Enrollment
506
Texas · 2024-25 NCES data
Other / mixed grade configuration · Austin, TX
Zilker El
Federal NCES profile for Zilker El, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators - Resource Investment Index 41/100.
2024-25 NCES dataOther / mixed grade configurationNCES 480894000369
👥 S:T ratio 30
🌟 Gifted program 70
🎓 Counselors 0
📋 Attendance 63
Scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC indicators, resource allocation, not test scores. Full methodology →
The verdict
Zilker El earns 41/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes larger than 83% of Texas schools.
- #76 of 162
- schools in Austin · Resource Index
- 41
- Resource Index · Typical
- 17.4:1
- large classes for Texas
- 21.9%
- free-lunch eligible
Zilker El has class sizes larger than 83% of Texas schools. Computed live against every Texas school reporting to NCES.
By Resource Investment Index, Zilker El ranks #76 of 162 schools in Austin, TX.
School address
Teachers (FTE)
29.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
17.4:1
vs 14.7:1 Texas avg
+18% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
21.9%
vs 61.9% Texas avg
-65% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Zilker El compares with Texas and U.S. medians
What stands out at Zilker El
Zilker El is a mid-sized combined-grade school in Austin, Texas, enrolling 506 students.
Class loads run somewhat heavier than typical: 17.4:1 puts it in the larger third of Texas schools by student-teacher ratio.
Comparatively few students face economic hardship here, 21.9% free-meal eligibility runs 65% below the Texas average.
With 506 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.
Among 638 similarly sized, similarly resourced-need Texas schools statewide, it ranks #519, in the lower tier once campus size and economic need are matched.
Its student body is led by White (57%) and Hispanic or Latino (27%) (diversity index 59/100).
Counselor access is stretched at roughly 506 students per counselor, well above the ASCA-recommended 250:1 ceiling.
14.8% of students were chronically absent in the 2021-22 collection, in line with the post-pandemic national range.
Its district draws 18.1% of revenue from federal sources, an above-typical federal share that tends to track a higher-need student population.
Austin Isd also operates Bowie H S (2,876 students) and Akins H S (2,421 students) alongside Zilker 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 Zilker El compares
Zilker 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 | 17.4:1 | ▲ 18% | 14.7:1 | 15.7:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 21.9% | ▼ 65% | 61.9% | 51.7% |
| Enrollment | 506 | top 49% | - | - |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25
17.4:1
Leaner classes than 28% of US schools, heavier class loads than most.
506
Bigger than 62% of US schools by enrollment, mid-sized for the country.
Equity indicators (what these measure)
Economic need
21.9%
free-lunch eligible
- 65% below the Texas average of 61.9%
Below the 40% Title I threshold, among the lower-need profiles in the state; federal aid targets individual qualifying students rather than schoolwide programs.
Staffing depth
17.4:1
students per teacher
- 18% above state mean
Top 83% in Texas - lower ratio than 17% of state schools
Between 16:1 and 20:1, squarely in the typical U.S. public-school staffing range.
Engagement
14.8%
chronically absent (missed 10%+ of school days)
In the 10-15% range, above the pre-pandemic national baseline but within the broader post-pandemic picture.
Funding equity
$12,492
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 506 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
White 56.9%
Hispanic or Latino 27.3%
Two or More 9.5%
Asian 2.8%
African American 2.6%
American Indian / Alaska Native 0.8%
Native Hawaiian / Pacific Islander 0.2%
Largest group: White at 56.9% of enrollment.
Student-body diversity index 59.1/100
Simpson diversity index - at 59.1, Zilker El is more mixed than the Texas school average of 44.7.
Programs
Gifted & talented Yes
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Austin Isd, which includes Zilker El.
$12,492
Per student
-8%
vs Texas
Avg $13,644
-25%
vs U.S.
Avg $16,593
Revenue mix
Local 75.2%
State 6.6%
Federal 18.1%
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 Zilker El Compares to District-Mates
| School | Enrollment | Economic Profile | Student-Teacher Ratio |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bowie H S | Larger | Similar economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| Akins H S | Larger | Higher economic need | Similar S:T ratio |
| Austin H S | Larger | Similar economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| Anderson H S | Larger | Similar economic need | Similar S:T ratio |
| Mccallum H S | Larger | Similar economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
Comparisons are relative to Zilker El's own figures; each column derives from NCES Common Core of Data.
Other Schools in This District
- Enrollment
- 2,876
- Students per teacher
- 19.7:1
- Resource Index
- 43/100
- Enrollment
- 2,421
- Students per teacher
- 16.7:1
- Resource Index
- 48/100
- Enrollment
- 2,323
- Students per teacher
- 20.2:1
- Resource Index
- 37/100
- Enrollment
- 2,223
- Students per teacher
- 18.8:1
- Resource Index
- 37/100
- Enrollment
- 1,897
- Students per teacher
- 19.6:1
- Resource Index
- 39/100
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 (~506 students)
Next steps
Verify locally before acting on Zilker El's federal record.
- Compare Zilker El against another school. Compare schools
- Austin 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 Zilker El
How many students attend Zilker El?
Zilker El has 506 students enrolled. It is a public school in Austin, TX.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Zilker El?
The student-teacher ratio at Zilker El is 17.4:1, which is 18% higher than the Texas average of 14.7:1 and 11% higher than the national average of 15.7:1.
What percentage of students receive free lunch at Zilker El?
21.9% of students at Zilker El are eligible for free lunch, compared to the Texas average of 61.9%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Zilker El?
The largest demographic group at Zilker El is White at 56.9% of enrollment, in Austin, TX. Its student body is more racially and ethnically mixed than most US schools, with a diversity index of 59.1/100.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Zilker El?
Zilker El has a Resource Investment Index of 41/100 (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 Zilker El rank among schools in Austin?
By Resource Investment Index, Zilker El ranks #76 of 162 schools in Austin, TX. This compares federal resource and staffing data among local peers; it is not a test-score or academic ranking. See all schools in Austin on the city page.
Is Zilker El a good school?
Zilker El earns 41/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes larger than 83% of 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 Austin Isd?
Besides Zilker El, Austin Isd also operates Bowie H S (2,876 students), Akins H S (2,421 students), and Austin H S (2,323 students). See the Austin 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.