Enrollment
170
New Mexico · 2024-25 NCES data
2024-25 NCES data Middle school (grades 6-8) NCES 350096000623
Caton Middle — Eunice, NM
Federal NCES profile for Caton Middle, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators — Resource Investment Index 51/100.
👥 Class size 36
🌟 Gifted program 30
🎓 Counselors 66
📋 Attendance 72
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: Eunice Municipal Schools · New Mexico
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)
10.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
16.1:1
vs 14.4:1 New Mexico avg
+12% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
54.0%
vs 80.8% New Mexico avg
-33% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Caton Middle compares with New Mexico 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
Caton Middle reports 170 enrolled students to the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) alongside 10.0 full-time-equivalent teachers, producing a 16.1:1 student-teacher ratio. That figure sits 12% above the New Mexico state mean of 14.4:1, signalling larger average class loads than peers in the same state. Against the national 2024-25 average of 15.9:1, it is 1% higher, a useful calibration for families comparing districts across state lines.
Title I and federal lunch eligibility offer another window into the student body: 54.0% of pupils qualify for free meals, a proxy for household income that federal programs use to direct funding. The free-lunch share is 33% below the New Mexico average and 4% above the national baseline. Counselor coverage works out to roughly 170 students per counselor, meeting the American School Counselor Association recommendation of 250:1. Chronic absenteeism — missing 10% or more of school days — stands at 11.2% according to the 2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection.
On the finance side, the surrounding Eunice Municipal Schools spends $35,660 per pupil district-wide, above the New Mexico average of $19,045 and above the national average of $19,490. Revenue comes 69.4% from local sources (property taxes), 27.7% from the state, and 2.9% from federal programs per the NCES F-33 finance survey. Taken together, these measurements produce a Resource Investment Index of 51/100 (C-), 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 Caton Middle compares
Cross-validating school-level NCES values against New Mexico state and U.S. national means lets readers see whether this school is an outlier or in line with peers.
| Metric | This school | vs New Mexico | New Mexico avg | U.S. avg |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Students per teacher | 16.1:1 | ▲ 12% | 14.4:1 | 15.9:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 54.0% | ▼ 33% | 80.8% | 51.8% |
| Enrollment | 170 | top 31% | — | — |
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
54.0%
free-lunch eligible
— 33% below the New Mexico average of 80.8%
Above the 40% Title I schoolwide threshold — federal funds support the whole school, not individual students.
Staffing depth
16.1:1
students per teacher
— 12% above state mean
Top 73% in New Mexico — lower ratio than 27% of state schools
Between 15:1 and 20:1 — in line with the typical U.S. public-school staffing range.
Engagement
11.2%
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
$35,660
per pupil, district-wide
— above New Mexico avg of $19,045
Above the U.S. public-school average, reflecting higher local or state investment per enrolled student.
Support staff
Counselors1.0 FTE
Per 170 students — the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
Discipline context
29
in-school suspensions + 20 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 17.1 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 28.8 per 100 students. Reported via the Civil Rights Data Collection.
Overview
Enrollment 170 Top 31% in New Mexico — larger than 69% of 873 state schools
Teachers (FTE) 10.0
Students per teacher 16.1:1 +12% vs state
Free-lunch eligible 54.0% -33% vs state
NCES ID 350096000623
Student demographics
Hispanic or Latino 65.9%
White 30.6%
Two or More 2.9%
African American 0.6%
Largest group: Hispanic or Latino at 65.9% of enrollment.
Programs & staff
Counselors (FTE) 1.0
Students per counselor 170:1
Discipline & special education
Chronically absent 11.2%
In-school suspensions 29
Out-of-school suspensions 20
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Eunice Municipal Schools, which includes Caton Middle.
$35,660
Per student
+87%
vs New Mexico
Avg $19,045
+83%
vs U.S.
Avg $19,490
Revenue mix
Local 69.4%
State 27.7%
Federal 2.9%
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
- 357
- Students per teacher
- 15:1
- Enrollment
- 221
- Students per teacher
- 14.6:1
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 Caton Middle
How many students attend Caton Middle?
Caton Middle has 170 students enrolled. It is a middle school in EUNICE, NM.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Caton Middle?
The student-teacher ratio at Caton Middle is 16.1:1, which is 12% higher than the New Mexico average of 14.4:1 and 1% higher than the national average of 15.9:1.
What percentage of students receive free lunch at Caton Middle?
54.0% of students at Caton Middle are eligible for free lunch, compared to the New Mexico average of 80.8%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Caton Middle?
The largest demographic group at Caton Middle is Hispanic or Latino at 65.9%. The school serves a diverse student body in EUNICE, NM.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Caton Middle?
Caton Middle has a Resource Investment Index of 51/100 (C-) 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.