Enrollment
610
Texas · 2024-25 NCES data
Other / mixed grade configuration · Palacios, TX
Central El
Federal NCES profile for Central El, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators - Resource Investment Index 37/100.
2024-25 NCES dataOther / mixed grade configurationNCES 483402003780
👥 S:T ratio 0
🌟 Gifted program 70
🎓 Counselors 0
📋 Attendance 78
Scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC indicators, resource allocation, not test scores. Full methodology →
The verdict
Central El earns 37/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes larger than 98% of Texas schools.
- #4 of 4
- public schools in Palacios · Resource Index
- 37
- Resource Index · Typical
- 27.7:1
- large classes for Texas
- 66.2%
- free-lunch eligible
Central El has class sizes larger than 98% of Texas schools. Computed live against every Texas school reporting to NCES.
By Resource Investment Index, Central El ranks #4 of 4 public schools in Palacios, TX.
School address
Teachers (FTE)
22.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
27.7:1
vs 14.7:1 Texas avg
+88% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
66.2%
vs 61.9% Texas avg
+7% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Central El compares with Texas and U.S. medians
What stands out at Central El
Central El is a higher-need, mid-sized combined-grade school in Palacios, Texas, enrolling 610 students.
Class loads run heavy: 27.7:1 is larger than about 98% of Texas schools and 88% above the 14.7:1 state mean, so each teacher carries more students than is typical.
Its free-meal eligibility rate of 66.2% lands close to the Texas typical range, neither a high- nor low-need campus by this measure.
With 610 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.
Against 1,741 statewide peers matched on enrollment and economic need, it ranks mid-pack at #1,209.
Its student body is led by Hispanic or Latino (74%) and White (20%) (diversity index 41/100).
Counselor access is stretched at roughly 610 students per counselor, well above the ASCA-recommended 250:1 ceiling.
Attendance holds up well here: only 9.0% of students were chronically absent, below the typical post-pandemic national figure.
Palacios Isd also operates Palacios H S (655 students) and Palacios J H (293 students) alongside Central 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 Central El compares
Central 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 | 27.7:1 | ▲ 88% | 14.7:1 | 15.7:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 66.2% | ▲ 7% | 61.9% | 51.7% |
| Enrollment | 610 | top 36% | - | - |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25
27.7:1
Leaner classes than 3% of US schools, heavier class loads than most.
610
Bigger than 74% of US schools by enrollment, mid-sized for the country.
Equity indicators (what these measure)
Economic need
66.2%
free-lunch eligible
- 7% 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
27.7:1
students per teacher
- 88% above state mean
Top 98% in Texas - lower ratio than 2% of state schools
Well above 20:1, one of the more stretched staffing loads nationally relative to enrollment.
Engagement
9.0%
chronically absent (missed 10%+ of school days)
In the 5-10% range, close to the pre-pandemic national baseline.
Funding equity
$15,100
per pupil, district-wide
- above Texas avg of $13,644
Somewhat below the U.S. average per-pupil spend; funding constraints may affect programs, facilities, and staffing.
Support staff
Counselors1.0 FTE
Per 610 students, the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
Discipline context
8
in-school suspensions + 1 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 1.3 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 1.5 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
Hispanic or Latino 74.3%
White 20.3%
Asian 3.0%
Two or More 2.0%
African American 0.3%
American Indian / Alaska Native 0.2%
Largest group: Hispanic or Latino at 74.3% of enrollment.
Student-body diversity index 40.5/100
Simpson diversity index - at 40.5, Central El is less mixed than the Texas school average of 44.7.
Programs
Gifted & talented Yes
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Palacios Isd, which includes Central El.
$15,100
Per student
+11%
vs Texas
Avg $13,644
-9%
vs U.S.
Avg $16,593
Revenue mix
Local 78.7%
State 6.8%
Federal 14.5%
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 Central El Compares to District-Mates
| School | Enrollment | Economic Profile | Student-Teacher Ratio |
|---|---|---|---|
| Palacios H S | Similar size | Similar economic need | Lower S:T ratio |
| Palacios J H | Smaller | Similar economic need | Lower S:T ratio |
| East Side Int | Smaller | Similar economic need | Lower S:T ratio |
Comparisons are relative to Central El's own figures; each column derives from NCES Common Core of Data.
Other Schools in This District
- Enrollment
- 655
- Students per teacher
- 19.8:1
- Resource Index
- 41/100
- Enrollment
- 293
- Students per teacher
- 12.2:1
- Resource Index
- 57/100
- Enrollment
- 275
- Students per teacher
- 13.1:1
- Resource Index
- 61/100
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 (~610 students)
Similar student-teacher ratio (~27.7:1)
Next steps
Verify locally before acting on Central El's federal record.
- Compare Central El against another school. Compare schools
- Palacios 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 Central El
How many students attend Central El?
Central El has 610 students enrolled. It is a public school in Palacios, TX.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Central El?
The student-teacher ratio at Central El is 27.7:1, which is 88% higher than the Texas average of 14.7:1 and 76% higher than the national average of 15.7:1.
What percentage of students receive free lunch at Central El?
66.2% 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 74.3% of enrollment, in Palacios, TX.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Central El?
Central 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 Central El rank among public schools in Palacios?
By Resource Investment Index, Central El ranks #4 of 4 public schools in Palacios, TX. This compares federal resource and staffing data among local peers; it is not a test-score or academic ranking. See all public schools in Palacios on the city page.
Is Central El a good school?
Central El earns 37/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes larger than 98% of 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 Palacios Isd?
Besides Central El, Palacios Isd also operates Palacios H S (655 students), Palacios J H (293 students), and East Side Int (275 students). See the Palacios 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.