Enrollment
560
Texas · 2024-25 NCES data
Other / mixed grade configuration · Little Elm, TX
Catherine Bell El
Federal NCES profile for Catherine Bell El, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators - Resource Investment Index 34/100.
2024-25 NCES dataOther / mixed grade configurationNCES 481674013270
👥 S:T ratio 55
🌟 Gifted program 70
🎓 Counselors 0
📋 Attendance 13
Scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC indicators, resource allocation, not test scores. Full methodology →
The verdict
Catherine Bell El earns 34/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes smaller than 83% of Texas schools. It is also more racially and ethnically mixed than most Texas schools.
- #4 of 5
- schools in Little Elm · Resource Index
- 34
- Resource Index · Typical
- 11.2:1
- small classes for Texas
- 46.3%
- free-lunch eligible
Catherine Bell El has class sizes smaller than 83% of Texas schools. Computed live against every Texas school reporting to NCES.
By Resource Investment Index, Catherine Bell El ranks #4 of 5 schools in Little Elm, TX.
School address
Teachers (FTE)
50.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
11.2:1
vs 14.7:1 Texas avg
-24% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
46.3%
vs 61.9% Texas avg
-25% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Catherine Bell El compares with Texas and U.S. medians
What stands out at Catherine Bell El
Catherine Bell El is a mid-sized combined-grade school in Little Elm, Texas, enrolling 560 students.
Class sizes run a bit leaner than typical: 11.2:1 puts it in the smaller third of Texas schools by student-teacher ratio.
Economic need runs somewhat below the state's typical profile, with 46.3% of students eligible for free meals.
With 560 students, its enrollment sits close to the Texas median campus size.
Its Resource Investment Index lands in the lower third of 8,960 scored Texas schools.
Among 1,273 similarly sized, similarly resourced-need Texas schools statewide, it ranks #1,156, in the lower tier once campus size and economic need are matched.
Its student body is led by African American (53%) and White (16%), more mixed than most schools in the state (diversity index 65/100).
Counselor access is stretched at roughly 560 students per counselor, well above the ASCA-recommended 250:1 ceiling.
Chronic absenteeism is elevated: 35.0% of students missed 10% or more of school days (2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection).
Denton Isd also operates Ray Braswell H S (2,812 students) and Guyer H S (2,577 students) alongside Catherine Bell 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 Catherine Bell El compares
Catherine Bell 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 | 11.2:1 | ▼ 24% | 14.7:1 | 15.7:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 46.3% | ▼ 25% | 61.9% | 51.7% |
| Enrollment | 560 | top 42% | - | - |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25
11.2:1
Leaner classes than 82% of US schools, among the more generously staffed nationally.
560
Bigger than 69% of US schools by enrollment, mid-sized for the country.
Equity indicators (what these measure)
Economic need
46.3%
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
11.2:1
students per teacher
- 24% below state mean
Top 17% in Texas - lower ratio than 83% of state schools
Well under the widely cited 15:1 individualized-attention benchmark, among the leaner class loads nationally.
Engagement
35.0%
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
$11,123
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 560 students, the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
Discipline context
1
in-school suspensions + 11 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 0.2 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 2.1 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
African American 53.4%
White 16.4%
Hispanic or Latino 15.4%
Two or More 7.1%
Asian 6.8%
American Indian / Alaska Native 0.9%
Largest group: African American at 53.4% of enrollment.
Student-body diversity index 65.4/100
Simpson diversity index - at 65.4, Catherine Bell El is more mixed than the Texas school average of 44.7.
Programs
Gifted & talented Yes
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Denton Isd, which includes Catherine Bell El.
$11,123
Per student
-18%
vs Texas
Avg $13,644
-33%
vs U.S.
Avg $16,593
Revenue mix
Local 68.7%
State 20.6%
Federal 10.8%
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 Catherine Bell El Compares to District-Mates
| School | Enrollment | Economic Profile | Student-Teacher Ratio |
|---|---|---|---|
| Ray Braswell H S | Larger | Lower economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| Guyer H S | Larger | Lower economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| Denton H S | Larger | Similar economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| Ryan H S | Larger | Similar economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| Strickland Middle | Larger | Similar economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
Comparisons are relative to Catherine Bell El's own figures; each column derives from NCES Common Core of Data.
Other Schools in This District
- Enrollment
- 2,812
- Students per teacher
- 15.9:1
- Resource Index
- 42/100
- Enrollment
- 2,577
- Students per teacher
- 14.3:1
- Resource Index
- 55/100
- Enrollment
- 2,083
- Students per teacher
- 14.9:1
- Resource Index
- 45/100
- Enrollment
- 2,051
- Students per teacher
- 12.7:1
- Resource Index
- 44/100
- Enrollment
- 956
- Students per teacher
- 13.7:1
- Resource Index
- 50/100
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 (~560 students)
Similar student-teacher ratio (~11.2:1)
Next steps
Verify locally before acting on Catherine Bell El's federal record.
- Compare Catherine Bell El against another school. Compare schools
- Denton 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 Catherine Bell El
How many students attend Catherine Bell El?
Catherine Bell El has 560 students enrolled. It is a public school in Little Elm, TX.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Catherine Bell El?
The student-teacher ratio at Catherine Bell El is 11.2:1, which is 24% lower than the Texas average of 14.7:1 and 29% 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 Catherine Bell El?
46.3% of students at Catherine Bell El are eligible for free lunch, compared to the Texas average of 61.9%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Catherine Bell El?
The largest demographic group at Catherine Bell El is African American at 53.4% of enrollment, in Little Elm, TX. Its student body is more racially and ethnically mixed than most US schools, with a diversity index of 65.4/100.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Catherine Bell El?
Catherine Bell El has a Resource Investment Index of 34/100 (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 Catherine Bell El rank among schools in Little Elm?
By Resource Investment Index, Catherine Bell El ranks #4 of 5 schools in Little Elm, TX. This compares federal resource and staffing data among local peers; it is not a test-score or academic ranking. See all schools in Little Elm on the city page.
Is Catherine Bell El a good school?
Catherine Bell El earns 34/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes smaller than 83% of Texas schools. 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 Denton Isd?
Besides Catherine Bell El, Denton Isd also operates Ray Braswell H S (2,812 students), Guyer H S (2,577 students), and Denton H S (2,083 students). See the Denton 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.