Rice Challenge Academy
Public high school in Eagle Lake, Texas · Rice CISD · Grades 9–12
Rice Challenge Academy serves 114 students in grades 9–12 in Eagle Lake (Colorado County). It is one of 7 schools in Rice CISD. By enrollment it is the 1562nd largest of 1,920 public high schools in Texas (median 457 students). With 28.9 students per full-time teacher, it has more students per teacher than the typical Texas high school (14).
Source: NCES CCD 2024-25. Rank and medians compare all 1,920 Texas high schools with enrollment listed on this site.
Source: NCES CCD 2024-25. Students per teacher = students ÷ 3.95 full-time-equivalent teachers.
School facts
| School type | Alternative School |
| Level | High |
| Grades | 9–12 |
| District | Rice CISD |
| County | Colorado County |
| Area type | Rural, distant |
| School meals | National School Lunch Program, free or reduced price for eligible students |
| NCES school ID | 483697013214 |
Source: NCES CCD 2024-25 directory and school characteristics; area type from NCES EDGE locale codes.
Compared with the district and Texas
| This school | Rice CISD | Texas high schools (median) | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Students | 114 | 1,306 | 457 |
| Students per teacher | 28.9 | 14.9 | 14 |
| Free or reduced-price lunch eligible | 97.4% | 76.8% | 63.8% |
Source: NCES CCD 2024-25. District figures add up its schools. 98% of Texas high schools have fewer students per teacher than this school (share of schools with a lower ratio). State test results aren't published here yet.
Rice Challenge Academy in context
Size
Rice Challenge Academy is the smallest of Rice CISD's 2 high schools; its 114 students are 8.7% of district enrollment. The 8 nearest high schools are a median 16.5 miles away and have a median of 436 students, so Rice Challenge Academy is smaller than most of them.
NCES lists it as an alternative school: one that serves students whose needs a regular school may not meet, or that offers a non-traditional program alongside regular schools.
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 grade 10 with 35 students, and its smallest is grade 9 with 14, against an average of 29 per grade. This year grade 12 has 114% more students than grade 9 (30 against 14). Each grade is a different group of students, so the gap is not a dropout or growth rate.
Source: NCES CCD 2024-25 membership by grade.
Students
White students are the largest group, at 47.4% of enrollment, a higher share than across Rice CISD (20.3%). Black students are next, at 23.7%. Students from all 7 race and ethnicity groups NCES reports are enrolled.
97.4% of students qualify for free or reduced-price lunch, against 76.8% across Rice CISD and a median of 63.8% for Texas high schools. Families apply for free or reduced-price meals, and eligibility depends on household income.
Source: NCES CCD 2024-25 membership and school lunch program data. District shares weight each school by its enrollment.
Teachers
Rice Challenge Academy has 3.95 full-time-equivalent teachers, or 28.9 students per teacher. At the median Texas high school ratio of 14, a school with 114 students would have about 8.1 teachers, so Rice Challenge Academy has 4.1 fewer.
Source: NCES CCD 2024-25. Expected teachers = this school's students ÷ the median students per teacher of Texas high schools (14).
Location
NCES classifies its location as rural, distant, which means it is in rural territory 5 to 25 miles from an urbanized area, or 2.5 to 10 miles from a town. The nearest other high school is Rice High School, 11.2 miles away in the same district. No other high school is within 10 miles.
Source: NCES EDGE school locations and locale codes, 2024-25. Distances are straight lines.
Students by race and ethnicity
| White | 47.4% |
| Black | 23.7% |
| Hispanic | 21.9% |
| American Indian or Alaska Native | 3.5% |
| Two or more races | 1.8% |
| Asian | 0.9% |
| Native Hawaiian or Pacific Islander | 0.9% |
23.7% of students are girls and 76.3% are boys.
Source: NCES CCD 2024-25 membership.
Students by grade
| Grade 9 | 14 |
| Grade 10 | 35 |
| Grade 11 | 35 |
| Grade 12 | 30 |
Source: NCES CCD 2024-25 membership.
Location and contact
600 Fm 3013, Eagle Lake, TX 77434
Phone: (979)234-3531
Website: ricecisd.org
Locations: NCES EDGE. Map data © OpenStreetMap contributors.
Red: Rice Challenge Academy. Blue: the nearest high schools.
Nearby high schools
| School | District | Distance | Students | Per teacher | Free/reduced lunch |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Rice High School | Rice CISD | 11.2 mi | 348 | 13.6 | 70.4% |
| Sealy High School | Sealy ISD | 15.7 mi | 1,002 | 14.8 | 61.3% |
| East Bernard High School | East Bernard ISD | 15.7 mi | 302 | 10.2 | 29.8% |
| Columbus Crossing High School | Columbus ISD | 16.0 mi | 14 | – | 78.6% |
| Columbus High School | Columbus ISD | 16.9 mi | 524 | 13.2 | 50.6% |
| Brazos High School | Brazos ISD | 17.5 mi | 317 | 12.5 | 48.3% |
| Wharton High School | Wharton ISD | 22.2 mi | 566 | 13.7 | 73.3% |
| Bellville High School | Bellville ISD | 24.6 mi | 786 | 14.6 | 37.7% |
Source: NCES CCD 2024-25. Distance in a straight line between NCES EDGE locations.
Other schools in Rice CISD
| School | Level | Grades | Students |
|---|---|---|---|
| Eagle Lake Intermediate School | Elementary | 3–5 | 166 |
| Eagle Lake Primary School | Elementary | Pre-K–2 | 194 |
| Garwood Elementary School | Elementary | Pre-K–5 | 120 |
| Rice High School | High | 9–12 | 348 |
| Rice Junior High School | Middle | 6–8 | 282 |
| Sheridan Elementary School | Elementary | K–5 | 82 |