Enrollment
565
Texas · 2024-25 NCES data
Elementary school (grades K-5) · Plano, TX
Brinker El
Federal NCES profile for Brinker El, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators - Resource Investment Index 47/100.
2024-25 NCES dataElementary school (grades K-5)NCES 483510006600
👥 S:T ratio 48
🌟 Gifted program 70
🎓 Counselors 0
📋 Attendance 70
Scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC indicators, resource allocation, not test scores. Full methodology →
The verdict
Brinker El earns 47/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes near the Texas median. It is also more racially and ethnically mixed than most Texas schools.
- #21 of 29
- elementary schools in Plano · Resource Index
- 47
- Resource Index · Typical
- 13.1:1
- students per teacher
- 31.9%
- free-lunch eligible
Brinker El has class sizes near the Texas median. Computed live against every Texas school reporting to NCES.
By Resource Investment Index, Brinker El ranks #21 of 29 elementary schools in Plano, TX.
School address
Teachers (FTE)
43.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
13.1:1
vs 14.7:1 Texas avg
-11% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
31.9%
vs 61.9% Texas avg
-48% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Brinker El compares with Texas and U.S. medians
What stands out at Brinker El
Brinker El is a mid-sized elementary school in Plano, Texas, enrolling 565 students.
Class sizes run a bit leaner than typical: 13.1:1 puts it in the smaller third of Texas schools by student-teacher ratio.
Economic need runs somewhat below the state's typical profile, with 31.9% of students eligible for free meals.
With 565 students, its enrollment sits close to the Texas median campus size.
Its Resource Investment Index sits near the middle of the pack among 8,960 scored Texas schools.
Against 927 statewide peers matched on enrollment and economic need, it ranks in the upper tier at #325.
Its student body is led by Hispanic or Latino (41%) and White (27%), more mixed than most schools in the state (diversity index 72/100).
Counselor access is stretched at roughly 565 students per counselor, well above the ASCA-recommended 250:1 ceiling.
12.2% of students were chronically absent in the 2021-22 collection, in line with the post-pandemic national range.
Plano Isd also operates Plano East Sr H S (3,033 students) and Plano West Senior H S (2,559 students) alongside Brinker 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 Brinker El compares
Brinker 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 | 13.1:1 | ▼ 11% | 14.7:1 | 15.7:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 31.9% | ▼ 48% | 61.9% | 51.7% |
| Enrollment | 565 | top 41% | - | - |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25
13.1:1
Leaner classes than 66% of US schools, among the more generously staffed nationally.
565
Bigger than 69% of US schools by enrollment, mid-sized for the country.
Equity indicators (what these measure)
Economic need
31.9%
free-lunch eligible
- 48% below the Texas average of 61.9%
Below the 40% Title I threshold, among the lower-need profiles in the state; federal aid targets individual qualifying students rather than schoolwide programs.
Staffing depth
13.1:1
students per teacher
- 11% below state mean
Top 35% in Texas - lower ratio than 65% of state schools
Close to the 15:1 benchmark most often cited for individualized attention.
Engagement
12.2%
chronically absent (missed 10%+ of school days)
In the 10-15% range, above the pre-pandemic national baseline but within the broader post-pandemic picture.
Funding equity
$11,203
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 565 students, the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
Discipline context
1
in-school suspensions + 5 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 0.2 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 1.1 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 41.1%
White 27.1%
Asian 14.5%
African American 12.9%
Two or More 4.4%
Largest group: Hispanic or Latino at 41.1% of enrollment.
Student-body diversity index 71.8/100
Simpson diversity index - at 71.8, Brinker El is more mixed than the Texas school average of 44.7.
Programs
Gifted & talented Yes
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Plano Isd, which includes Brinker El.
$11,203
Per student
-18%
vs Texas
Avg $13,644
-32%
vs U.S.
Avg $16,593
Revenue mix
Local 80.7%
State 7.3%
Federal 12.0%
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.
How Brinker El Compares to District-Mates
| School | Enrollment | Economic Profile | Student-Teacher Ratio |
|---|---|---|---|
| Plano East Sr H S | Larger | Similar economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| Plano West Senior H S | Larger | Lower economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| Plano Sr H S | Larger | Similar economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| Shepton H S | Larger | Similar economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| Jasper H S | Larger | Lower economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
Comparisons are relative to Brinker El's own figures; each column derives from NCES Common Core of Data.
Other Schools in This District
- Enrollment
- 3,033
- Students per teacher
- 17:1
- Resource Index
- 45/100
- Enrollment
- 2,559
- Students per teacher
- 17.2:1
- Resource Index
- 46/100
- Enrollment
- 2,267
- Students per teacher
- 15.7:1
- Resource Index
- 46/100
- Enrollment
- 1,360
- Students per teacher
- 14.8:1
- Resource Index
- 43/100
- Enrollment
- 1,301
- Students per teacher
- 17.6:1
- Resource Index
- 54/100
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 (~565 students)
Similar student-teacher ratio (~13.1:1)
Next steps
Verify locally before acting on Brinker El's federal record.
- Compare Brinker El against another school. Compare schools
- Plano 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 Brinker El
How many students attend Brinker El?
Brinker El has 565 students enrolled. It is an elementary school in Plano, TX.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Brinker El?
The student-teacher ratio at Brinker El is 13.1:1, which is 11% lower than the Texas average of 14.7:1 and 17% 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 Brinker El?
31.9% of students at Brinker El are eligible for free lunch, compared to the Texas average of 61.9%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Brinker El?
The largest demographic group at Brinker El is Hispanic or Latino at 41.1% of enrollment, in Plano, TX. Its student body is more racially and ethnically mixed than most US schools, with a diversity index of 71.8/100.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Brinker El?
Brinker El has a Resource Investment Index of 47/100 (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 Brinker El rank among elementary schools in Plano?
By Resource Investment Index, Brinker El ranks #21 of 29 elementary schools in Plano, 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 Plano on the city page.
Is Brinker El a good school?
Brinker El earns 47/100 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 Plano Isd?
Besides Brinker El, Plano Isd also operates Plano East Sr H S (3,033 students), Plano West Senior H S (2,559 students), and Plano Sr H S (2,267 students). See the Plano 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.