Enrollment
730
Texas · 2024-25 NCES data
Middle school (grades 6-8) · Zapata, TX
Zapata Middle
Federal NCES profile for Zapata Middle, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators - Resource Investment Index 45/100.
2024-25 NCES dataMiddle school (grades 6-8)NCES 484671005352
👥 S:T ratio 49
🌟 Gifted program 70
🎓 Counselors 61
📋 Attendance 0
Scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC indicators, resource allocation, not test scores. Full methodology →
The verdict
Zapata Middle earns 45/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes near the Texas median. It is also less racially and ethnically mixed than most Texas schools.
- #1 of 5
- public schools in Zapata · Resource Index
- 45
- Resource Index · Typical
- 12.8:1
- students per teacher
- 83.3%
- free-lunch eligible
Zapata Middle has class sizes near the Texas median. Computed live against every Texas school reporting to NCES.
By Resource Investment Index, Zapata Middle ranks #1 of 5 public schools in Zapata, TX.
School address
District: Zapata County Isd · Texas
NCES ID 484671005352 Verify on NCES CCD record →
Teachers (FTE)
57.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
12.8:1
vs 14.7:1 Texas avg
-13% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
83.3%
vs 61.9% Texas avg
+35% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Zapata Middle compares with Texas and U.S. medians
What stands out at Zapata Middle
Zapata Middle is a high-poverty, mid-sized middle school in Zapata, Texas, enrolling 730 students.
Class sizes run a bit leaner than typical: 12.8:1 puts it in the smaller third of Texas schools by student-teacher ratio.
Economic need runs somewhat above the state's typical profile, with 83.3% of students eligible for free meals.
Enrollment of 730 puts it in the larger third of Texas schools by headcount.
Its Resource Investment Index sits near the middle of the pack among 8,960 scored Texas schools.
Against 2,009 statewide peers matched on enrollment and economic need, it ranks in the upper tier at #326.
Its student body is predominantly Hispanic or Latino (100% of enrollment), among the less diverse in the state (diversity index 1/100).
Counselor coverage is strong, about 195 students per counselor, inside the American School Counselor Association's recommended 250:1.
Chronic absenteeism is elevated: 61.0% 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.
Discipline events run high: 158 in- and out-of-school suspensions were reported for 730 students in the 2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection.
Zapata County Isd also operates Zapata H S (1,065 students) and Zapata North El (571 students) alongside Zapata Middle.
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 Middle compares
Zapata Middle on the metrics families compare, against Texas and U.S. means.
| Metric | This school | vs Texas | Texas avg | U.S. avg |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Students per teacher | 12.8:1 | ▼ 13% | 14.7:1 | 15.7:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 83.3% | ▲ 35% | 61.9% | 51.7% |
| Enrollment | 730 | top 24% | - | - |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25
12.8:1
Leaner classes than 68% of US schools, among the more generously staffed nationally.
730
Bigger than 82% of US schools by enrollment, a large campus nationally.
Equity indicators (what these measure)
Economic need
83.3%
free-lunch eligible
- 35% 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
12.8:1
students per teacher
- 13% below state mean
Top 32% in Texas - lower ratio than 68% of state schools
Well under the widely cited 15:1 individualized-attention benchmark, among the leaner class loads nationally.
Engagement
61.0%
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
Counselors3.8 FTE
Per 195 students, the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
Discipline context
42
in-school suspensions + 116 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 5.8 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 21.6 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 99.5%
Two or More 0.3%
White 0.1%
African American 0.1%
Largest group: Hispanic or Latino at 99.5% of enrollment.
Student-body diversity index 1.0/100
Simpson diversity index - at 1.0, Zapata Middle is less mixed than the Texas school average of 44.7.
Programs
Gifted & talented Yes
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Zapata County Isd, which includes Zapata Middle.
$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 Middle Compares to District-Mates
| School | Enrollment | Economic Profile | Student-Teacher Ratio |
|---|---|---|---|
| Zapata H S | Larger | Similar economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| Zapata North El | Similar size | Similar economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| Fidel and Andrea R Villarreal El | Smaller | Similar economic need | Similar S:T ratio |
| Zapata South El | Smaller | Similar economic need | Similar S:T ratio |
| Benavides El | Smaller | Similar economic need | Lower S:T ratio |
Comparisons are relative to Zapata Middle's own figures; each column derives from NCES Common Core of Data.
Other Schools in This District
- Enrollment
- 1,065
- Students per teacher
- 14.8:1
- Resource Index
- 39/100
- 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 middle 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 (~730 students)
Similar student-teacher ratio (~12.8:1)
Next steps
Verify locally before acting on Zapata Middle's federal record.
- Compare Zapata Middle 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 Middle
How many students attend Zapata Middle?
Zapata Middle has 730 students enrolled. It is a middle school in Zapata, TX.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Zapata Middle?
The student-teacher ratio at Zapata Middle is 12.8:1, which is 13% lower than the Texas average of 14.7:1 and 18% 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 Zapata Middle?
83.3% of students at Zapata Middle are eligible for free lunch, compared to the Texas average of 61.9%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Zapata Middle?
The largest demographic group at Zapata Middle is Hispanic or Latino at 99.5% of enrollment, in Zapata, TX.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Zapata Middle?
Zapata Middle has a Resource Investment Index of 45/100 (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 Zapata Middle rank among public schools in Zapata?
By Resource Investment Index, Zapata Middle ranks #1 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 Middle a good school?
Zapata Middle earns 45/100 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 Middle, Zapata County Isd also operates Zapata H S (1,065 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.