Helms Elementary School
Public elementary school in Houston, Texas · Houston ISD · Grades Pre-K–5
Helms Elementary School serves 501 students in grades Pre-K–5 in Houston (Harris County). It is one of 273 schools in Houston ISD. By enrollment it is the 2525th largest of 4,726 public elementary schools in Texas (median 516 students). With 17.3 students per full-time teacher, it has more students per teacher than the typical Texas elementary school (14.8).
Source: NCES CCD 2024-25. Rank and medians compare all 4,726 Texas elementary schools with enrollment listed on this site.
Source: NCES CCD 2024-25. Students per teacher = students ÷ 29 full-time-equivalent teachers.
School facts
| School type | Regular School |
| Level | Elementary |
| Grades | Pre-K–5 |
| District | Houston ISD |
| County | Harris County |
| Area type | City, large |
| School meals | Free meals for every student (Community Eligibility Provision) |
| NCES school ID | 482364002484 |
Source: NCES CCD 2024-25 directory and school characteristics; area type from NCES EDGE locale codes.
Compared with the district and Texas
| This school | Houston ISD | Texas elementary schools (median) | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Students | 501 | 176,727 | 516 |
| Students per teacher | 17.3 | 16.1 | 14.8 |
| Free or reduced-price lunch eligible | 48.9% | 79.3% | 72% |
Source: NCES CCD 2024-25. District figures add up its schools. 87% of Texas elementary schools have fewer students per teacher than this school (share of schools with a lower ratio). State test results aren't published here yet.
Helms Elementary School in context
Size
Helms Elementary School is the 80th largest of Houston ISD's 178 elementary schools; its 501 students are 0.3% of district enrollment. Its 8 closest elementary schools sit a median 1.4 miles away with a median enrollment of 446; Helms Elementary School is close to their typical size.
Source: NCES CCD 2024-25 enrollment and school type. Share of district students = this school's students ÷ the district's students. Nearest schools by straight-line distance between NCES EDGE locations.
Grades
Its largest grade is kindergarten with 93 students, and its smallest is pre-K with 52, against an average of 72 per grade. This year grade 5 has 26% fewer students than kindergarten (69 against 93). Each grade is a different group of students, so the gap is not a dropout or growth rate. It also enrolls 52 children in pre-K.
Source: NCES CCD 2024-25 membership by grade.
Students
The largest group is Hispanic students: 76.4% here and 61.7% across Houston ISD. White students are next, at 14.4%. Students from 5 of the 7 race and ethnicity groups NCES reports are enrolled.
48.9% of its students are eligible for free or reduced-price lunch, against 79.3% across Houston ISD and a median of 72% for Texas elementary schools. Under the Community Eligibility Provision, every student can eat breakfast and lunch at no charge, and families fill out no meal application.
Source: NCES CCD 2024-25 membership and school lunch program data. District shares weight each school by its enrollment.
Teachers
With 29 full-time-equivalent teachers for 501 students, Helms Elementary School has 17.3 students per teacher. At the median Texas elementary school ratio of 14.8, a school with 501 students would have about 33.9 teachers, so Helms Elementary School has 4.9 fewer.
Source: NCES CCD 2024-25. Expected teachers = this school's students ÷ the median students per teacher of Texas elementary schools (14.8).
Location
Helms Elementary School is inside a principal city of 250,000 people or more, which NCES calls city, large. The nearest other elementary school is Love Elementary School, 0.8 miles away in the same district. Within 10 miles there are 215 other elementary schools, 55 of them within 5 miles.
Source: NCES EDGE school locations and locale codes, 2024-25. Distances are straight lines.
Students by race and ethnicity
| Hispanic | 76.4% |
| White | 14.4% |
| Black | 4.4% |
| Two or more races | 2.6% |
| Asian | 2.2% |
50.5% of students are girls and 49.5% are boys.
Source: NCES CCD 2024-25 membership.
Students by grade
| Pre-K | 52 |
| Kindergarten | 93 |
| Grade 1 | 72 |
| Grade 2 | 76 |
| Grade 3 | 73 |
| Grade 4 | 66 |
| Grade 5 | 69 |
Source: NCES CCD 2024-25 membership.
Location and contact
503 W 21st St, Houston, TX 77008
Phone: (713)867-5130
Website: houstonisd.org
Locations: NCES EDGE. Map data © OpenStreetMap contributors.
Red: Helms Elementary School. Blue: the nearest elementary schools.
Nearby elementary schools
| School | District | Distance | Students | Per teacher | Free/reduced lunch |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Love Elementary School | Houston ISD | 0.8 mi | 340 | 13.6 | 64.4% |
| Field Elementary School | Houston ISD | 1.1 mi | 507 | 17.5 | 41.6% |
| Garden Oaks Montessori | Houston ISD | 1.3 mi | 763 | 17.2 | 42.7% |
| Burrus Elementary School | Houston ISD | 1.3 mi | 198 | 11.7 | 96.5% |
| Harvard Elementary School | Houston ISD | 1.5 mi | 657 | 16.9 | 11.1% |
| Sinclair Elementary School | Houston ISD | 1.5 mi | 728 | 17.1 | 32.8% |
| Browning Elementary School | Houston ISD | 1.8 mi | 348 | 12.7 | 88.8% |
| Roosevelt Elementary School | Houston ISD | 2.1 mi | 385 | 16 | 83.1% |
Source: NCES CCD 2024-25. Distance in a straight line between NCES EDGE locations.