Enrollment
486
Texas · 2024-25 NCES data
Middle school (grades 6-8) · Dallas, TX
Alex W Spence Talented/Gifted Academy
Federal NCES profile for Alex W Spence Talented/Gifted Academy, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators - Resource Investment Index 49/100.
2024-25 NCES dataMiddle school (grades 6-8)NCES 481623001359
👥 S:T ratio 56
🌟 Gifted program 70
🎓 Counselors 68
📋 Attendance 2
Scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC indicators, resource allocation, not test scores. Full methodology →
The verdict
Alex W Spence Talented/Gifted Academy earns 49/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes smaller than 85% of Texas schools.
- #19 of 52
- middle schools in Dallas · Resource Index
- 49
- Resource Index · Higher
- 11:1
- small classes for Texas
- 80.8%
- free-lunch eligible
Alex W Spence Talented/Gifted Academy has class sizes smaller than 85% of Texas schools. Computed live against every Texas school reporting to NCES.
By Resource Investment Index, Alex W Spence Talented/Gifted Academy ranks #19 of 52 middle schools in Dallas, TX.
School address
Teachers (FTE)
44.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
11:1
vs 14.7:1 Texas avg
-25% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
80.8%
vs 61.9% Texas avg
+31% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Alex W Spence Talented/Gifted Academy compares with Texas and U.S. medians
What stands out at Alex W Spence Talented/Gifted Academy
Alex W Spence Talented/Gifted Academy is a high-poverty, mid-sized middle school in Dallas, Texas, enrolling 486 students.
Classes run notably small here: at 11:1, Alex W Spence Talented/Gifted Academy is leaner than roughly 85% of Texas schools and 25% under the state's 14.7:1 norm, more adult attention per pupil than most peers.
Economic need runs somewhat above the state's typical profile, with 80.8% of students eligible for free meals.
With 486 students, its enrollment sits close to the Texas median campus size.
Its Resource Investment Index lands in the upper third of 8,960 scored Texas schools.
Against 2,179 statewide peers matched on enrollment and economic need, it ranks in the upper tier at #258.
Its student body is led by Hispanic or Latino (62%) and African American (29%) (diversity index 53/100).
Counselor coverage is strong, about 162 students per counselor, inside the American School Counselor Association's recommended 250:1.
Chronic absenteeism is elevated: 39.3% of students missed 10% or more of school days (2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection).
Its district draws 19.6% of revenue from federal sources, an above-typical federal share that tends to track a higher-need student population.
Dallas Isd also operates Skyline H S (3,837 students) and Bryan Adams H S Leadership Academy (2,208 students) alongside Alex W Spence Talented/Gifted Academy.
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 Alex W Spence Talented/Gifted Academy compares
Alex W Spence Talented/Gifted Academy on the metrics families compare, against Texas and U.S. means.
| Metric | This school | vs Texas | Texas avg | U.S. avg |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Students per teacher | 11:1 | ▼ 25% | 14.7:1 | 15.7:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 80.8% | ▲ 31% | 61.9% | 51.7% |
| Enrollment | 486 | top 52% | - | - |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25
11:1
Leaner classes than 83% of US schools, among the more generously staffed nationally.
486
Bigger than 60% of US schools by enrollment, mid-sized for the country.
Equity indicators (what these measure)
Economic need
80.8%
free-lunch eligible
- 31% above the Texas average of 61.9%
Above the 40% Title I schoolwide threshold; federal funds support the whole school, not individual students.
Staffing depth
11:1
students per teacher
- 25% below state mean
Top 15% in Texas - lower ratio than 85% of state schools
Well under the widely cited 15:1 individualized-attention benchmark, among the leaner class loads nationally.
Engagement
39.3%
chronically absent (missed 10%+ of school days)
At or above 20%, the commonly used threshold for "high" chronic absenteeism, signaling significant barriers to regular attendance.
