Enrollment
322
Texas · 2024-25 NCES data
Other / mixed grade configuration · Temple, TX
Cater El
Federal NCES profile for Cater El, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators - Resource Investment Index 37/100.
2024-25 NCES dataOther / mixed grade configurationNCES 484233004817
👥 S:T ratio 39
🌟 Gifted program 70
🎓 Counselors 36
📋 Attendance 5
Scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC indicators, resource allocation, not test scores. Full methodology →
The verdict
Cater El earns 37/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes near the Texas median.
- #7 of 12
- schools in Temple · Resource Index
- 37
- Resource Index · Typical
- 15.3:1
- students per teacher
- 72.7%
- free-lunch eligible
Cater El has class sizes near the Texas median. Computed live against every Texas school reporting to NCES.
By Resource Investment Index, Cater El ranks #7 of 12 schools in Temple, TX.
School address
Teachers (FTE)
21.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
15.3:1
vs 14.7:1 Texas avg
+4% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
72.7%
vs 61.9% Texas avg
+17% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Cater El compares with Texas and U.S. medians
What stands out at Cater El
Cater El is a higher-need, mid-sized combined-grade school in Temple, Texas, enrolling 322 students.
Class loads run somewhat heavier than typical: 15.3:1 puts it in the larger third of Texas schools by student-teacher ratio.
Economic need runs somewhat above the state's typical profile, with 72.7% of students eligible for free meals.
Enrollment of 322 puts it in the smaller third of Texas schools by headcount.
Its Resource Investment Index lands in the lower third of 8,960 scored Texas schools.
Among 1,065 similarly sized, similarly resourced-need Texas schools statewide, it ranks #846, in the lower tier once campus size and economic need are matched.
Counselor coverage runs a bit thin, about 322 students per counselor, somewhat past the ASCA-recommended 250:1 benchmark.
Chronic absenteeism is elevated: 37.9% of students missed 10% or more of school days (2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection).
Its district draws 19.7% of revenue from federal sources, an above-typical federal share that tends to track a higher-need student population.
Temple Isd also operates Temple H S (2,320 students) and Thornton El (763 students) alongside Cater 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 Cater El compares
Cater 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 | 15.3:1 | ▲ 4% | 14.7:1 | 15.7:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 72.7% | ▲ 17% | 61.9% | 51.7% |
| Enrollment | 322 | top 73% | - | - |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25
15.3:1
Leaner classes than 44% of US schools, a middle-of-the-pack class size.
322
Bigger than 36% of US schools by enrollment, mid-sized for the country.
Equity indicators (what these measure)
Economic need
72.7%
free-lunch eligible
- 17% 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
15.3:1
students per teacher
- 4% above state mean
Top 63% in Texas - lower ratio than 37% of state schools
Close to the 15:1 benchmark most often cited for individualized attention.
Engagement
37.9%
chronically absent (missed 10%+ of school days)
At or above 20%, the commonly used threshold for "high" chronic absenteeism, signaling significant barriers to regular attendance.
Funding equity
$11,894
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 322 students, the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
Discipline context
19
in-school suspensions + 16 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 5.9 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 10.9 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.
Programs
Gifted & talented Yes
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Temple Isd, which includes Cater El.
$11,894
Per student
-13%
vs Texas
Avg $13,644
-28%
vs U.S.
Avg $16,593
Revenue mix
Local 42.7%
State 37.6%
Federal 19.7%
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 Cater El Compares to District-Mates
| School | Enrollment | Economic Profile | Student-Teacher Ratio |
|---|---|---|---|
| Temple H S | Larger | Lower economic need | Lower S:T ratio |
| Thornton El | Larger | Similar economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| Travis Science Academy | Larger | Similar economic need | Lower S:T ratio |
| Bonham Middle | Larger | Similar economic need | Lower S:T ratio |
| Lamar Middle | Larger | Similar economic need | Lower S:T ratio |
Comparisons are relative to Cater El's own figures; each column derives from NCES Common Core of Data.
Other Schools in This District
- Enrollment
- 2,320
- Students per teacher
- 12.7:1
- Resource Index
- 32/100
- Enrollment
- 763
- Students per teacher
- 17.3:1
- Resource Index
- 36/100
- Enrollment
- 686
- Students per teacher
- 12.3:1
- Resource Index
- 40/100
- Enrollment
- 627
- Students per teacher
- 11.6:1
- Resource Index
- 45/100
- Enrollment
- 553
- Students per teacher
- 11.8:1
- Resource Index
- 36/100
Similar other 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 (~322 students)
Similar student-teacher ratio (~15.3:1)
Next steps
Verify locally before acting on Cater El's federal record.
- Compare Cater El against another school. Compare schools
- Temple 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 Cater El
How many students attend Cater El?
Cater El has 322 students enrolled. It is a public school in Temple, TX.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Cater El?
The student-teacher ratio at Cater El is 15.3:1, which is 4% higher than the Texas average of 14.7:1 and 3% lower than the national average of 15.7:1.
What percentage of students receive free lunch at Cater El?
72.7% of students at Cater El are eligible for free lunch, compared to the Texas average of 61.9%.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Cater El?
Cater El has a Resource Investment Index of 37/100 (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 Cater El rank among schools in Temple?
By Resource Investment Index, Cater El ranks #7 of 12 schools in Temple, TX. This compares federal resource and staffing data among local peers; it is not a test-score or academic ranking. See all schools in Temple on the city page.
Is Cater El a good school?
Cater El earns 37/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes near the Texas median. 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 Temple Isd?
Besides Cater El, Temple Isd also operates Temple H S (2,320 students), Thornton El (763 students), and Travis Science Academy (686 students). See the Temple 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.