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Big Sandy, Texas - 3 schools
An equity score of 64/100 ranks Big Sandy Isd #300 of 1044 districts in Texas (state average 50). Derived live from how evenly resources are distributed across the district's schools.
At $12,426 per pupil, Big Sandy Isd ranks #690 of 1202 Texas districts by per-pupil spending (Texas districts). NCES F-33 finance data.
671
Total Enrollment
3
Schools
$12,426
Per-Pupil Spending
Combined, High
School Types
District-Level NCES Analysis
Big Sandy Isd operates 3 public schools serving 671 students, placing it among the smallest districts in Texas. The school portfolio breaks down into 1 combined, 1 high, 1 middle schools, a small enough portfolio that most families will interact with nearly every campus in the district at some point. These enrollment and school figures come from the NCES Common Core of Data (CCD) 2024-25 release, and the district is based in Upshur County.
Per-pupil expenditure runs $12,426 according to the NCES F-33 School District Finance Survey, in the lower half of 1202 Texas districts by per-pupil spending. See how Texas compares in our national per-pupil spending analysis. The funding mix is 26.5% local, 54.8% state, and 18.7% federal, a state-revenue-heavy mix that insulates the district somewhat from local property-tax volatility, though it ties funding to state budget cycles. The district's equity score is 64/100, ranked #300 of 1044 in Texas against a state average of 50, notably more even than the typical district in the state for how evenly funding reaches its schools.
Academic infrastructure includes 1 of 3 schools offering Advanced Placement (1 AP courses district-wide), a 326:1 student-counselor ratio, well above the ASCA benchmark though still under the roughly 408:1 national average, and 32.5% chronic absenteeism from the 2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection. Demographically, the student body averages 67.4% White, 14.3% Hispanic or Latino, 11.0% African American across the district's schools. Its most demographically mixed campus is Big Sandy El, with a diversity index of 51.8/100.
Its largest campus is Big Sandy El, enrolling 320 students (49% of the district's total enrollment).
Big Sandy El accounts for 47.7% of all Big Sandy Isd student enrollment
That is an overwhelming concentration, leaving the rest of Big Sandy Isd a distant remainder — means Big Sandy Isd-wide averages can mask substantial variation outside the dominant entity. Grade band: combined. A single dominant campus often anchors a district's program offerings and staffing patterns; the share helps explain why district-wide averages may not reflect the typical neighbourhood-school experience. When one entity dominates a region's footprint, its programmatic and budget decisions effectively set policy for a majority of the affected population.
Big Sandy Isd school enrollment varies 2.3× across entities
Big Sandy Isd school enrollment ranges from 138 students (lowest) to 320 students (highest), a spread of 182 students. That relatively narrow ratio reflects an unusually homogeneous campus portfolio, most districts have a wider mix of school sizes. Per-school staffing ratios, programme availability, and capital-renovation cycles often diverge inside the same district based on enrollment shape.
Big Sandy Isd has higher-than-average Title I eligibility — 62.7% of the population qualifies for free or reduced-price lunch
free or reduced-price lunch eligibility is the federal threshold for Title I funding allocations, established under the Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA, 2015). Eligibility here is approaching the 75% concentration-grant threshold; it does not yet unlock the extra funding tier but sits meaningfully above the baseline 50% majority mark. Regions with eligibility this high typically draw a substantially larger federal funding share relative to their local tax base, which can either offset or reinforce existing gaps depending on allocation policy.
Big Sandy Isd student-counselor ratio is 326:1 — near the typical range (US average ~408) — within the typical range for U.S. public districts
student-counselor ratio is the simplest comparative metric but it does not capture the full picture: the ratio counts FTE counselors against total enrollment, districts that contract intervention or social-emotional staff outside the counselor classification may be under-counted Variation between sub-units within Big Sandy Isd is typically wider than the Big Sandy Isd-aggregate figure suggests.
Big Sandy Isd chronic absenteeism rate is 32.5% — high (typically associated with higher-than-average disruption; recent CRDC data showed elevated rates persisting after pandemic-era schooling changes)
chronic absenteeism rate is the simplest comparative metric but it does not capture the full picture: a student is chronically absent if they miss ≥10% of enrolled days for any reason, illness, family obligations, or disengagement Higher values may reflect larger urban scale or recent resource constraints that have widened the gap.
Big Sandy Isd has 3 schools, including 1 combined, 1 high, 1 middle. Total enrollment is 671 students.
How much does Big Sandy Isd spend per student?
Big Sandy Isd spends $12,426 per student. The district has an equity score of 64/100, ranking #300 in Texas.
What is the demographic composition of Big Sandy Isd?
Big Sandy Isd students are 67.4% White, 14.3% Hispanic or Latino, 11.0% African American, 0.2% Asian, averaged across 3 schools. Source: NCES CCD Membership 2024-25.
What is the equity score for Big Sandy Isd?
Big Sandy Isd has an equity score of 64/100, ranking #300 out of 1044 districts in Texas.