Enrollment
457
Texas · 2024-25 NCES data
2024-25 NCES data Other / mixed grade configuration NCES 481764001523
Central El — Duncanville, TX
Federal NCES profile for Central El, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators — Resource Investment Index 34/100.
👥 Class size 30
🌟 Gifted program 70
🎓 Counselors 9
📋 Attendance 29
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: Duncanville 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)
24.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
17.5:1
vs 14.6:1 Texas avg
+20% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
87.1%
vs 61.9% Texas avg
+41% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Central 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
Central El reports 457 enrolled students to the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) alongside 24.0 full-time-equivalent teachers, producing a 17.5:1 student-teacher ratio. That figure sits 20% 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 10% higher, a useful calibration for families comparing districts across state lines.
Title I and federal lunch eligibility offer another window into the student body: 87.1% of pupils qualify for free meals, a proxy for household income that federal programs use to direct funding. The free-lunch share is 41% above the Texas average and 68% above the national baseline. Counselor coverage works out to roughly 457 students per counselor, above the ASCA-recommended ceiling of 250:1. Chronic absenteeism — missing 10% or more of school days — stands at 28.4% according to the 2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection.
On the finance side, the surrounding Duncanville Isd spends $13,055 per pupil district-wide, below the Texas average of $17,150 and below the national average of $19,490. Revenue comes 46.5% from local sources (property taxes), 37.9% from the state, and 15.7% from federal programs per the NCES F-33 finance survey. Taken together, these measurements produce a Resource Investment Index of 34/100 (F), 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 Central 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 | 17.5:1 | ▲ 20% | 14.6:1 | 15.9:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 87.1% | ▲ 41% | 61.9% | 51.8% |
| Enrollment | 457 | top 44% | — | — |
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
87.1%
free-lunch eligible
— 41% 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
17.5:1
students per teacher
— 20% above state mean
Top 87% in Texas — lower ratio than 13% of state schools
Between 15:1 and 20:1 — in line with the typical U.S. public-school staffing range.
Engagement
28.4%
chronically absent (missed 10%+ of school days)
Chronic absenteeism at or above 20% — the CDC threshold for "high" — signals significant barriers to regular attendance.
Funding equity
$13,055
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
Counselors1.0 FTE
Per 457 students — the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
Discipline context
6
in-school suspensions + 0 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 1.3 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 1.3 per 100 students. Reported via the Civil Rights Data Collection.
Overview
Enrollment 457 Top 44% in Texas — larger than 56% of 9,061 state schools
Teachers (FTE) 24.0
Students per teacher 17.5:1 +20% vs state
Free-lunch eligible 87.1% +41% vs state
NCES ID 481764001523
Student demographics
Hispanic or Latino 71.1%
African American 24.9%
White 2.2%
Two or More 1.5%
Asian 0.2%
Largest group: Hispanic or Latino at 71.1% of enrollment.
Programs & staff
Gifted & talented Yes
Counselors (FTE) 1.0
Students per counselor 457:1
Discipline & special education
Chronically absent 28.4%
In-school suspensions 6
Out-of-school suspensions 0
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Duncanville Isd, which includes Central El.
$13,055
Per student
-24%
vs Texas
Avg $17,150
-33%
vs U.S.
Avg $19,490
Revenue mix
Local 46.5%
State 37.9%
Federal 15.7%
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.
Other Schools in This District
- Enrollment
- 4,399
- Students per teacher
- 19.7:1
- Enrollment
- 795
- Students per teacher
- 12.7:1
- Enrollment
- 541
- Students per teacher
- 15.6:1
- Enrollment
- 537
- Students per teacher
- 16.5:1
- Enrollment
- 529
- Students per teacher
- 17.2:1
Similar other schools in Duncanville
6 comparable other schools (grades Mixed) serving the same city.
Duncanville H S
Standard public school
4,399 students 19.7:1 students per teacher
Village Tech Schools
Standard public school
1,335 students 17.1:1 students per teacher
William Lee Hastings El
Standard public school
529 students 17.2:1 students per teacher
Fairmeadows El
Standard public school
435 students 15.1:1 students per teacher
Merrifield El
Standard public school
393 students 14.8:1 students per teacher
Clint Q Smith El
Standard public school
344 students 14.9:1 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 Central El
How many students attend Central El?
Central El has 457 students enrolled. It is a other school in DUNCANVILLE, TX.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Central El?
The student-teacher ratio at Central El is 17.5:1, which is 20% higher than the Texas average of 14.6:1 and 10% higher than the national average of 15.9:1.
What percentage of students receive free lunch at Central El?
87.1% of students at Central El are eligible for free lunch, compared to the Texas average of 61.9%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Central El?
The largest demographic group at Central El is Hispanic or Latino at 71.1%. The school serves a diverse student body in DUNCANVILLE, TX.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Central El?
Central El has a Resource Investment Index of 34/100 (F) 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.