Enrollment
1,065
Texas · 2024-25 NCES data
High school (grades 9-12) · Zapata, TX
Zapata H S
Federal NCES profile for Zapata H S, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators - Resource Investment Index 39/100.
2024-25 NCES dataHigh school (grades 9-12)NCES 484671005351
👥 S:T ratio 41
📚 AP courses 35
🌟 Gifted program 70
🎓 Counselors 47
📋 Attendance 0
Scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC indicators, resource allocation, not test scores. Full methodology →
The verdict
Zapata H S earns 39/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes near the Texas median. It is also less racially and ethnically mixed than most Texas schools.
- #2 of 5
- public schools in Zapata · Resource Index
- 39
- Resource Index · Typical
- 14.8:1
- students per teacher
- 86.7%
- free-lunch eligible
Zapata H S has class sizes near the Texas median. Computed live against every Texas school reporting to NCES.
By Resource Investment Index, Zapata H S ranks #2 of 5 public schools in Zapata, TX.
School address
District: Zapata County Isd · Texas
NCES ID 484671005351 Verify on NCES CCD record →
Teachers (FTE)
72.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
14.8:1
vs 14.7:1 Texas avg
+1% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
86.7%
vs 61.9% Texas avg
+40% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Zapata H S compares with Texas and U.S. medians
What stands out at Zapata H S
Zapata H S is a high-poverty, large high school in Zapata, Texas, enrolling 1,065 students.
At 14.8:1, its student-teacher ratio sits close to the Texas median, within a few percentage points of the 14.7:1 state norm, neither notably crowded nor notably small.
Economic need runs somewhat above the state's typical profile, with 86.7% of students eligible for free meals.
By headcount it is one of the larger campuses in Texas, bigger than 90% of state schools at 1,065 students.
Its Resource Investment Index lands in the lower third of 8,960 scored Texas schools.
Against 865 statewide peers matched on enrollment and economic need, it ranks mid-pack at #382.
Its student body is predominantly Hispanic or Latino (99% of enrollment), among the less diverse in the state (diversity index 2/100).
On the academic-pipeline side it reports 7 Advanced Placement courses.
Counselor coverage runs a bit thin, about 266 students per counselor, somewhat past the ASCA-recommended 250:1 benchmark.
Chronic absenteeism is elevated: 44.4% of students missed 10% or more of school days (2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection).
Its district draws 27.3% of revenue from federal sources, an above-typical federal share that tends to track a higher-need student population.
Zapata County Isd also operates Zapata Middle (730 students) and Zapata North El (571 students) alongside Zapata H S.
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 Zapata H S compares
Zapata H S on the metrics families compare, against Texas and U.S. means.
| Metric | This school | vs Texas | Texas avg | U.S. avg |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Students per teacher | 14.8:1 | ▲ 1% | 14.7:1 | 15.7:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 86.7% | ▲ 40% | 61.9% | 51.7% |
| Enrollment | 1,065 | top 10% | - | - |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25
14.8:1
Leaner classes than 49% of US schools, a middle-of-the-pack class size.
1,065
Bigger than 92% of US schools by enrollment, a large campus nationally.
Equity indicators (what these measure)
Economic need
86.7%
free-lunch eligible
- 40% 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
14.8:1
students per teacher
- 1% above state mean
Top 57% in Texas - lower ratio than 43% of state schools
Close to the 15:1 benchmark most often cited for individualized attention.
Engagement
44.4%
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
$12,744
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
Counselors4.0 FTE
Per 266 students, the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
Discipline context
26
in-school suspensions + 88 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 2.4 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 10.7 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 99.2%
White 0.6%
Asian 0.2%
Largest group: Hispanic or Latino at 99.2% of enrollment.
Student-body diversity index 1.6/100
Simpson diversity index - at 1.6, Zapata H S is less mixed than the Texas school average of 44.7.
Programs
AP courses offered 7
Gifted & talented Yes
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Zapata County Isd, which includes Zapata H S.
$12,744
Per student
-7%
vs Texas
Avg $13,644
-23%
vs U.S.
Avg $16,593
Revenue mix
Local 30.5%
State 42.2%
Federal 27.3%
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 Zapata H S Compares to District-Mates
| School | Enrollment | Economic Profile | Student-Teacher Ratio |
|---|---|---|---|
| Zapata Middle | Smaller | Similar economic need | Lower S:T ratio |
| Zapata North El | Smaller | Similar economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| Fidel and Andrea R Villarreal El | Smaller | Similar economic need | Lower S:T ratio |
| Zapata South El | Smaller | Similar economic need | Lower S:T ratio |
| Benavides El | Smaller | Similar economic need | Lower S:T ratio |
Comparisons are relative to Zapata H S's own figures; each column derives from NCES Common Core of Data.
Other Schools in This District
- Enrollment
- 730
- Students per teacher
- 12.8:1
- Resource Index
- 45/100
- Enrollment
- 571
- Students per teacher
- 16.3:1
- Resource Index
- 26/100
- Enrollment
- 445
- Students per teacher
- 13.1:1
- Resource Index
- 32/100
- Enrollment
- 428
- Students per teacher
- 12.6:1
- Resource Index
- 34/100
- Enrollment
- 51
- Students per teacher
- 8.5:1
- Resource Index
- 45/100
Similar high 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 (~1,065 students)
Similar student-teacher ratio (~14.8:1)
Next steps
Verify locally before acting on Zapata H S's federal record.
- Compare Zapata H S against another school. Compare schools
- Zapata County 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 Zapata H S
How many students attend Zapata H S?
Zapata H S has 1,065 students enrolled. It is a high school in Zapata, TX.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Zapata H S?
The student-teacher ratio at Zapata H S is 14.8:1, which is 1% higher than the Texas average of 14.7:1 and 6% lower than the national average of 15.7:1.
What percentage of students receive free lunch at Zapata H S?
86.7% of students at Zapata H S are eligible for free lunch, compared to the Texas average of 61.9%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Zapata H S?
The largest demographic group at Zapata H S is Hispanic or Latino at 99.2% of enrollment, in Zapata, TX.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Zapata H S?
Zapata H S has a Resource Investment Index of 39/100 (typical reported resources relative to schools nationally) based on 5 factors: student-teacher ratio, AP course offerings, counselor availability, attendance rates. Not a test-score or academic measure (national median ~41/100, see methodology).
How does Zapata H S rank among public schools in Zapata?
By Resource Investment Index, Zapata H S ranks #2 of 5 public schools in Zapata, 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 Zapata on the city page.
Is Zapata H S a good school?
Zapata H S earns 39/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes near the Texas median. It is also less 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 Zapata County Isd?
Besides Zapata H S, Zapata County Isd also operates Zapata Middle (730 students), Zapata North El (571 students), and Fidel and Andrea R Villarreal El (445 students). See the Zapata County 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.