Enrollment
662
Texas · 2024-25 NCES data
Elementary school (grades K-5) · Forney, TX
Blackburn El
Federal NCES profile for Blackburn El, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators - Resource Investment Index 41/100.
2024-25 NCES dataElementary school (grades K-5)NCES 481956010869
👥 S:T ratio 44
🌟 Gifted program 70
🎓 Counselors 0
📋 Attendance 52
Scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC indicators, resource allocation, not test scores. Full methodology →
The verdict
Blackburn El earns 41/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes near the Texas median. It is also more racially and ethnically mixed than most Texas schools.
- #4 of 9
- elementary schools in Forney · Resource Index
- 41
- Resource Index · Typical
- 14.1:1
- students per teacher
- 46.2%
- free-lunch eligible
Blackburn El has class sizes near the Texas median. Computed live against every Texas school reporting to NCES.
By Resource Investment Index, Blackburn El ranks #4 of 9 elementary schools in Forney, TX.
School address
Teachers (FTE)
47.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
14.1:1
vs 14.7:1 Texas avg
-4% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
46.2%
vs 61.9% Texas avg
-25% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Blackburn El compares with Texas and U.S. medians
What stands out at Blackburn El
Blackburn El is a mid-sized elementary school in Forney, Texas, enrolling 662 students.
At 14.1:1, its student-teacher ratio sits close to the Texas median, within a few percentage points of the 14.7:1 state norm, neither notably crowded nor notably small.
Economic need runs somewhat below the state's typical profile, with 46.2% of students eligible for free meals.
Enrollment of 662 puts it in the larger third of Texas schools by headcount.
Its Resource Investment Index sits near the middle of the pack among 8,960 scored Texas schools.
Against 1,288 statewide peers matched on enrollment and economic need, it ranks mid-pack at #766.
Its student body is led by African American (51%) and White (23%), more mixed than most schools in the state (diversity index 65/100).
Counselor access is stretched at roughly 662 students per counselor, well above the ASCA-recommended 250:1 ceiling.
Attendance runs somewhat below the norm, with 19.2% of students chronically absent per the 2021-22 civil-rights collection.
The surrounding Forney Isd spends $9,132 per pupil, 33% below the Texas average, a leaner-resourced district than most.
Forney Isd also operates North Forney H S (2,648 students) and Forney H S (2,582 students) alongside Blackburn 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 Blackburn El compares
Blackburn 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 | 14.1:1 | ▼ 4% | 14.7:1 | 15.7:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 46.2% | ▼ 25% | 61.9% | 51.7% |
| Enrollment | 662 | top 31% | - | - |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25
14.1:1
Leaner classes than 56% of US schools, a middle-of-the-pack class size.
662
Bigger than 78% of US schools by enrollment, mid-sized for the country.
Equity indicators (what these measure)
Economic need
46.2%
free-lunch eligible
- 25% 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
14.1:1
students per teacher
- 4% below state mean
Top 49% in Texas - lower ratio than 51% of state schools
Close to the 15:1 benchmark most often cited for individualized attention.
Engagement
19.2%
chronically absent (missed 10%+ of school days)
In the 15-20% range, nearing the "high" absenteeism threshold.
Funding equity
$9,132
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 662 students, the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
Discipline context
26
in-school suspensions + 30 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 3.9 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 8.5 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
African American 51.4%
White 22.5%
Hispanic or Latino 17.8%
Two or More 5.9%
Asian 2.3%
Native Hawaiian / Pacific Islander 0.2%
Largest group: African American at 51.4% of enrollment.
Student-body diversity index 64.9/100
Simpson diversity index - at 64.9, Blackburn El is more mixed than the Texas school average of 44.7.
Programs
Gifted & talented Yes
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Forney Isd, which includes Blackburn El.
$9,132
Per student
-33%
vs Texas
Avg $13,644
-45%
vs U.S.
Avg $16,593
Revenue mix
Local 51.9%
State 38.8%
Federal 9.3%
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 Blackburn El Compares to District-Mates
| School | Enrollment | Economic Profile | Student-Teacher Ratio |
|---|---|---|---|
| North Forney H S | Larger | Similar economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| Forney H S | Larger | Lower economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| Jackson Middle | Similar size | Similar economic need | Similar S:T ratio |
| Rhodes is | Similar size | Similar economic need | Lower S:T ratio |
| Willett El | Similar size | Lower economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
Comparisons are relative to Blackburn El's own figures; each column derives from NCES Common Core of Data.
Other Schools in This District
- Enrollment
- 2,648
- Students per teacher
- 16.6:1
- Resource Index
- 31/100
- Enrollment
- 2,582
- Students per teacher
- 20.3:1
- Resource Index
- 34/100
- Enrollment
- 807
- Students per teacher
- 12.8:1
- Resource Index
- 42/100
- Enrollment
- 746
- Students per teacher
- 10.4:1
- Resource Index
- 48/100
- Enrollment
- 741
- Students per teacher
- 16.1:1
- Resource Index
- 36/100
Similar elementary 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 (~662 students)
Similar student-teacher ratio (~14.1:1)
Next steps
Verify locally before acting on Blackburn El's federal record.
- Compare Blackburn El against another school. Compare schools
- Forney 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 Blackburn El
How many students attend Blackburn El?
Blackburn El has 662 students enrolled. It is an elementary school in Forney, TX.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Blackburn El?
The student-teacher ratio at Blackburn El is 14.1:1, which is 4% lower than the Texas average of 14.7:1 and 10% 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 Blackburn El?
46.2% of students at Blackburn El are eligible for free lunch, compared to the Texas average of 61.9%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Blackburn El?
The largest demographic group at Blackburn El is African American at 51.4% of enrollment, in Forney, TX. Its student body is more racially and ethnically mixed than most US schools, with a diversity index of 64.9/100.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Blackburn El?
Blackburn El has a Resource Investment Index of 41/100 (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 Blackburn El rank among elementary schools in Forney?
By Resource Investment Index, Blackburn El ranks #4 of 9 elementary schools in Forney, TX. This compares federal resource and staffing data among local peers; it is not a test-score or academic ranking. See all elementary schools in Forney on the city page.
Is Blackburn El a good school?
Blackburn El earns 41/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes near the Texas median. It is also more racially and ethnically mixed than most 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 Forney Isd?
Besides Blackburn El, Forney Isd also operates North Forney H S (2,648 students), Forney H S (2,582 students), and Jackson Middle (807 students). See the Forney 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.