The STEM Academy
Public school (charter) in Odessa, Texas · Ector County ISD · Grades K–12
The STEM Academy serves 755 students in grades K–12 in Odessa (Ector County). It is one of 43 schools in Ector County ISD. By enrollment it is the 66th largest of 356 public schools in Texas (median 244 students). With 18.4 students per full-time teacher, it has more students per teacher than the typical Texas school (11).
Source: NCES CCD 2024-25. Rank and medians compare all 356 Texas schools with enrollment listed on this site.
Source: NCES CCD 2024-25. Students per teacher = students ÷ 41.07 full-time-equivalent teachers.
School facts
| School type | Regular School, charter |
| Level | Other |
| Grades | K–12 |
| District | Ector County ISD |
| County | Ector County |
| Area type | City, midsize |
| School meals | Free meals for every student (Community Eligibility Provision) |
| NCES school ID | 481800022827 |
Source: NCES CCD 2024-25 directory and school characteristics; area type from NCES EDGE locale codes.
Compared with the district and Texas
| This school | Ector County ISD | Texas schools (median) | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Students | 755 | 33,663 | 244 |
| Students per teacher | 18.4 | 19.5 | 11 |
| Free or reduced-price lunch eligible | 40.1% | 75.5% | 61.6% |
Source: NCES CCD 2024-25. District figures add up its schools. 90% of Texas schools have fewer students per teacher than this school (share of schools with a lower ratio). State test results aren't published here yet.
The STEM Academy in context
Size
The STEM Academy is the only school in Ector County ISD. Its 755 students are 2.2% of the district's 33,663. The 8 nearest schools are a median 42.3 miles away and have a median of 281 students, so The STEM Academy is larger than most of them.
As a charter school it is publicly funded and charges no tuition, but it is run under a charter rather than directly by a local school board.
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 4 with 67 students, and its smallest is kindergarten with 37, against an average of 58 per grade. This year grade 12 has 38% more students than kindergarten (51 against 37). 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
Hispanic students are the largest group, at 58% of enrollment, a lower share than across Ector County ISD (81.4%). White students are next, at 34.7%. Students from all 7 race and ethnicity groups NCES reports are enrolled.
40.1% of students qualify for free or reduced-price lunch, against 75.5% across Ector County ISD and a median of 61.6% for Texas 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
The STEM Academy has 41.07 full-time-equivalent teachers, or 18.4 students per teacher. At the median Texas school ratio of 11, a school with 755 students would have about 68.6 teachers, so The STEM Academy has 27.5 fewer.
Source: NCES CCD 2024-25. Expected teachers = this school's students ÷ the median students per teacher of Texas schools (11).
Location
NCES classifies its location as city, midsize, which means it is inside a principal city of 100,000 to 250,000 people. The nearest other school is Compass Academy Charter School, 2.3 miles away in Compass Academy Charter School. There is 1 school within 5 miles and 1 within 10 miles.
Source: NCES EDGE school locations and locale codes, 2024-25. Distances are straight lines.
Students by race and ethnicity
| Hispanic | 58% |
| White | 34.7% |
| Two or more races | 2.8% |
| Black | 2% |
| Asian | 1.7% |
| Native Hawaiian or Pacific Islander | 0.5% |
| American Indian or Alaska Native | 0.3% |
45.7% of students are girls and 54.3% are boys.
Source: NCES CCD 2024-25 membership.
Students by grade
| Kindergarten | 37 |
| Grade 1 | 65 |
| Grade 2 | 64 |
| Grade 3 | 65 |
| Grade 4 | 67 |
| Grade 5 | 65 |
| Grade 6 | 66 |
| Grade 7 | 64 |
| Grade 8 | 60 |
| Grade 9 | 61 |
| Grade 10 | 44 |
| Grade 11 | 46 |
| Grade 12 | 51 |
Source: NCES CCD 2024-25 membership.
Location and contact
4940 S Rd, Odessa, TX 79762
Phone: (432)552-2580
Locations: NCES EDGE. Map data © OpenStreetMap contributors.
Red: The STEM Academy. Blue: the nearest schools.
Nearby schools
| School | District | Distance | Students | Per teacher | Free/reduced lunch |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Compass Academy Charter School | Compass Academy Charter School | 2.3 mi | 1,558 | 17 | 2.6% |
| Texas Leadership of Midland | Texas Leadership Public Schools | 14.0 mi | 888 | 16.9 | 45% |
| IDEA Travis Academy | Midland ISD | 16.6 mi | 1,298 | – | 73.1% |
| Grady School | Grady ISD | 37.2 mi | 241 | 12.2 | 16.2% |
| Buena Vista School | Buena Vista ISD | 47.5 mi | 220 | 11 | 48.2% |
| Grandfalls-Royalty School | Grandfalls-Royalty ISD | 48.8 mi | 157 | 9.8 | 62.4% |
| Rankin School | Rankin ISD | 50.6 mi | 301 | 7.1 | – |
| Klondike ISD | Klondike ISD | 51.6 mi | 261 | 11.5 | 21.5% |
Source: NCES CCD 2024-25. Distance in a straight line between NCES EDGE locations.