Funding equity
$12,650
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
Counselors3.0 FTE
Per 162 students, the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
Discipline context
25
in-school suspensions + 8 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 5.1 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 6.8 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
Hispanic or Latino 61.7%
African American 29.2%
White 3.9%
Asian 2.1%
Two or More 2.1%
American Indian / Alaska Native 1.0%
Largest group: Hispanic or Latino at 61.7% of enrollment.
Student-body diversity index 53.2/100
Simpson diversity index - at 53.2, Alex W Spence Talented/Gifted Academy is more mixed than the Texas school average of 44.7.
Programs
Gifted & talented Yes
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Dallas Isd, which includes Alex W Spence Talented/Gifted Academy.
$12,650
Per student
-7%
vs Texas
Avg $13,644
-24%
vs U.S.
Avg $16,593
Revenue mix
Local 72.4%
State 8.0%
Federal 19.6%
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 Alex W Spence Talented/Gifted Academy Compares to District-Mates
| School | Enrollment | Economic Profile | Student-Teacher Ratio |
|---|---|---|---|
| Skyline H S | Larger | Lower economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| Bryan Adams H S Leadership Academy | Larger | Similar economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| W T White H S | Larger | Similar economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| Sunset H S | Larger | Similar economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| Moises E Molina H S | Larger | Similar economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
Comparisons are relative to Alex W Spence Talented/Gifted Academy's own figures; each column derives from NCES Common Core of Data.
Other Schools in This District
- Enrollment
- 3,837
- Students per teacher
- 14.4:1
- Resource Index
- 48/100
- Enrollment
- 2,208
- Students per teacher
- 16.2:1
- Resource Index
- 32/100
- Enrollment
- 2,204
- Students per teacher
- 16.7:1
- Resource Index
- 38/100
- Enrollment
- 2,164
- Students per teacher
- 17:1
- Resource Index
- 47/100
- Enrollment
- 2,006
- Students per teacher
- 15.8:1
- Resource Index
- 47/100
Similar middle 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 (~486 students)
Similar student-teacher ratio (~11:1)
Next steps
Verify locally before acting on Alex W Spence Talented/Gifted Academy's federal record.
- Compare Alex W Spence Talented/Gifted Academy against another school. Compare schools
- Dallas 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 Alex W Spence Talented/Gifted Academy
How many students attend Alex W Spence Talented/Gifted Academy?
Alex W Spence Talented/Gifted Academy has 486 students enrolled. It is a middle school in Dallas, TX.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Alex W Spence Talented/Gifted Academy?
The student-teacher ratio at Alex W Spence Talented/Gifted Academy is 11:1, which is 25% lower than the Texas average of 14.7:1 and 30% lower than the national average of 15.7:1. Lower ratios generally mean more individual attention per student.
What percentage of students receive free lunch at Alex W Spence Talented/Gifted Academy?
80.8% of students at Alex W Spence Talented/Gifted Academy are eligible for free lunch, compared to the Texas average of 61.9%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Alex W Spence Talented/Gifted Academy?
The largest demographic group at Alex W Spence Talented/Gifted Academy is Hispanic or Latino at 61.7% of enrollment, in Dallas, TX. Its student body is more racially and ethnically mixed than most US schools, with a diversity index of 53.2/100.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Alex W Spence Talented/Gifted Academy?
Alex W Spence Talented/Gifted Academy has a Resource Investment Index of 49/100 (higher 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 Alex W Spence Talented/Gifted Academy rank among middle schools in Dallas?
By Resource Investment Index, Alex W Spence Talented/Gifted Academy ranks #19 of 52 middle schools in Dallas, TX. This compares federal resource and staffing data among local peers; it is not a test-score or academic ranking. See all middle schools in Dallas on the city page.
Is Alex W Spence Talented/Gifted Academy a good school?
Alex W Spence Talented/Gifted Academy earns 49/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes smaller than 85% 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 Dallas Isd?
Besides Alex W Spence Talented/Gifted Academy, Dallas Isd also operates Skyline H S (3,837 students), Bryan Adams H S Leadership Academy (2,208 students), and W T White H S (2,204 students). See the Dallas 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.