Enrollment
332
Texas · 2024-25 NCES data
Other / mixed grade configuration · Harlingen, TX
Zavala El
Federal NCES profile for Zavala El, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators - Resource Investment Index 45/100.
2024-25 NCES dataOther / mixed grade configurationNCES 482253002292
👥 S:T ratio 37
🌟 Gifted program 70
🎓 Counselors 46
📋 Attendance 26
Scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC indicators, resource allocation, not test scores. Full methodology →
The verdict
Zavala El 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.
- #8 of 21
- schools in Harlingen · Resource Index
- 45
- Resource Index · Typical
- 15.8:1
- students per teacher
- 93.6%
- free-lunch eligible
Zavala El has class sizes near the Texas median. Computed live against every Texas school reporting to NCES.
By Resource Investment Index, Zavala El ranks #8 of 21 schools in Harlingen, TX.
School address
District: Harlingen Cisd · Texas
NCES ID 482253002292 Verify on NCES CCD record →
Teachers (FTE)
21.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
15.8:1
vs 14.7:1 Texas avg
+7% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
93.6%
vs 61.9% Texas avg
+51% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Zavala El compares with Texas and U.S. medians
What stands out at Zavala El
Zavala El is a high-poverty, mid-sized combined-grade school in Harlingen, Texas, enrolling 332 students.
Class loads run somewhat heavier than typical: 15.8:1 puts it in the larger third of Texas schools by student-teacher ratio.
Economic need is high: 93.6% of students qualify for free meals, 51% above the Texas average, a Title I-weighted population that federal funding formulas prioritise.
Enrollment of 332 puts it in the smaller third of Texas schools by headcount.
Its Resource Investment Index sits near the middle of the pack among 8,960 scored Texas schools.
Against 1,028 statewide peers matched on enrollment and economic need, it ranks in the upper tier at #281.
Its student body is predominantly Hispanic or Latino (95% of enrollment), among the less diverse in the state (diversity index 10/100).
Counselor coverage runs a bit thin, about 268 students per counselor, somewhat past the ASCA-recommended 250:1 benchmark.
Chronic absenteeism is elevated: 29.8% of students missed 10% or more of school days (2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection).
Its district draws 25.6% of revenue from federal sources, an above-typical federal share that tends to track a higher-need student population.
Harlingen Cisd also operates Harlingen H S (2,433 students) and Harlingen H S - South (2,019 students) alongside Zavala 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 Zavala El compares
Zavala 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 | 15.8:1 | ▲ 7% | 14.7:1 | 15.7:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 93.6% | ▲ 51% | 61.9% | 51.7% |
| Enrollment | 332 | top 72% | - | - |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25
15.8:1
Leaner classes than 40% of US schools, a middle-of-the-pack class size.
332
Bigger than 37% of US schools by enrollment, mid-sized for the country.
Equity indicators (what these measure)
Economic need
93.6%
free-lunch eligible
- 51% above the Texas average of 61.9%
Well above the 40% Title I schoolwide threshold, among the highest-need profiles in the state; federal funds support the whole school, not individual students.
Staffing depth
15.8:1
students per teacher
- 7% above state mean
Top 69% in Texas - lower ratio than 31% of state schools
Close to the 15:1 benchmark most often cited for individualized attention.
Engagement
29.8%
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
$12,718
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
Counselors1.2 FTE
Per 268 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
- 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 94.9%
White 4.5%
Asian 0.3%
Two or More 0.3%
Largest group: Hispanic or Latino at 94.9% of enrollment.
Student-body diversity index 9.7/100
Simpson diversity index - at 9.7, Zavala El is less mixed than the Texas school average of 44.7.
Programs
Gifted & talented Yes
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Harlingen Cisd, which includes Zavala El.
$12,718
Per student
-7%
vs Texas
Avg $13,644
-23%
vs U.S.
Avg $16,593
Revenue mix
Local 21.8%
State 52.6%
Federal 25.6%
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 Zavala El Compares to District-Mates
| School | Enrollment | Economic Profile | Student-Teacher Ratio |
|---|---|---|---|
| Harlingen H S | Larger | Lower economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| Harlingen H S - South | Larger | Lower economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| Dr Abraham P Cano Freshman Academy | Larger | Lower economic need | Similar S:T ratio |
| Moises Vela Middle | Larger | Lower economic need | Lower S:T ratio |
| Treasure Hills El | Larger | Lower economic need | Similar S:T ratio |
Comparisons are relative to Zavala El's own figures; each column derives from NCES Common Core of Data.
Other Schools in This District
- Enrollment
- 2,433
- Students per teacher
- 17.9:1
- Resource Index
- 41/100
- Enrollment
- 2,019
- Students per teacher
- 18.4:1
- Resource Index
- 49/100
- Enrollment
- 1,188
- Students per teacher
- 16.5:1
- Resource Index
- 45/100
- Enrollment
- 761
- Students per teacher
- 14.1:1
- Resource Index
- 50/100
- Enrollment
- 758
- Students per teacher
- 14.6:1
- Resource Index
- 31/100
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 (~332 students)
Similar student-teacher ratio (~15.8:1)
Next steps
Verify locally before acting on Zavala El's federal record.
- Compare Zavala El against another school. Compare schools
- Harlingen Cisd'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 Zavala El
How many students attend Zavala El?
Zavala El has 332 students enrolled. It is a public school in Harlingen, TX.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Zavala El?
The student-teacher ratio at Zavala El is 15.8:1, which is 7% higher than the Texas average of 14.7:1 and 1% higher than the national average of 15.7:1.
What percentage of students receive free lunch at Zavala El?
93.6% of students at Zavala El are eligible for free lunch, compared to the Texas average of 61.9%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Zavala El?
The largest demographic group at Zavala El is Hispanic or Latino at 94.9% of enrollment, in Harlingen, TX.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Zavala El?
Zavala El 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 Zavala El rank among schools in Harlingen?
By Resource Investment Index, Zavala El ranks #8 of 21 schools in Harlingen, TX. This compares federal resource and staffing data among local peers; it is not a test-score or academic ranking. See all schools in Harlingen on the city page.
Is Zavala El a good school?
Zavala El 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 Harlingen Cisd?
Besides Zavala El, Harlingen Cisd also operates Harlingen H S (2,433 students), Harlingen H S - South (2,019 students), and Dr Abraham P Cano Freshman Academy (1,188 students). See the Harlingen Cisd 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.