Enrollment
687
Texas · 2024-25 NCES data
2024-25 NCES data Other / mixed grade configuration NCES 484296007956
Willow Creek El — Tomball, TX
Federal NCES profile for Willow Creek El, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators — Resource Investment Index 46/100.
👥 Class size 41
🌟 Gifted program 70
🎓 Counselors 0
📋 Attendance 74
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 →
The verdict
Willow Creek El earns a D Resource Investment Index (46/100), with class sizes near the Texas median.
- D
- Resource Index · 46/100
- 14.7:1
- students per teacher
- 32.4%
- free-lunch eligible
- 687
- students enrolled
School address
District: Tomball 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)
51.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
14.7:1
vs 14.6:1 Texas avg
+1% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
32.4%
vs 61.9% Texas avg
-48% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Willow Creek El 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
Willow Creek El reports 687 enrolled students to the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) alongside 51.0 full-time-equivalent teachers, producing a 14.7:1 student-teacher ratio. That figure sits 1% 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 15.7:1, it is 6% lower, a useful calibration for families comparing districts across state lines.
Title I and federal lunch eligibility offer another window into the student body: 32.4% of pupils qualify for free meals, a proxy for household income that federal programs use to direct funding. The free-lunch share is 48% below the Texas average and 37% below the national baseline. Counselor coverage works out to roughly 687 students per counselor, above the ASCA-recommended ceiling of 250:1. Chronic absenteeism — missing 10% or more of school days — stands at 10.3% according to the 2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection.
On the finance side, the surrounding Tomball Isd spends $9,471 per pupil district-wide, below the Texas average of $13,644 and below the national average of $16,593. Revenue comes 67.8% from local sources (property taxes), 23.1% from the state, and 9.1% from federal programs per the NCES F-33 finance survey. Taken together, these measurements produce a Resource Investment Index of 46/100 (D), 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 Willow Creek El 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 | 14.7:1 | ▲ 1% | 14.6:1 | 15.7:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 32.4% | ▼ 48% | 61.9% | 51.8% |
| Enrollment | 687 | top 72% | — | — |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25
Class size vs. every US school
Students per teacher (lower means more individual attention)
15 smaller classes than 52% of 92,598 US schools
Each bar is a band; taller bars hold more US schools. The dashed line + filled bar mark this entry. Hover or tap any bar for its full count, share, and where it sits relative to this entry.
Source U.S. Department of Education — NCES Common Core of Data · 2024-25
School size vs. every US school
Total enrollment — where this school sits by size (neither large nor small is 'better')
687 larger than 79% of 95,891 US schools
Each bar is a band; taller bars hold more US schools. The dashed line + filled bar mark this entry. Hover or tap any bar for its full count, share, and where it sits relative to this entry.
Source U.S. Department of Education — NCES Common Core of Data · 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
32.4%
free-lunch eligible
— 48% below the Texas average of 61.9%
Below the 40% Title I threshold — federal aid targets individual qualifying students rather than schoolwide programs.
Staffing depth
14.7:1
students per teacher
— 1% above state mean
Top 52% in Texas — lower ratio than 48% of state schools
Below the 15:1 benchmark — typical of schools with smaller class sizes and more individualized attention.
Engagement
10.3%
chronically absent (missed 10%+ of school days)
Between 10–20% — above the pre-pandemic baseline of ~15% nationally but within the current U.S. range.
Funding equity
$9,471
per pupil, district-wide
— below Texas avg of $13,644
Below the U.S. average per-pupil spend — funding constraints may affect programs, facilities, and staffing.
Support staff
Counselors1.0 FTE
Per 687 students — the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
Discipline context
0
in-school suspensions + 0 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 0.0 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 0.0 per 100 students. Reported via the Civil Rights Data Collection.
Overview
Enrollment 687 Top 72% in Texas — larger than 28% of 9,061 state schools
Teachers (FTE) 51.0
Students per teacher 14.7:1 +1% vs state
Free-lunch eligible 32.4% -48% vs state
NCES ID 484296007956
Student demographics
White 41.3%
Hispanic or Latino 23.9%
Asian 21.5%
African American 9.8%
Two or More 3.3%
American Indian / Alaska Native 0.1%
Largest group: White at 41.3% of enrollment.
Programs & staff
Gifted & talented Yes
Counselors (FTE) 1.0
Students per counselor 687:1
Discipline & special education
Chronically absent 10.3%
In-school suspensions 0
Out-of-school suspensions 0
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Tomball Isd, which includes Willow Creek El.
$9,471
Per student
-31%
vs Texas
Avg $13,644
-43%
vs U.S.
Avg $16,593
Revenue mix
Local 67.8%
State 23.1%
Federal 9.1%
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.
Other Schools in This District
- Enrollment
- 3,227
- Students per teacher
- 18:1
- Enrollment
- 3,213
- Students per teacher
- 17.7:1
- Enrollment
- 1,219
- Students per teacher
- 19.4:1
- Enrollment
- 1,179
- Students per teacher
- 14.1:1
- Enrollment
- 1,015
- Students per teacher
- 16.2:1
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.
Before you act on this record
Treat this page as the federal baseline — then verify locally.
- Compare Willow Creek El side-by-side with another school you're considering on the same NCES measures. Compare schools
- Read the district context — spending per pupil, staffing, and equity ranking are district-level decisions that shape this school. District profile
- Confirm current enrollment windows, programs, and boundaries with the school directly — federal data lags the current school year. Choosing guide
Figures are the school's reported federal record (CCD 2024-25, CRDC 2021-22) — coverage varies by entity type, and PlainSchools does not rate or rank schools.
Frequently asked questions about Willow Creek El
How many students attend Willow Creek El?
Willow Creek El has 687 students enrolled. It is a other school in Tomball, TX.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Willow Creek El?
The student-teacher ratio at Willow Creek El is 14.7:1, which is 1% higher than the Texas average of 14.6:1 and 6% lower than the national average of 15.7:1.
What percentage of students receive free lunch at Willow Creek El?
32.4% of students at Willow Creek El are eligible for free lunch, compared to the Texas average of 61.9%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Willow Creek El?
The largest demographic group at Willow Creek El is White at 41.3%. The school serves a diverse student body in Tomball, TX.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Willow Creek El?
Willow Creek El has a Resource Investment Index of 46/100 (D) 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.
Is Willow Creek El a good school?
Willow Creek El earns a D Resource Investment Index (46/100), with class sizes near the Texas median. The Resource Investment Index reflects staffing, counselor access, gifted programs, and attendance reported to NCES, not test scores or academic outcomes, so treat it as a resource snapshot rather than an overall rating.