Enrollment
422
Texas · 2024-25 NCES data
2024-25 NCES data Other / mixed grade configuration NCES 482034002014
Caldwell El — Garland, TX
Federal NCES profile for Caldwell El, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators — Resource Investment Index 49/100.
👥 Class size 35
🌟 Gifted program 70
🎓 Counselors 37
📋 Attendance 53
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: Garland 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)
25.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
16.2:1
vs 14.6:1 Texas avg
+11% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
94.3%
vs 61.9% Texas avg
+52% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Caldwell 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
Caldwell El reports 422 enrolled students to the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) alongside 25.0 full-time-equivalent teachers, producing a 16.2:1 student-teacher ratio. That figure sits 11% above the Texas state mean of 14.6:1, signalling larger average class loads than peers in the same state. Against the national 2024-25 average of 15.9:1, it is 2% higher, a useful calibration for families comparing districts across state lines.
Title I and federal lunch eligibility offer another window into the student body: 94.3% of pupils qualify for free meals, a proxy for household income that federal programs use to direct funding. The free-lunch share is 52% above the Texas average and 82% above the national baseline. Counselor coverage works out to roughly 317 students per counselor, above the ASCA-recommended ceiling of 250:1. Chronic absenteeism — missing 10% or more of school days — stands at 18.7% according to the 2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection.
On the finance side, the surrounding Garland Isd spends $11,836 per pupil district-wide, below the Texas average of $17,150 and below the national average of $19,490. Revenue comes 43.7% from local sources (property taxes), 37.7% from the state, and 18.6% from federal programs per the NCES F-33 finance survey. Taken together, these measurements produce a Resource Investment Index of 49/100 (D), 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 Caldwell 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 | 16.2:1 | ▲ 11% | 14.6:1 | 15.9:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 94.3% | ▲ 52% | 61.9% | 51.8% |
| Enrollment | 422 | top 39% | — | — |
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
94.3%
free-lunch eligible
— 52% 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
16.2:1
students per teacher
— 11% above state mean
Top 74% in Texas — lower ratio than 26% of state schools
Between 15:1 and 20:1 — in line with the typical U.S. public-school staffing range.
Engagement
18.7%
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
$11,836
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
Counselors1.3 FTE
Per 317 students — the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
Discipline context
0
in-school suspensions + 0 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 0.0 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 0.0 per 100 students. Reported via the Civil Rights Data Collection.
Overview
Enrollment 422 Top 39% in Texas — larger than 61% of 9,061 state schools
Teachers (FTE) 25.0
Students per teacher 16.2:1 +11% vs state
Free-lunch eligible 94.3% +52% vs state
NCES ID 482034002014
Student demographics
Hispanic or Latino 86.3%
African American 7.6%
White 4.0%
Two or More 1.4%
Asian 0.5%
American Indian / Alaska Native 0.2%
Largest group: Hispanic or Latino at 86.3% of enrollment.
Programs & staff
Gifted & talented Yes
Counselors (FTE) 1.3
Students per counselor 317:1
Discipline & special education
Chronically absent 18.7%
In-school suspensions 0
Out-of-school suspensions 0
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Garland Isd, which includes Caldwell El.
$11,836
Per student
-31%
vs Texas
Avg $17,150
-39%
vs U.S.
Avg $19,490
Revenue mix
Local 43.7%
State 37.7%
Federal 18.6%
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
- 2,935
- Students per teacher
- 18.2:1
- Enrollment
- 2,929
- Students per teacher
- 16.9:1
- Enrollment
- 2,335
- Students per teacher
- 16:1
- Enrollment
- 2,156
- Students per teacher
- 16:1
- Enrollment
- 2,073
- Students per teacher
- 15.8:1
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 Caldwell El
How many students attend Caldwell El?
Caldwell El has 422 students enrolled. It is a other school in GARLAND, TX.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Caldwell El?
The student-teacher ratio at Caldwell El is 16.2:1, which is 11% higher than the Texas average of 14.6:1 and 2% higher than the national average of 15.9:1.
What percentage of students receive free lunch at Caldwell El?
94.3% of students at Caldwell El are eligible for free lunch, compared to the Texas average of 61.9%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Caldwell El?
The largest demographic group at Caldwell El is Hispanic or Latino at 86.3%. The school serves a diverse student body in GARLAND, TX.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Caldwell El?
Caldwell El has a Resource Investment Index of 49/100 (D) 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.