Enrollment
458
Texas · 2024-25 NCES data
Other / mixed grade configuration · Amarillo, TX
Wills El
Federal NCES profile for Wills El, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators - Resource Investment Index 42/100.
2024-25 NCES dataOther / mixed grade configurationNCES 480813000185
👥 S:T ratio 46
🌟 Gifted program 70
🎓 Counselors 8
📋 Attendance 44
Scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC indicators, resource allocation, not test scores. Full methodology →
The verdict
Wills El earns 42/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes near the Texas median. It is also more racially and ethnically mixed than most Texas schools.
- #30 of 46
- schools in Amarillo · Resource Index
- 42
- Resource Index · Typical
- 13.5:1
- students per teacher
- 86.3%
- free-lunch eligible
Wills El has class sizes near the Texas median. Computed live against every Texas school reporting to NCES.
By Resource Investment Index, Wills El ranks #30 of 46 schools in Amarillo, TX.
School address
Teachers (FTE)
34.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
13.5:1
vs 14.7:1 Texas avg
-8% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
86.3%
vs 61.9% Texas avg
+39% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Wills El compares with Texas and U.S. medians
What stands out at Wills El
Wills El is a high-poverty, mid-sized combined-grade school in Amarillo, Texas, enrolling 458 students.
Class sizes run a bit leaner than typical: 13.5:1 puts it in the smaller third of Texas schools by student-teacher ratio.
Economic need runs somewhat above the state's typical profile, with 86.3% of students eligible for free meals.
With 458 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 1,968 statewide peers matched on enrollment and economic need, it ranks in the upper tier at #701.
Its student body is led by Hispanic or Latino (29%) and Asian (25%), more mixed than most schools in the state (diversity index 76/100).
Counselor access is stretched at roughly 458 students per counselor, well above the ASCA-recommended 250:1 ceiling.
Attendance runs somewhat below the norm, with 22.3% 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 Wills 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 Wills El compares
Wills 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 | 13.5:1 | ▼ 8% | 14.7:1 | 15.7:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 86.3% | ▲ 39% | 61.9% | 51.7% |
| Enrollment | 458 | top 56% | - | - |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25
13.5:1
Leaner classes than 62% of US schools, a middle-of-the-pack class size.
458
Bigger than 56% of US schools by enrollment, mid-sized for the country.
Equity indicators (what these measure)
Economic need
86.3%
free-lunch eligible
- 39% 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
13.5:1
students per teacher
- 8% below state mean
Top 40% in Texas - lower ratio than 60% of state schools
Close to the 15:1 benchmark most often cited for individualized attention.
Engagement
22.3%
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 458 students, the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
Discipline context
23
in-school suspensions + 7 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 5.0 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 6.6 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 29.0%
Asian 25.3%
African American 22.5%
White 19.9%
Two or More 3.1%
American Indian / Alaska Native 0.2%
Largest group: Hispanic or Latino at 29.0% of enrollment.
Student-body diversity index 76.1/100
Simpson diversity index - at 76.1, Wills El is more mixed than the Texas school average of 44.7.
Programs
Gifted & talented Yes
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Amarillo Isd, which includes Wills 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 Wills 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 Wills 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 (~458 students)
Next steps
Verify locally before acting on Wills El's federal record.
- Compare Wills 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 Wills El
How many students attend Wills El?
Wills El has 458 students enrolled. It is a public school in Amarillo, TX.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Wills El?
The student-teacher ratio at Wills El is 13.5:1, which is 8% lower than the Texas average of 14.7:1 and 14% 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 Wills El?
86.3% of students at Wills El are eligible for free lunch, compared to the Texas average of 61.9%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Wills El?
The largest demographic group at Wills El is Hispanic or Latino at 29.0% of enrollment, in Amarillo, TX. Its student body is more racially and ethnically mixed than most US schools, with a diversity index of 76.1/100.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Wills El?
Wills El has a Resource Investment Index of 42/100 (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 Wills El rank among schools in Amarillo?
By Resource Investment Index, Wills El ranks #30 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 Wills El a good school?
Wills El earns 42/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes near the Texas median. It is also more racially and ethnically mixed than most 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 Amarillo Isd?
Besides Wills 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.