
Avg $19,490
Revenue mix
Local 68.8%
State 8.0%
Federal 23.2%
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.
Other Schools in This District
- Enrollment
- 8,641
- Students per teacher
- 29:1
- Enrollment
- 3,216
- Students per teacher
- 18.3:1
- Enrollment
- 2,968
- Students per teacher
- 22:1
- Enrollment
- 2,729
- Students per teacher
- 18.5:1
- Enrollment
- 2,426
- Students per teacher
- 19.3:1
Similar middle schools in Houston
6 comparable middle schools (grades 6-8) serving the same city.
Lanier Middle
Standard public school
1,485 students 20.2:1 students per teacher
Aragon Middle
Standard public school
1,424 students 16.3:1 students per teacher
Burbank Middle
Standard public school
1,412 students 18.2:1 students per teacher
Cook Middle
Standard public school
1,375 students 15.7:1 students per teacher
Black Middle
Standard public school
1,364 students 19:1 students per teacher
C E King Middle
Standard public school
1,359 students 16.8:1 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 Welch Middle
How many students attend Welch Middle?
Welch Middle has 547 students enrolled. It is a middle school in HOUSTON, TX.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Welch Middle?
The student-teacher ratio at Welch Middle is 17.9:1, which is 23% higher than the Texas average of 14.6:1 and 13% higher than the national average of 15.9:1.
What percentage of students receive free lunch at Welch Middle?
96.0% of students at Welch Middle are eligible for free lunch, compared to the Texas average of 61.9%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Welch Middle?
The largest demographic group at Welch Middle is Hispanic or Latino at 58.3%. The school serves a diverse student body in HOUSTON, TX.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Welch Middle?
Welch Middle has a Resource Investment Index of 25/100 (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.