Enrollment
729
Texas · 2024-25 NCES data
Other / mixed grade configuration · Abilene, TX
Austin El
Federal NCES profile for Austin El, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators - Resource Investment Index 37/100.
2024-25 NCES dataOther / mixed grade configurationNCES 480744000012
👥 S:T ratio 35
🌟 Gifted program 70
🎓 Counselors 0
📋 Attendance 44
Scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC indicators, resource allocation, not test scores. Full methodology →
The verdict
Austin El earns 37/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes larger than 73% of Texas schools.
- #10 of 19
- schools in Abilene · Resource Index
- 37
- Resource Index · Typical
- 16.2:1
- large classes for Texas
- 57.3%
- free-lunch eligible
Austin El has class sizes larger than 73% of Texas schools. Computed live against every Texas school reporting to NCES.
By Resource Investment Index, Austin El ranks #10 of 19 schools in Abilene, TX.
School address
Teachers (FTE)
45.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
16.2:1
vs 14.7:1 Texas avg
+10% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
57.3%
vs 61.9% Texas avg
-7% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Austin El compares with Texas and U.S. medians
What stands out at Austin El
Austin El is a higher-need, mid-sized combined-grade school in Abilene, Texas, enrolling 729 students.
Class loads run somewhat heavier than typical: 16.2:1 puts it in the larger third of Texas schools by student-teacher ratio.
Its free-meal eligibility rate of 57.3% lands close to the Texas typical range, neither a high- nor low-need campus by this measure.
Enrollment of 729 puts it in the larger third of Texas schools by headcount.
Its Resource Investment Index lands in the lower third of 8,960 scored Texas schools.
Among 1,402 similarly sized, similarly resourced-need Texas schools statewide, it ranks #1,020, in the lower tier once campus size and economic need are matched.
Its student body is led by White (50%) and Hispanic or Latino (36%) (diversity index 61/100).
Counselor access is stretched at roughly 729 students per counselor, well above the ASCA-recommended 250:1 ceiling.
Attendance runs somewhat below the norm, with 22.4% of students chronically absent per the 2021-22 civil-rights collection.
Its district draws 27.2% of revenue from federal sources, an above-typical federal share that tends to track a higher-need student population.
The federal civil-rights collection also records 3 expulsions at this campus for 2021-22.
Abilene Isd also operates Abilene H S (1,798 students) and Cooper H S (1,570 students) alongside Austin El.
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 Austin El compares
Austin El on the metrics families compare, against Texas and U.S. means.
| Metric | This school | vs Texas | Texas avg | U.S. avg |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Students per teacher | 16.2:1 | ▲ 10% | 14.7:1 | 15.7:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 57.3% | ▼ 7% | 61.9% | 51.7% |
| Enrollment | 729 | top 24% | - | - |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25
16.2:1
Leaner classes than 36% of US schools, a middle-of-the-pack class size.
729
Bigger than 82% of US schools by enrollment, a large campus nationally.
Equity indicators (what these measure)
Economic need
57.3%
free-lunch eligible
- 7% below the Texas average of 61.9%
Above the 40% Title I schoolwide threshold; federal funds support the whole school, not individual students.
Staffing depth
16.2:1
students per teacher
- 10% above state mean
Top 73% in Texas - lower ratio than 27% of state schools
Between 16:1 and 20:1, squarely in the typical U.S. public-school staffing range.
Engagement
22.4%
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
$11,671
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
Counselors1.0 FTE
Per 729 students, the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
Discipline context
10
in-school suspensions + 25 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 1.4 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 4.8 per 100 students. Reported via the Civil Rights Data Collection. Includes 3 expulsions.
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
White 50.3%
Hispanic or Latino 35.5%
African American 7.0%
Two or More 5.6%
Asian 1.1%
American Indian / Alaska Native 0.3%
Native Hawaiian / Pacific Islander 0.1%
Largest group: White at 50.3% of enrollment.
Student-body diversity index 61.3/100
Simpson diversity index - at 61.3, Austin El is more mixed than the Texas school average of 44.7.
Programs
Gifted & talented Yes
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Abilene Isd, which includes Austin El.
$11,671
Per student
-14%
vs Texas
Avg $13,644
-30%
vs U.S.
Avg $16,593
Revenue mix
Local 32.4%
State 40.5%
Federal 27.2%
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 Austin El Compares to District-Mates
| School | Enrollment | Economic Profile | Student-Teacher Ratio |
|---|---|---|---|
| Abilene H S | Larger | Similar economic need | Lower S:T ratio |
| Cooper H S | Larger | Similar economic need | Lower S:T ratio |
| Mann Middle | Similar size | Higher economic need | Lower S:T ratio |
| Craig Middle | Similar size | Higher economic need | Lower S:T ratio |
| Madison Middle | Similar size | Similar economic need | Lower S:T ratio |
Comparisons are relative to Austin El's own figures; each column derives from NCES Common Core of Data.
Other Schools in This District
- Enrollment
- 1,798
- Students per teacher
- 14.7:1
- Resource Index
- 38/100
- Enrollment
- 1,570
- Students per teacher
- 13.7:1
- Resource Index
- 41/100
- Enrollment
- 776
- Students per teacher
- 13.6:1
- Resource Index
- 35/100
- Enrollment
- 771
- Students per teacher
- 12.6:1
- Resource Index
- 36/100
- Enrollment
- 770
- Students per teacher
- 13.5:1
- Resource Index
- 35/100
Similar other 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 (~729 students)
Next steps
Verify locally before acting on Austin El's federal record.
- Compare Austin El against another school. Compare schools
- Abilene 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 Austin El
How many students attend Austin El?
Austin El has 729 students enrolled. It is a public school in Abilene, TX.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Austin El?
The student-teacher ratio at Austin El is 16.2:1, which is 10% higher than the Texas average of 14.7:1 and 3% higher than the national average of 15.7:1.
What percentage of students receive free lunch at Austin El?
57.3% of students at Austin El are eligible for free lunch, compared to the Texas average of 61.9%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Austin El?
The largest demographic group at Austin El is White at 50.3% of enrollment, in Abilene, TX. Its student body is more racially and ethnically mixed than most US schools, with a diversity index of 61.3/100.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Austin El?
Austin El has a Resource Investment Index of 37/100 (typical 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 Austin El rank among schools in Abilene?
By Resource Investment Index, Austin El ranks #10 of 19 schools in Abilene, TX. This compares federal resource and staffing data among local peers; it is not a test-score or academic ranking. See all schools in Abilene on the city page.
Is Austin El a good school?
Austin El earns 37/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes larger than 73% 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 Abilene Isd?
Besides Austin El, Abilene Isd also operates Abilene H S (1,798 students), Cooper H S (1,570 students), and Mann Middle (776 students). See the Abilene 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.