Enrollment
478
Texas · 2024-25 NCES data
Elementary school (grades K-5) · Wharton, TX
Wharton El
Federal NCES profile for Wharton El, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators - Resource Investment Index 33/100.
2024-25 NCES dataElementary school (grades K-5)NCES 484538012197
👥 S:T ratio 20
🌟 Gifted program 70
🎓 Counselors 4
📋 Attendance 39
Scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC indicators, resource allocation, not test scores. Full methodology →
The verdict
Wharton El earns 33/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes larger than 92% of Texas schools.
- #3 of 4
- public schools in Wharton · Resource Index
- 33
- Resource Index · Typical
- 19.9:1
- large classes for Texas
- 73.3%
- free-lunch eligible
Wharton El has class sizes larger than 92% of Texas schools. Computed live against every Texas school reporting to NCES.
By Resource Investment Index, Wharton El ranks #3 of 4 public schools in Wharton, TX.
School address
Teachers (FTE)
24.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
19.9:1
vs 14.7:1 Texas avg
+35% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
73.3%
vs 61.9% Texas avg
+18% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Wharton El compares with Texas and U.S. medians
What stands out at Wharton El
Wharton El is a higher-need, mid-sized elementary school in Wharton, Texas, enrolling 478 students.
Class loads run heavy: 19.9:1 is larger than about 92% of Texas schools and 35% above the 14.7:1 state mean, so each teacher carries more students than is typical.
Economic need runs somewhat above the state's typical profile, with 73.3% of students eligible for free meals.
With 478 students, its enrollment sits close to the Texas median campus size.
Its Resource Investment Index lands in the lower third of 8,960 scored Texas schools.
Among 1,845 similarly sized, similarly resourced-need Texas schools statewide, it ranks #1,506, in the lower tier once campus size and economic need are matched.
Its student body is led by Hispanic or Latino (64%) and African American (23%) (diversity index 53/100).
Counselor access is stretched at roughly 478 students per counselor, well above the ASCA-recommended 250:1 ceiling.
Attendance runs somewhat below the norm, with 24.5% of students chronically absent per the 2021-22 civil-rights collection.
Its district draws 18.0% of revenue from federal sources, an above-typical federal share that tends to track a higher-need student population.
The federal civil-rights collection also records 1 expulsion at this campus for 2021-22.
Wharton Isd also operates Wharton H S (566 students) and C G Sivells El (399 students) alongside Wharton 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 Wharton El compares
Wharton 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 | 19.9:1 | ▲ 35% | 14.7:1 | 15.7:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 73.3% | ▲ 18% | 61.9% | 51.7% |
| Enrollment | 478 | top 53% | - | - |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25
19.9:1
Leaner classes than 16% of US schools, heavier class loads than most.
478
Bigger than 59% of US schools by enrollment, mid-sized for the country.
Equity indicators (what these measure)
Economic need
73.3%
free-lunch eligible
- 18% 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
19.9:1
students per teacher
- 35% above state mean
Top 92% in Texas - lower ratio than 8% of state schools
Between 16:1 and 20:1, squarely in the typical U.S. public-school staffing range.
Engagement
24.5%
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
$11,733
per pupil, district-wide
- below Texas avg of $13,644
Well below the U.S. average per-pupil spend, a notably leaner funding position that may affect programs, facilities, and staffing.
Support staff
Counselors1.0 FTE
Per 478 students, the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
Discipline context
41
in-school suspensions + 46 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 8.6 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 18.2 per 100 students. Reported via the Civil Rights Data Collection. Includes 1 expulsion.
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 64.0%
African American 22.6%
White 10.3%
Two or More 1.7%
Asian 1.0%
American Indian / Alaska Native 0.4%
Largest group: Hispanic or Latino at 64.0% of enrollment.
Student-body diversity index 52.8/100
Simpson diversity index - at 52.8, Wharton El is more mixed than the Texas school average of 44.7.
Programs
Gifted & talented Yes
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Wharton Isd, which includes Wharton El.
$11,733
Per student
-14%
vs Texas
Avg $13,644
-29%
vs U.S.
Avg $16,593
Revenue mix
Local 62.3%
State 19.7%
Federal 18.0%
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 Wharton El Compares to District-Mates
| School | Enrollment | Economic Profile | Student-Teacher Ratio |
|---|---|---|---|
| Wharton H S | Similar size | Similar economic need | Lower S:T ratio |
| C G Sivells El | Similar size | Higher economic need | Similar S:T ratio |
| Wharton J H | Smaller | Similar economic need | Lower S:T ratio |
Comparisons are relative to Wharton El's own figures; each column derives from NCES Common Core of Data.
Other Schools in This District
- Enrollment
- 566
- Students per teacher
- 12.3:1
- Resource Index
- 30/100
- Enrollment
- 399
- Students per teacher
- 19:1
- Resource Index
- 39/100
- Enrollment
- 324
- Students per teacher
- 9.3:1
- Resource Index
- 42/100
Similar elementary 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 (~478 students)
Next steps
Verify locally before acting on Wharton El's federal record.
- Compare Wharton El against another school. Compare schools
- Wharton 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 Wharton El
How many students attend Wharton El?
Wharton El has 478 students enrolled. It is an elementary school in Wharton, TX.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Wharton El?
The student-teacher ratio at Wharton El is 19.9:1, which is 35% higher than the Texas average of 14.7:1 and 27% higher than the national average of 15.7:1.
What percentage of students receive free lunch at Wharton El?
73.3% of students at Wharton El are eligible for free lunch, compared to the Texas average of 61.9%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Wharton El?
The largest demographic group at Wharton El is Hispanic or Latino at 64.0% of enrollment, in Wharton, TX. Its student body is more racially and ethnically mixed than most US schools, with a diversity index of 52.8/100.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Wharton El?
Wharton El has a Resource Investment Index of 33/100 (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 Wharton El rank among public schools in Wharton?
By Resource Investment Index, Wharton El ranks #3 of 4 public schools in Wharton, TX. This compares federal resource and staffing data among local peers; it is not a test-score or academic ranking. See all public schools in Wharton on the city page.
Is Wharton El a good school?
Wharton El earns 33/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes larger than 92% 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 Wharton Isd?
Besides Wharton El, Wharton Isd also operates Wharton H S (566 students), C G Sivells El (399 students), and Wharton J H (324 students). See the Wharton 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.