Enrollment
440
Texas · 2024-25 NCES data
Other / mixed grade configuration · Amarillo, TX
Whittier El
Federal NCES profile for Whittier El, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators - Resource Investment Index 44/100.
2024-25 NCES dataOther / mixed grade configurationNCES 480813000184
👥 S:T ratio 47
🌟 Gifted program 70
🎓 Counselors 12
📋 Attendance 47
Scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC indicators, resource allocation, not test scores. Full methodology →
The verdict
Whittier El earns 44/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes near the Texas median.
- #26 of 46
- schools in Amarillo · Resource Index
- 44
- Resource Index · Typical
- 13.3:1
- students per teacher
- 87.6%
- free-lunch eligible
Whittier El has class sizes near the Texas median. Computed live against every Texas school reporting to NCES.
By Resource Investment Index, Whittier El ranks #26 of 46 schools in Amarillo, TX.
School address
Teachers (FTE)
33.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
13.3:1
vs 14.7:1 Texas avg
-10% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
87.6%
vs 61.9% Texas avg
+42% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Whittier El compares with Texas and U.S. medians
What stands out at Whittier El
Whittier El is a high-poverty, mid-sized combined-grade school in Amarillo, Texas, enrolling 440 students.
Class sizes run a bit leaner than typical: 13.3:1 puts it in the smaller third of Texas schools by student-teacher ratio.
Economic need runs somewhat above the state's typical profile, with 87.6% of students eligible for free meals.
With 440 students, its enrollment sits close to the Texas median campus size.
Its Resource Investment Index sits near the middle of the pack among 8,960 scored Texas schools.
Against 1,852 statewide peers matched on enrollment and economic need, it ranks in the upper tier at #490.
Its student body is led by Hispanic or Latino (72%) and White (12%) (diversity index 45/100).
Counselor access is stretched at roughly 440 students per counselor, well above the ASCA-recommended 250:1 ceiling.
Attendance runs somewhat below the norm, with 21.4% of students chronically absent per the 2021-22 civil-rights collection.
Its district draws 20.1% of revenue from federal sources, an above-typical federal share that tends to track a higher-need student population.
Amarillo Isd also operates Tascosa H S (2,176 students) and Amarillo H S (2,161 students) alongside Whittier 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 Whittier El compares
Whittier 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 | 13.3:1 | ▼ 10% | 14.7:1 | 15.7:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 87.6% | ▲ 42% | 61.9% | 51.7% |
| Enrollment | 440 | top 58% | - | - |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25
13.3:1
Leaner classes than 64% of US schools, a middle-of-the-pack class size.
440
Bigger than 53% of US schools by enrollment, mid-sized for the country.
Equity indicators (what these measure)
Economic need
87.6%
free-lunch eligible
- 42% 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
13.3:1
students per teacher
- 10% below state mean
Top 38% in Texas - lower ratio than 62% of state schools
Close to the 15:1 benchmark most often cited for individualized attention.
Engagement
21.4%
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
$11,667
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 440 students, the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
Discipline context
54
in-school suspensions + 8 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 12.3 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 14.1 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 72.3%
White 12.0%
African American 7.7%
Asian 6.1%
Two or More 1.1%
American Indian / Alaska Native 0.7%
Largest group: Hispanic or Latino at 72.3% of enrollment.
Student-body diversity index 45.3/100
Simpson diversity index - at 45.3, Whittier El is about as mixed as the Texas school average of 44.7.
Programs
Gifted & talented Yes
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Amarillo Isd, which includes Whittier El.
$11,667
Per student
-14%
vs Texas
Avg $13,644
-30%
vs U.S.
Avg $16,593
Revenue mix
Local 30.4%
State 49.5%
Federal 20.1%
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 Whittier El Compares to District-Mates
| School | Enrollment | Economic Profile | Student-Teacher Ratio |
|---|---|---|---|
| Tascosa H S | Larger | Lower economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| Amarillo H S | Larger | Lower economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| Caprock H S | Larger | Lower economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| Palo Duro H S | Larger | Lower economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| Bonham Middle | Larger | Lower economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
Comparisons are relative to Whittier El's own figures; each column derives from NCES Common Core of Data.
Other Schools in This District
- Enrollment
- 2,176
- Students per teacher
- 16.5:1
- Resource Index
- 29/100
- Enrollment
- 2,161
- Students per teacher
- 17.2:1
- Resource Index
- 39/100
- Enrollment
- 2,058
- Students per teacher
- 15.6:1
- Resource Index
- 27/100
- Enrollment
- 1,949
- Students per teacher
- 15.5:1
- Resource Index
- 33/100
- Enrollment
- 892
- Students per teacher
- 19:1
- Resource Index
- 47/100
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 (~440 students)
Similar student-teacher ratio (~13.3:1)
Next steps
Verify locally before acting on Whittier El's federal record.
- Compare Whittier El against another school. Compare schools
- Amarillo 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 Whittier El
How many students attend Whittier El?
Whittier El has 440 students enrolled. It is a public school in Amarillo, TX.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Whittier El?
The student-teacher ratio at Whittier El is 13.3:1, which is 10% lower than the Texas average of 14.7:1 and 15% 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 Whittier El?
87.6% of students at Whittier El are eligible for free lunch, compared to the Texas average of 61.9%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Whittier El?
The largest demographic group at Whittier El is Hispanic or Latino at 72.3% of enrollment, in Amarillo, TX.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Whittier El?
Whittier El has a Resource Investment Index of 44/100 (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 Whittier El rank among schools in Amarillo?
By Resource Investment Index, Whittier El ranks #26 of 46 schools in Amarillo, TX. This compares federal resource and staffing data among local peers; it is not a test-score or academic ranking. See all schools in Amarillo on the city page.
Is Whittier El a good school?
Whittier El earns 44/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes near the Texas median. 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 Amarillo Isd?
Besides Whittier El, Amarillo Isd also operates Tascosa H S (2,176 students), Amarillo H S (2,161 students), and Caprock H S (2,058 students). See the Amarillo 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.