Enrollment
247
Texas · 2024-25 NCES data
High school (grades 9-12) · Irving, TX
Barbara Cardwell Career Preparatory Center
Federal NCES profile for Barbara Cardwell Career Preparatory Center, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators - Resource Investment Index 39/100.
2024-25 NCES dataHigh school (grades 9-12)NCES 482442006275
👥 S:T ratio 65
📚 AP courses 10
🌟 Gifted program 70
🎓 Counselors 51
📋 Attendance 0
Scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC indicators, resource allocation, not test scores. Full methodology →
The verdict
Barbara Cardwell Career Preparatory Center earns 39/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes smaller than 94% of Texas schools.
- #5 of 12
- high schools in Irving · Resource Index
- 39
- Resource Index · Typical
- 8.8:1
- small classes for Texas
- 78.4%
- free-lunch eligible
Barbara Cardwell Career Preparatory Center has class sizes smaller than 94% of Texas schools. Computed live against every Texas school reporting to NCES.
By Resource Investment Index, Barbara Cardwell Career Preparatory Center ranks #5 of 12 high schools in Irving, TX.
School address
Teachers (FTE)
28.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
8.8:1
vs 14.7:1 Texas avg
-40% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
78.4%
vs 61.9% Texas avg
+27% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Barbara Cardwell Career Preparatory Center compares with Texas and U.S. medians
What stands out at Barbara Cardwell Career Preparatory Center
Barbara Cardwell Career Preparatory Center is a high-poverty, mid-sized high school in Irving, Texas, enrolling 247 students.
Classes run notably small here: at 8.8:1, Barbara Cardwell Career Preparatory Center is leaner than roughly 94% of Texas schools and 40% 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 78.4% of students eligible for free meals.
Enrollment of 247 puts it in the smaller third of Texas schools by headcount.
Its Resource Investment Index sits near the middle of the pack among 8,960 scored Texas schools.
Against 674 statewide peers matched on enrollment and economic need, it ranks mid-pack at #353.
Its student body is predominantly Hispanic or Latino (81% of enrollment) (diversity index 33/100).
On the academic-pipeline side it reports 2 Advanced Placement courses.
Counselor coverage is strong, about 247 students per counselor, inside the American School Counselor Association's recommended 250:1.
Chronic absenteeism is elevated: 49.4% of students missed 10% or more of school days (2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection).
Its district draws 16.7% of revenue from federal sources, an above-typical federal share that tends to track a higher-need student population.
Irving Isd also operates Macarthur H S (2,484 students) and Irving H S (2,390 students) alongside Barbara Cardwell Career Preparatory Center.
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 Barbara Cardwell Career Preparatory Center compares
Barbara Cardwell Career Preparatory Center on the metrics families compare, against Texas and U.S. means.
| Metric | This school | vs Texas | Texas avg | U.S. avg |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Students per teacher | 8.8:1 | ▼ 40% | 14.7:1 | 15.7:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 78.4% | ▲ 27% | 61.9% | 51.7% |
| Enrollment | 247 | top 80% | - | - |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25
8.8:1
Leaner classes than 93% of US schools, among the more generously staffed nationally.
247
Bigger than 25% of US schools by enrollment, mid-sized for the country.
Equity indicators (what these measure)
Economic need
78.4%
free-lunch eligible
- 27% 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
8.8:1
students per teacher
- 40% below state mean
Top 6% in Texas - lower ratio than 94% of state schools
Well under the widely cited 15:1 individualized-attention benchmark, among the leaner class loads nationally.
Engagement
49.4%
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
$12,024
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 247 students, the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
Discipline context
16
in-school suspensions + 3 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 6.5 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 7.7 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 81.4%
White 8.1%
African American 7.3%
American Indian / Alaska Native 2.4%
Asian 0.4%
Two or More 0.4%
Largest group: Hispanic or Latino at 81.4% of enrollment.
Student-body diversity index 32.5/100
Simpson diversity index - at 32.5, Barbara Cardwell Career Preparatory Center is less mixed than the Texas school average of 44.7.
Programs
AP courses offered 2
Gifted & talented Yes
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Irving Isd, which includes Barbara Cardwell Career Preparatory Center.
$12,024
Per student
-12%
vs Texas
Avg $13,644
-28%
vs U.S.
Avg $16,593
Revenue mix
Local 45.7%
State 37.6%
Federal 16.7%
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 Barbara Cardwell Career Preparatory Center Compares to District-Mates
| School | Enrollment | Economic Profile | Student-Teacher Ratio |
|---|---|---|---|
| Macarthur H S | Larger | Similar economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| Irving H S | Larger | Similar economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| Nimitz H S | Larger | Similar economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| Jack E Singley Academy | Larger | Similar economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| Brandenburg El | Larger | Similar economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
Comparisons are relative to Barbara Cardwell Career Preparatory Center's own figures; each column derives from NCES Common Core of Data.
Other Schools in This District
- Enrollment
- 2,484
- Students per teacher
- 14.2:1
- Resource Index
- 50/100
- Enrollment
- 2,390
- Students per teacher
- 13.6:1
- Resource Index
- 45/100
- Enrollment
- 2,343
- Students per teacher
- 14.3:1
- Resource Index
- 45/100
- Enrollment
- 1,697
- Students per teacher
- 17.3:1
- Resource Index
- 42/100
- Enrollment
- 947
- Students per teacher
- 17.2:1
- Resource Index
- 40/100
Similar high 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 (~247 students)
Similar student-teacher ratio (~8.8:1)
Next steps
Verify locally before acting on Barbara Cardwell Career Preparatory Center's federal record.
- Compare Barbara Cardwell Career Preparatory Center against another school. Compare schools
- Irving 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 Barbara Cardwell Career Preparatory Center
How many students attend Barbara Cardwell Career Preparatory Center?
Barbara Cardwell Career Preparatory Center has 247 students enrolled. It is a high school in Irving, TX.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Barbara Cardwell Career Preparatory Center?
The student-teacher ratio at Barbara Cardwell Career Preparatory Center is 8.8:1, which is 40% lower than the Texas average of 14.7:1 and 44% 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 Barbara Cardwell Career Preparatory Center?
78.4% of students at Barbara Cardwell Career Preparatory Center are eligible for free lunch, compared to the Texas average of 61.9%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Barbara Cardwell Career Preparatory Center?
The largest demographic group at Barbara Cardwell Career Preparatory Center is Hispanic or Latino at 81.4% of enrollment, in Irving, TX.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Barbara Cardwell Career Preparatory Center?
Barbara Cardwell Career Preparatory Center has a Resource Investment Index of 39/100 (typical reported resources relative to schools nationally) based on 5 factors: student-teacher ratio, AP course offerings, counselor availability, attendance rates. Not a test-score or academic measure (national median ~41/100, see methodology).
How does Barbara Cardwell Career Preparatory Center rank among high schools in Irving?
By Resource Investment Index, Barbara Cardwell Career Preparatory Center ranks #5 of 12 high schools in Irving, TX. This compares federal resource and staffing data among local peers; it is not a test-score or academic ranking. See all high schools in Irving on the city page.
Is Barbara Cardwell Career Preparatory Center a good school?
Barbara Cardwell Career Preparatory Center earns 39/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes smaller than 94% 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 Irving Isd?
Besides Barbara Cardwell Career Preparatory Center, Irving Isd also operates Macarthur H S (2,484 students), Irving H S (2,390 students), and Nimitz H S (2,343 students). See the Irving 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.