Enrollment
264
Texas · 2024-25 NCES data
2024-25 NCES data Other / mixed grade configuration NCES 481815001609
Cardenas Center — San Antonio, TX
Federal NCES profile for Cardenas Center, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators — Resource Investment Index 41/100.
👥 Class size 52
🌟 Gifted program 30
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: Edgewood 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)
20.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
12.1:1
vs 14.6:1 Texas avg
-17% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
100.0%
vs 61.9% Texas avg
+62% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Cardenas Center 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
Cardenas Center reports 264 enrolled students to the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) alongside 20.0 full-time-equivalent teachers, producing a 12.1:1 student-teacher ratio. That figure sits 17% 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 24% lower, a useful calibration for families comparing districts across state lines.
Title I and federal lunch eligibility offer another window into the student body: 100.0% of pupils qualify for free meals, a proxy for household income that federal programs use to direct funding. The free-lunch share is 62% above the Texas average and 93% above the national baseline.
On the finance side, the surrounding Edgewood Isd spends $15,020 per pupil district-wide, below the Texas average of $17,150 and below the national average of $19,490. Revenue comes 18.1% from local sources (property taxes), 50.1% from the state, and 31.9% from federal programs per the NCES F-33 finance survey. Taken together, these measurements produce a Resource Investment Index of 41/100 (D), calculated from 2 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 Cardenas Center 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 | 12.1:1 | ▼ 17% | 14.6:1 | 15.9:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 100.0% | ▲ 62% | 61.9% | 51.8% |
| Enrollment | 264 | top 21% | — | — |
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
100.0%
free-lunch eligible
— 62% 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
12.1:1
students per teacher
— 17% below state mean
Top 20% in Texas — lower ratio than 80% of state schools
Below the 15:1 benchmark — typical of schools with smaller class sizes and more individualized attention.
Funding equity
$15,020
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
Counselors0.0 FTE
Student-support staffing from the Civil Rights Data Collection.
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 264 Top 21% in Texas — larger than 79% of 9,061 state schools
Teachers (FTE) 20.0
Students per teacher 12.1:1 -17% vs state
Free-lunch eligible 100.0% +62% vs state
NCES ID 481815001609
Student demographics
Hispanic or Latino 95.8%
White 1.5%
African American 1.1%
Asian 1.1%
Two or More 0.4%
Largest group: Hispanic or Latino at 95.8% of enrollment.
Programs & staff
Counselors (FTE) 0.0
Discipline & special education
In-school suspensions 0
Out-of-school suspensions 0
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Edgewood Isd, which includes Cardenas Center.
$15,020
Per student
-12%
vs Texas
Avg $17,150
-23%
vs U.S.
Avg $19,490
Revenue mix
Local 18.1%
State 50.1%
Federal 31.9%
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
- 998
- Students per teacher
- 16.8:1
- Enrollment
- 846
- Students per teacher
- 13.6:1
- Enrollment
- 684
- Students per teacher
- 14.4:1
- Enrollment
- 602
- Students per teacher
- 16.7:1
- Enrollment
- 587
- Students per teacher
- 16.7:1
Similar other schools in San Antonio
6 comparable other schools (grades Mixed) serving the same city.
Great Hearts Northern Oaks
Standard public school
1,430 students 19.2:1 students per teacher
Great Hearts Forest Heights
Standard public school
1,335 students 19.1:1 students per teacher
Great Hearts Western Hills
Standard public school
1,326 students 21.6:1 students per teacher
Somerset Academy Brooks
Standard public school
1,227 students 18.3:1 students per teacher
Kallison El
Standard public school
1,221 students 16.2:1 students per teacher
Advanced Learning Academy
Standard public school
1,087 students 15.6:1 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 Cardenas Center
How many students attend Cardenas Center?
Cardenas Center has 264 students enrolled. It is a other school in SAN ANTONIO, TX.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Cardenas Center?
The student-teacher ratio at Cardenas Center is 12.1:1, which is 17% lower than the Texas average of 14.6:1 and 24% 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 Cardenas Center?
100.0% of students at Cardenas Center are eligible for free lunch, compared to the Texas average of 61.9%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Cardenas Center?
The largest demographic group at Cardenas Center is Hispanic or Latino at 95.8%. The school serves a diverse student body in SAN ANTONIO, TX.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Cardenas Center?
Cardenas Center has a Resource Investment Index of 41/100 (D) based on 2 factors: student-teacher ratio. This index measures federal resource allocation — staffing levels, program availability, and support services — not standardized test scores or academic outcomes. Limited indicators were available, so the index reflects partial data.