Enrollment
280
Texas · 2024-25 NCES data
Other / mixed grade configuration · Saratoga, TX
West Hardin El
Federal NCES profile for West Hardin El, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators - Resource Investment Index 51/100.
2024-25 NCES dataOther / mixed grade configurationNCES 484500005126
👥 S:T ratio 55
🌟 Gifted program 70
📋 Attendance 28
Scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC indicators, resource allocation, not test scores. Full methodology →
The verdict
West Hardin El earns 51/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes smaller than 83% of Texas schools.
- 51
- Resource Index · Higher
- 11.2:1
- small classes for Texas
- 66.9%
- free-lunch eligible
- 280
- students enrolled
West Hardin El has class sizes smaller than 83% of Texas schools. Computed live against every Texas school reporting to NCES.
School address
District: West Hardin County Cisd · Texas
NCES ID 484500005126 Verify on NCES CCD record →
Teachers (FTE)
25.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
11.2:1
vs 14.7:1 Texas avg
-24% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
66.9%
vs 61.9% Texas avg
+8% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How West Hardin El compares with Texas and U.S. medians
What stands out at West Hardin El
West Hardin El is a higher-need, mid-sized combined-grade school in Saratoga, Texas, enrolling 280 students.
Class sizes run a bit leaner than typical: 11.2:1 puts it in the smaller third of Texas schools by student-teacher ratio.
Its free-meal eligibility rate of 66.9% lands close to the Texas typical range, neither a high- nor low-need campus by this measure.
Enrollment of 280 puts it in the smaller third of Texas schools by headcount.
Its Resource Investment Index lands in the upper third of 8,960 scored Texas schools.
Against 796 statewide peers matched on enrollment and economic need, it ranks in the upper tier at #313.
Its student body is predominantly White (86% of enrollment) (diversity index 25/100).
Chronic absenteeism is elevated: 28.6% of students missed 10% or more of school days (2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection).
West Hardin County Cisd also operates West Hardin H S (254 students) and Hardin Co Alternative Aep (1 students) alongside West Hardin El.
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 West Hardin El compares
West Hardin El on the metrics families compare, against Texas and U.S. means.
| Metric | This school | vs Texas | Texas avg | U.S. avg |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Students per teacher | 11.2:1 | ▼ 24% | 14.7:1 | 15.7:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 66.9% | ▲ 8% | 61.9% | 51.7% |
| Enrollment | 280 | top 77% | - | - |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25
11.2:1
Leaner classes than 82% of US schools, among the more generously staffed nationally.
280
Bigger than 29% of US schools by enrollment, mid-sized for the country.
Equity indicators (what these measure)
Economic need
66.9%
free-lunch eligible
- 8% 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
11.2:1
students per teacher
- 24% below state mean
Top 17% in Texas - lower ratio than 83% of state schools
Well under the widely cited 15:1 individualized-attention benchmark, among the leaner class loads nationally.
Engagement
28.6%
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
$14,083
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
Counselors0.0 FTE
Student-support staffing from the Civil Rights Data Collection.
Discipline context
42
in-school suspensions + 8 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 15.0 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 17.9 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
White 86.1%
Hispanic or Latino 8.9%
Two or More 5.0%
Largest group: White at 86.1% of enrollment.
Student-body diversity index 24.8/100
Simpson diversity index - at 24.8, West Hardin El is less mixed than the Texas school average of 44.7.
Programs
Gifted & talented Yes
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for West Hardin County Cisd, which includes West Hardin El.
$14,083
Per student
+3%
vs Texas
Avg $13,644
-15%
vs U.S.
Avg $16,593
Revenue mix
Local 32.9%
State 52.9%
Federal 14.2%
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.
How West Hardin El Compares to District-Mates
| School | Enrollment | Economic Profile | Student-Teacher Ratio |
|---|---|---|---|
| West Hardin H S | Similar size | Lower economic need | Similar S:T ratio |
| Hardin Co Alternative Aep | Smaller | No free-lunch data | No ratio data |
Comparisons are relative to West Hardin El's own figures; each column derives from NCES Common Core of Data.
Other Schools in This District
- Enrollment
- 254
- Students per teacher
- 10.2:1
- Resource Index
- 47/100
- Enrollment
- 1
- Students per teacher
- -
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 (~280 students)
Similar student-teacher ratio (~11.2:1)
Next steps
Verify locally before acting on West Hardin El's federal record.
- Compare West Hardin El against another school. Compare schools
- West Hardin County Cisd'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 West Hardin El
How many students attend West Hardin El?
West Hardin El has 280 students enrolled. It is a public school in Saratoga, TX.
What is the student-teacher ratio at West Hardin El?
The student-teacher ratio at West Hardin El is 11.2:1, which is 24% lower than the Texas average of 14.7:1 and 29% 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 West Hardin El?
66.9% of students at West Hardin El are eligible for free lunch, compared to the Texas average of 61.9%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of West Hardin El?
The largest demographic group at West Hardin El is White at 86.1% of enrollment, in Saratoga, TX.
What is the Resource Investment Index for West Hardin El?
West Hardin El has a Resource Investment Index of 51/100 (higher reported resources relative to schools nationally) based on 3 factors: student-teacher ratio, attendance rates. Not a test-score or academic measure (national median ~41/100, see methodology).
Is West Hardin El a good school?
West Hardin El earns 51/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes smaller than 83% 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 West Hardin County Cisd?
Besides West Hardin El, West Hardin County Cisd also operates West Hardin H S (254 students) and Hardin Co Alternative Aep (1 students). See the West Hardin County Cisd 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.