Enrollment
432
Texas · 2024-25 NCES data
Other / mixed grade configuration · Bay City, TX
Cherry El
Federal NCES profile for Cherry El, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators - Resource Investment Index 27/100.
2024-25 NCES dataOther / mixed grade configurationNCES 480963000414
👥 S:T ratio 31
🌟 Gifted program 30
🎓 Counselors 14
📋 Attendance 35
Scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC indicators, resource allocation, not test scores. Full methodology →
The verdict
Cherry El earns 27/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes larger than 82% of Texas schools.
- #4 of 5
- public schools in Bay City · Resource Index
- 27
- Resource Index · Lower
- 17.3:1
- large classes for Texas
- 82.4%
- free-lunch eligible
Cherry El has class sizes larger than 82% of Texas schools. Computed live against every Texas school reporting to NCES.
By Resource Investment Index, Cherry El ranks #4 of 5 public schools in Bay City, TX.
School address
Teachers (FTE)
25.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
17.3:1
vs 14.7:1 Texas avg
+18% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
82.4%
vs 61.9% Texas avg
+33% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Cherry El compares with Texas and U.S. medians
What stands out at Cherry El
Cherry El is a high-poverty, mid-sized combined-grade school in Bay City, Texas, enrolling 432 students.
Class loads run somewhat heavier than typical: 17.3:1 puts it in the larger third of Texas schools by student-teacher ratio.
Economic need runs somewhat above the state's typical profile, with 82.4% of students eligible for free meals.
With 432 students, its enrollment sits close to the Texas median campus size.
Its Resource Investment Index trails 94% of the 8,960 Texas schools with a score on record, one of the lower results on this measure.
Among 1,966 similarly sized, similarly resourced-need Texas schools statewide, it ranks #1,800, in the lower tier once campus size and economic need are matched.
Its student body is led by Hispanic or Latino (67%) and White (15%) (diversity index 51/100).
Counselor access is stretched at roughly 432 students per counselor, well above the ASCA-recommended 250:1 ceiling.
Chronic absenteeism is elevated: 25.9% of students missed 10% or more of school days (2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection).
Its district draws 22.6% of revenue from federal sources, an above-typical federal share that tends to track a higher-need student population.
Bay City Isd also operates Bay City H S (1,042 students) and Tenie Holmes El (763 students) alongside Cherry 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 Cherry El compares
Cherry 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 | 17.3:1 | ▲ 18% | 14.7:1 | 15.7:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 82.4% | ▲ 33% | 61.9% | 51.7% |
| Enrollment | 432 | top 60% | - | - |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25
17.3:1
Leaner classes than 29% of US schools, heavier class loads than most.
432
Bigger than 52% of US schools by enrollment, mid-sized for the country.
Equity indicators (what these measure)
Economic need
82.4%
free-lunch eligible
- 33% 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
17.3:1
students per teacher
- 18% above state mean
Top 82% in Texas - lower ratio than 18% of state schools
Between 16:1 and 20:1, squarely in the typical U.S. public-school staffing range.
Engagement
25.9%
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
$12,221
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 432 students, the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
Discipline context
0
in-school suspensions + 0 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 0.0 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 0.0 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 66.9%
White 15.3%
African American 13.9%
Two or More 3.5%
Asian 0.5%
Largest group: Hispanic or Latino at 66.9% of enrollment.
Student-body diversity index 50.8/100
Simpson diversity index - at 50.8, Cherry El is more mixed than the Texas school average of 44.7.
Programs
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Bay City Isd, which includes Cherry El.
$12,221
Per student
-10%
vs Texas
Avg $13,644
-26%
vs U.S.
Avg $16,593
Revenue mix
Local 44.1%
State 33.3%
Federal 22.6%
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 Cherry El Compares to District-Mates
| School | Enrollment | Economic Profile | Student-Teacher Ratio |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bay City H S | Larger | Similar economic need | Lower S:T ratio |
| Tenie Holmes El | Larger | Similar economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| Bay City J H | Larger | Similar economic need | Lower S:T ratio |
| Roberts El | Similar size | Similar economic need | Similar S:T ratio |
Comparisons are relative to Cherry El's own figures; each column derives from NCES Common Core of Data.
Other Schools in This District
- Enrollment
- 1,042
- Students per teacher
- 12.7:1
- Resource Index
- 45/100
- Enrollment
- 763
- Students per teacher
- 21.8:1
- Resource Index
- 31/100
- Enrollment
- 750
- Students per teacher
- 13.9:1
- Resource Index
- 37/100
- Enrollment
- 486
- Students per teacher
- 17.4:1
- Resource Index
- 26/100
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 (~432 students)
Next steps
Verify locally before acting on Cherry El's federal record.
- Compare Cherry El against another school. Compare schools
- Bay City 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 Cherry El
How many students attend Cherry El?
Cherry El has 432 students enrolled. It is a public school in Bay City, TX.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Cherry El?
The student-teacher ratio at Cherry El is 17.3:1, which is 18% higher than the Texas average of 14.7:1 and 10% higher than the national average of 15.7:1.
What percentage of students receive free lunch at Cherry El?
82.4% of students at Cherry El are eligible for free lunch, compared to the Texas average of 61.9%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Cherry El?
The largest demographic group at Cherry El is Hispanic or Latino at 66.9% of enrollment, in Bay City, TX. Its student body is more racially and ethnically mixed than most US schools, with a diversity index of 50.8/100.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Cherry El?
Cherry El has a Resource Investment Index of 27/100 (lower 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 Cherry El rank among public schools in Bay City?
By Resource Investment Index, Cherry El ranks #4 of 5 public schools in Bay City, 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 Bay City on the city page.
Is Cherry El a good school?
Cherry El earns 27/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes larger than 82% 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 Bay City Isd?
Besides Cherry El, Bay City Isd also operates Bay City H S (1,042 students), Tenie Holmes El (763 students), and Bay City J H (750 students). See the Bay City 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.