Enrollment
403
Texas · 2024-25 NCES data
2024-25 NCES data Other / mixed grade configuration NCES 483702004125
Big Springs El — Garland, TX
Federal NCES profile for Big Springs El, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators — Resource Investment Index 51/100.
👥 Class size 58
🌟 Gifted program 70
🎓 Counselors 19
📋 Attendance 57
How this works: Each indicator above is scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC data, then averaged into the Resource Investment Index. This measures resource allocation — staffing, programs, and support services — not standardized test scores or academic outcomes. Full methodology →
School address
District: Richardson Isd · Texas
Public location data per NCES (National Center for Education Statistics) Common Core of Data. Verify the school's current address on the NCES CCD record.
Teachers (FTE)
37.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
10.5:1
vs 14.6:1 Texas avg
-28% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
40.0%
vs 61.9% Texas avg
-35% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Big Springs El compares with Texas and U.S. medians
The federal record — no proprietary index, no editorial formula.
PlainSchools publishes the actual federal measurements — enrollment, staffing, demographics, discipline, and finance — straight from the NCES Common Core of Data, CRDC, and F-33 surveys. No composite rating, no opinion-based score on top. You get the same raw numbers researchers and policymakers use, with benchmarks, spending context, and equity indicators computed from the same federal datasets. Full methodology linked below.
What this school's NCES data tells you
Big Springs El reports 403 enrolled students to the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) alongside 37.0 full-time-equivalent teachers, producing a 10.5:1 student-teacher ratio. That figure sits 28% below the Texas state mean of 14.6:1, signalling more teacher attention per pupil than the state benchmark. Against the national 2024-25 average of 15.9:1, it is 34% lower, a useful calibration for families comparing districts across state lines.
Title I and federal lunch eligibility offer another window into the student body: 40.0% of pupils qualify for free meals, a proxy for household income that federal programs use to direct funding. The free-lunch share is 35% below the Texas average and 23% below the national baseline. Counselor coverage works out to roughly 403 students per counselor, above the ASCA-recommended ceiling of 250:1. Chronic absenteeism — missing 10% or more of school days — stands at 17.4% according to the 2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection.
On the finance side, the surrounding Richardson Isd spends $16,946 per pupil district-wide, below the Texas average of $17,150 and below the national average of $19,490. Revenue comes 69.7% from local sources (property taxes), 15.3% from the state, and 15.0% from federal programs per the NCES F-33 finance survey. Taken together, these measurements produce a Resource Investment Index of 51/100 (C-), calculated from 4 distinct NCES and CRDC indicators measuring resource allocation rather than academic outcomes.
Source: National Center for Education Statistics Common Core of Data + CRDC + F-33 · 2024-25
How Big Springs El compares
Cross-validating school-level NCES values against Texas state and U.S. national means lets readers see whether this school is an outlier or in line with peers.
| Metric | This school | vs Texas | Texas avg | U.S. avg |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Students per teacher | 10.5:1 | ▼ 28% | 14.6:1 | 15.9:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 40.0% | ▼ 35% | 61.9% | 51.8% |
| Enrollment | 403 | top 37% | — | — |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25
What the federal data reveals about equity at this school
Federal measurements — not ratings — surface the resource and opportunity picture. Below are the indicators that researchers, civil-rights monitors, and funding formulas use to assess equity.
Economic need
40.0%
free-lunch eligible
— 35% 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
10.5:1
students per teacher
— 28% below state mean
Top 10% in Texas — lower ratio than 90% of state schools
Below the 15:1 benchmark — typical of schools with smaller class sizes and more individualized attention.
Engagement
17.4%
chronically absent (missed 10%+ of school days)
Between 10–20% — above the pre-pandemic baseline of ~15% nationally but within the current U.S. range.
Funding equity
$16,946
per pupil, district-wide
— below Texas avg of $17,150
Below the U.S. average per-pupil spend — funding constraints may affect programs, facilities, and staffing.
Support staff
Counselors1.0 FTE
Per 403 students — the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
Discipline context
3
in-school suspensions + 6 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 0.7 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 2.2 per 100 students. Reported via the Civil Rights Data Collection. Includes 1 expulsion.
Overview
Enrollment 403 Top 37% in Texas — larger than 63% of 9,061 state schools
Teachers (FTE) 37.0
Students per teacher 10.5:1 -28% vs state
Free-lunch eligible 40.0% -35% vs state
NCES ID 483702004125
Student demographics
White 36.0%
Hispanic or Latino 27.3%
African American 18.6%
Asian 11.7%
Two or More 6.0%
American Indian / Alaska Native 0.5%
Largest group: White at 36.0% of enrollment.
Programs & staff
Gifted & talented Yes
Counselors (FTE) 1.0
Students per counselor 403:1
Discipline & special education
Chronically absent 17.4%
In-school suspensions 3
Out-of-school suspensions 6
Expulsions 1
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Richardson Isd, which includes Big Springs El.
$16,946
Per student
-1%
vs Texas
Avg $17,150
-13%
vs U.S.
Avg $19,490
Revenue mix
Local 69.7%
State 15.3%
Federal 15.0%
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.
Other Schools in This District
- Enrollment
- 2,972
- Students per teacher
- 13.5:1
- Enrollment
- 2,669
- Students per teacher
- 13.5:1
- Enrollment
- 2,350
- Students per teacher
- 12.4:1
- Enrollment
- 2,317
- Students per teacher
- 14.9:1
- Enrollment
- 1,211
- Students per teacher
- 11.2:1
Similar other schools in Garland
6 comparable other schools (grades Mixed) serving the same city.
S Garland H S
Standard public school
2,001 students 16.4:1 students per teacher
Harmony Science Academy - Garland
Standard public school
759 students 15.1:1 students per teacher
Daugherty El
Standard public school
757 students 16.9:1 students per teacher
Abbett El
Standard public school
710 students 16.3:1 students per teacher
Spring Creek El
Standard public school
673 students 16.7:1 students per teacher
Harmony School of Innovation - Garland
Standard public school
658 students 15.3:1 students per teacher
Educator & family resources
In-depth guides on understanding NCES data, school choice, and education funding.
Understanding NCES data
How CCD, CRDC and EDFacts feed every public-school number you see.
Choose a school district
Eight signals that matter more than the overall ranking number.
How schools are funded
Title I, F-33, state aid formulas and what per-pupil spending really means.
Chronic absenteeism
Why missing 10% of school matters and how it varies by district.
Magnet vs charter vs traditional
Three school types, three funding models, three sets of trade-offs.
School discipline data
What CRDC suspension and expulsion records do and don't reveal.
Frequently asked questions about Big Springs El
How many students attend Big Springs El?
Big Springs El has 403 students enrolled. It is a other school in GARLAND, TX.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Big Springs El?
The student-teacher ratio at Big Springs El is 10.5:1, which is 28% lower than the Texas average of 14.6:1 and 34% lower than the national average of 15.9:1. Lower ratios generally mean more individual attention per student.
What percentage of students receive free lunch at Big Springs El?
40.0% of students at Big Springs El are eligible for free lunch, compared to the Texas average of 61.9%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Big Springs El?
The largest demographic group at Big Springs El is White at 36.0%. The school serves a diverse student body in GARLAND, TX.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Big Springs El?
Big Springs El has a Resource Investment Index of 51/100 (C-) based on 4 factors: student-teacher ratio, counselor availability, attendance rates. This index measures federal resource allocation — staffing levels, program availability, and support services — not standardized test scores or academic outcomes.