Enrollment
284
Texas · 2024-25 NCES data
Other / mixed grade configuration · Chico, TX
Chico El
Federal NCES profile for Chico El, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators - Resource Investment Index 55/100.
2024-25 NCES dataOther / mixed grade configurationNCES 481380000869
👥 S:T ratio 43
🌟 Gifted program 70
🎓 Counselors 43
📋 Attendance 64
Scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC indicators, resource allocation, not test scores. Full methodology →
The verdict
Chico El earns 55/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes near the Texas median.
- #2 of 3
- public schools in Chico · Resource Index
- 55
- Resource Index · Higher
- 14.2:1
- students per teacher
- 49.4%
- free-lunch eligible
Chico El has class sizes near the Texas median. Computed live against every Texas school reporting to NCES.
By Resource Investment Index, Chico El ranks #2 of 3 public schools in Chico, TX.
School address
Teachers (FTE)
20.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
14.2:1
vs 14.7:1 Texas avg
-3% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
49.4%
vs 61.9% Texas avg
-20% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Chico El compares with Texas and U.S. medians
What stands out at Chico El
Chico El is a mid-sized combined-grade school in Chico, Texas, enrolling 284 students.
At 14.2:1, its student-teacher ratio sits close to the Texas median, within a few percentage points of the 14.7:1 state norm, neither notably crowded nor notably small.
Economic need runs somewhat below the state's typical profile, with 49.4% of students eligible for free meals.
Enrollment of 284 puts it in the smaller third of Texas schools by headcount.
Its Resource Investment Index lands in the upper third of 8,960 scored Texas schools.
Against 727 statewide peers matched on enrollment and economic need, it ranks in the upper tier at #269.
Its student body is led by White (62%) and Hispanic or Latino (34%) (diversity index 51/100).
Counselor coverage runs a bit thin, about 284 students per counselor, somewhat past the ASCA-recommended 250:1 benchmark.
14.4% of students were chronically absent in the 2021-22 collection, in line with the post-pandemic national range.
Chico Isd also operates Chico H S (166 students) and Chico Middle (122 students) alongside Chico 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 Chico El compares
Chico 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 | 14.2:1 | ▼ 3% | 14.7:1 | 15.7:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 49.4% | ▼ 20% | 61.9% | 51.7% |
| Enrollment | 284 | top 77% | - | - |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25
14.2:1
Leaner classes than 55% of US schools, a middle-of-the-pack class size.
284
Bigger than 30% of US schools by enrollment, mid-sized for the country.
Equity indicators (what these measure)
Economic need
49.4%
free-lunch eligible
- 20% 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
14.2:1
students per teacher
- 3% below state mean
Top 50% in Texas - lower ratio than 50% of state schools
Close to the 15:1 benchmark most often cited for individualized attention.
Engagement
14.4%
chronically absent (missed 10%+ of school days)
In the 10-15% range, above the pre-pandemic national baseline but within the broader post-pandemic picture.
Funding equity
$13,410
per pupil, district-wide
- below 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 284 students, the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
Discipline context
5
in-school suspensions + 0 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 1.8 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 1.8 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
White 61.6%
Hispanic or Latino 33.5%
Two or More 4.6%
African American 0.4%
Largest group: White at 61.6% of enrollment.
Student-body diversity index 50.6/100
Simpson diversity index - at 50.6, Chico El is more mixed than the Texas school average of 44.7.
Programs
Gifted & talented Yes
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Chico Isd, which includes Chico El.
$13,410
Per student
-2%
vs Texas
Avg $13,644
-19%
vs U.S.
Avg $16,593
Revenue mix
Local 79.3%
State 7.9%
Federal 12.8%
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 Chico El Compares to District-Mates
| School | Enrollment | Economic Profile | Student-Teacher Ratio |
|---|---|---|---|
| Chico H S | Smaller | Similar economic need | Lower S:T ratio |
| Chico Middle | Smaller | Similar economic need | Lower S:T ratio |
Comparisons are relative to Chico El's own figures; each column derives from NCES Common Core of Data.
Other Schools in This District
- Enrollment
- 166
- Students per teacher
- 9.2:1
- Resource Index
- 56/100
- Enrollment
- 122
- Students per teacher
- 12.2:1
- Resource Index
- 55/100
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 (~284 students)
Similar student-teacher ratio (~14.2:1)
Next steps
Verify locally before acting on Chico El's federal record.
- Compare Chico El against another school. Compare schools
- Chico 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 Chico El
How many students attend Chico El?
Chico El has 284 students enrolled. It is a public school in Chico, TX.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Chico El?
The student-teacher ratio at Chico El is 14.2:1, which is 3% lower than the Texas average of 14.7:1 and 10% 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 Chico El?
49.4% of students at Chico El are eligible for free lunch, compared to the Texas average of 61.9%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Chico El?
The largest demographic group at Chico El is White at 61.6% of enrollment, in Chico, TX. Its student body is more racially and ethnically mixed than most US schools, with a diversity index of 50.6/100.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Chico El?
Chico El has a Resource Investment Index of 55/100 (higher 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 Chico El rank among public schools in Chico?
By Resource Investment Index, Chico El ranks #2 of 3 public schools in Chico, 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 Chico on the city page.
Is Chico El a good school?
Chico El earns 55/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes near the Texas median. 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 Chico Isd?
Besides Chico El, Chico Isd also operates Chico H S (166 students) and Chico Middle (122 students). See the Chico 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.