Enrollment
653
Texas · 2024-25 NCES data
Other / mixed grade configuration · Grand Prairie, TX
Cora Spencer El
Federal NCES profile for Cora Spencer El, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators - Resource Investment Index 40/100.
2024-25 NCES dataOther / mixed grade configurationNCES 482892011337
👥 S:T ratio 38
🌟 Gifted program 70
🎓 Counselors 0
📋 Attendance 51
Scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC indicators, resource allocation, not test scores. Full methodology →
The verdict
Cora Spencer El earns 40/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes near the Texas median. It is also more racially and ethnically mixed than most Texas schools.
- #19 of 36
- schools in Grand Prairie · Resource Index
- 40
- Resource Index · Typical
- 15.5:1
- students per teacher
- 26.2%
- free-lunch eligible
Cora Spencer El has class sizes near the Texas median. Computed live against every Texas school reporting to NCES.
By Resource Investment Index, Cora Spencer El ranks #19 of 36 schools in Grand Prairie, TX.
School address
District: Mansfield Isd · Texas
NCES ID 482892011337 Verify on NCES CCD record →
Teachers (FTE)
42.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
15.5:1
vs 14.7:1 Texas avg
+5% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
26.2%
vs 61.9% Texas avg
-58% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Cora Spencer El compares with Texas and U.S. medians
What stands out at Cora Spencer El
Cora Spencer El is a mid-sized combined-grade school in Grand Prairie, Texas, enrolling 653 students.
Class loads run somewhat heavier than typical: 15.5:1 puts it in the larger third of Texas schools by student-teacher ratio.
Comparatively few students face economic hardship here, 26.2% free-meal eligibility runs 58% below the Texas average.
Enrollment of 653 puts it in the larger third of Texas schools by headcount.
Its Resource Investment Index lands in the lower third of 8,960 scored Texas schools.
Among 899 similarly sized, similarly resourced-need Texas schools statewide, it ranks #728, in the lower tier once campus size and economic need are matched.
Its student body is led by African American (42%) and White (20%), more mixed than most schools in the state (diversity index 73/100).
Counselor access is stretched at roughly 653 students per counselor, well above the ASCA-recommended 250:1 ceiling.
Attendance runs somewhat below the norm, with 19.8% of students chronically absent per the 2021-22 civil-rights collection.
The surrounding Mansfield Isd spends $10,247 per pupil, 25% below the Texas average, a leaner-resourced district than most.
Mansfield Isd also operates Mansfield Lake Ridge H S (2,751 students) and Mansfield Legacy H S (2,568 students) alongside Cora Spencer 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 Cora Spencer El compares
Cora Spencer 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 | 15.5:1 | ▲ 5% | 14.7:1 | 15.7:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 26.2% | ▼ 58% | 61.9% | 51.7% |
| Enrollment | 653 | top 32% | - | - |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25
15.5:1
Leaner classes than 42% of US schools, a middle-of-the-pack class size.
653
Bigger than 77% of US schools by enrollment, mid-sized for the country.
Equity indicators (what these measure)
Economic need
26.2%
free-lunch eligible
- 58% below the Texas average of 61.9%
Below the 40% Title I threshold, among the lower-need profiles in the state; federal aid targets individual qualifying students rather than schoolwide programs.
Staffing depth
15.5:1
students per teacher
- 5% above state mean
Top 65% in Texas - lower ratio than 35% of state schools
Close to the 15:1 benchmark most often cited for individualized attention.
Engagement
19.8%
chronically absent (missed 10%+ of school days)
In the 15-20% range, nearing the "high" absenteeism threshold.
Funding equity
$10,247
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 653 students, the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
Discipline context
21
in-school suspensions + 0 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 3.2 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 3.2 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
African American 41.5%
White 19.9%
Hispanic or Latino 17.3%
Asian 16.2%
Two or More 4.9%
American Indian / Alaska Native 0.2%
Largest group: African American at 41.5% of enrollment.
Student-body diversity index 73.0/100
Simpson diversity index - at 73.0, Cora Spencer El is more mixed than the Texas school average of 44.7.
Programs
Gifted & talented Yes
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Mansfield Isd, which includes Cora Spencer El.
$10,247
Per student
-25%
vs Texas
Avg $13,644
-38%
vs U.S.
Avg $16,593
Revenue mix
Local 54.8%
State 33.7%
Federal 11.5%
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 Cora Spencer El Compares to District-Mates
| School | Enrollment | Economic Profile | Student-Teacher Ratio |
|---|---|---|---|
| Mansfield Lake Ridge H S | Larger | Similar economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| Mansfield Legacy H S | Larger | Higher economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| Mansfield H S | Larger | Similar economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| Mansfield Timberview H S | Larger | Higher economic need | Similar S:T ratio |
| Mansfield Summit H S | Larger | Higher economic need | Lower S:T ratio |
Comparisons are relative to Cora Spencer El's own figures; each column derives from NCES Common Core of Data.
Other Schools in This District
- Enrollment
- 2,751
- Students per teacher
- 18.8:1
- Resource Index
- 39/100
- Enrollment
- 2,568
- Students per teacher
- 18.6:1
- Resource Index
- 32/100
- Enrollment
- 2,552
- Students per teacher
- 17.2:1
- Resource Index
- 36/100
- Enrollment
- 1,788
- Students per teacher
- 14.3:1
- Resource Index
- 38/100
- Enrollment
- 1,772
- Students per teacher
- 14:1
- Resource Index
- 32/100
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 (~653 students)
Similar student-teacher ratio (~15.5:1)
Next steps
Verify locally before acting on Cora Spencer El's federal record.
- Compare Cora Spencer El against another school. Compare schools
- Mansfield 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 Cora Spencer El
How many students attend Cora Spencer El?
Cora Spencer El has 653 students enrolled. It is a public school in Grand Prairie, TX.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Cora Spencer El?
The student-teacher ratio at Cora Spencer El is 15.5:1, which is 5% higher than the Texas average of 14.7:1 and 1% lower than the national average of 15.7:1.
What percentage of students receive free lunch at Cora Spencer El?
26.2% of students at Cora Spencer El are eligible for free lunch, compared to the Texas average of 61.9%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Cora Spencer El?
The largest demographic group at Cora Spencer El is African American at 41.5% of enrollment, in Grand Prairie, TX. Its student body is more racially and ethnically mixed than most US schools, with a diversity index of 73.0/100.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Cora Spencer El?
Cora Spencer El has a Resource Investment Index of 40/100 (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 Cora Spencer El rank among schools in Grand Prairie?
By Resource Investment Index, Cora Spencer El ranks #19 of 36 schools in Grand Prairie, TX. This compares federal resource and staffing data among local peers; it is not a test-score or academic ranking. See all schools in Grand Prairie on the city page.
Is Cora Spencer El a good school?
Cora Spencer El earns 40/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes near the Texas median. It is also more racially and ethnically mixed than most 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 Mansfield Isd?
Besides Cora Spencer El, Mansfield Isd also operates Mansfield Lake Ridge H S (2,751 students), Mansfield Legacy H S (2,568 students), and Mansfield H S (2,552 students). See the Mansfield 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.