Enrollment
100
Texas · 2024-25 NCES data
2024-25 NCES data Other / mixed grade configuration NCES 481536001112
Cotton Center School — Cotton Center, TX
Federal NCES profile for Cotton Center School, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators — Resource Investment Index 71/100.
👥 Class size 72
🌟 Gifted program 70
📋 Attendance 73
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 →
The verdict
Cotton Center School earns a B Resource Investment Index (71/100), with class sizes smaller than 97% of Texas schools.
- B
- Resource Index · 71/100
- 7.1:1
- small classes for Texas
- 59.0%
- free-lunch eligible
- 100
- students enrolled
School address
District: Cotton Center 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)
14.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
7.1:1
vs 14.6:1 Texas avg
-51% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
59.0%
vs 61.9% Texas avg
-5% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Cotton Center School 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
Cotton Center School reports 100 enrolled students to the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) alongside 14.0 full-time-equivalent teachers, producing a 7.1:1 student-teacher ratio. That figure sits 51% below the Texas state mean of 14.6:1, signalling more teacher attention per pupil than the state benchmark. Against the national 2024-25 average of 15.7:1, it is 55% lower, a useful calibration for families comparing districts across state lines.
Title I and federal lunch eligibility offer another window into the student body: 59.0% of pupils qualify for free meals, a proxy for household income that federal programs use to direct funding. The free-lunch share is 5% below the Texas average and 14% above the national baseline. Chronic absenteeism — missing 10% or more of school days — stands at 11.0% according to the 2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection.
On the finance side, the surrounding Cotton Center Isd spends $21,657 per pupil district-wide, above the Texas average of $13,644 and above the national average of $16,593. Revenue comes 15.5% from local sources (property taxes), 71.7% from the state, and 12.8% from federal programs per the NCES F-33 finance survey. Taken together, these measurements produce a Resource Investment Index of 71/100 (B), calculated from 3 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 Cotton Center School 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 | 7.1:1 | ▼ 51% | 14.6:1 | 15.7:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 59.0% | ▼ 5% | 61.9% | 51.8% |
| Enrollment | 100 | top 8% | — | — |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25
Class size vs. every US school
Students per teacher (lower means more individual attention)
7 Among the smallest classes smaller classes than 97% of 92,598 US schools
Each bar is a band; taller bars hold more US schools. The dashed line + filled bar mark this entry. Hover or tap any bar for its full count, share, and where it sits relative to this entry.
Source U.S. Department of Education — NCES Common Core of Data · 2024-25
School size vs. every US school
Total enrollment — where this school sits by size (neither large nor small is 'better')
100 larger than 10% of 95,891 US schools
Each bar is a band; taller bars hold more US schools. The dashed line + filled bar mark this entry. Hover or tap any bar for its full count, share, and where it sits relative to this entry.
Source U.S. Department of Education — NCES Common Core of Data · 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
59.0%
free-lunch eligible
— 5% 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
7.1:1
students per teacher
— 51% below state mean
Top 3% in Texas — lower ratio than 97% of state schools
Below the 15:1 benchmark — typical of schools with smaller class sizes and more individualized attention.
Engagement
11.0%
chronically absent (missed 10%+ of school days)
Between 10–20% — above the pre-pandemic baseline of ~15% nationally but within the current U.S. range.
Funding equity
$21,657
per pupil, district-wide
— above Texas avg of $13,644
Above the U.S. public-school average, reflecting higher local or state investment per enrolled student.
Support staff
Counselors0.0 FTE
Student-support staffing from the Civil Rights Data Collection.
Discipline context
4
in-school suspensions + 0 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 4.0 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 4.0 per 100 students. Reported via the Civil Rights Data Collection.
Overview
Enrollment 100 Top 8% in Texas — larger than 92% of 9,061 state schools
Teachers (FTE) 14.0
Students per teacher 7.1:1 -51% vs state
Free-lunch eligible 59.0% -5% vs state
NCES ID 481536001112
Student demographics
Hispanic or Latino 52.0%
White 42.0%
Asian 3.0%
Two or More 2.0%
African American 1.0%
Largest group: Hispanic or Latino at 52.0% of enrollment.
Programs & staff
Gifted & talented Yes
Counselors (FTE) 0.0
Discipline & special education
Chronically absent 11.0%
In-school suspensions 4
Out-of-school suspensions 0
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Cotton Center Isd, which includes Cotton Center School.
$21,657
Per student
+59%
vs Texas
Avg $13,644
+31%
vs U.S.
Avg $16,593
Revenue mix
Local 15.5%
State 71.7%
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.
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.
Before you act on this record
Treat this page as the federal baseline — then verify locally.
- Compare Cotton Center School side-by-side with another school you're considering on the same NCES measures. Compare schools
- Read the district context — spending per pupil, staffing, and equity ranking are district-level decisions that shape this school. District profile
- Confirm current enrollment windows, programs, and boundaries with the school directly — federal data lags the current school year. Choosing guide
Figures are the school's reported federal record (CCD 2024-25, CRDC 2021-22) — coverage varies by entity type, and PlainSchools does not rate or rank schools.
Frequently asked questions about Cotton Center School
How many students attend Cotton Center School?
Cotton Center School has 100 students enrolled. It is a other school in Cotton Center, TX.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Cotton Center School?
The student-teacher ratio at Cotton Center School is 7.1:1, which is 51% lower than the Texas average of 14.6:1 and 55% 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 Cotton Center School?
59.0% of students at Cotton Center School are eligible for free lunch, compared to the Texas average of 61.9%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Cotton Center School?
The largest demographic group at Cotton Center School is Hispanic or Latino at 52.0%. The school serves a diverse student body in Cotton Center, TX.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Cotton Center School?
Cotton Center School has a Resource Investment Index of 71/100 (B) based on 3 factors: student-teacher ratio, attendance rates. This index measures federal resource allocation — staffing levels, program availability, and support services — not standardized test scores or academic outcomes.
Is Cotton Center School a good school?
Cotton Center School earns a B Resource Investment Index (71/100), with class sizes smaller than 97% of Texas schools. The Resource Investment Index reflects staffing, counselor access, gifted programs, and attendance reported to NCES, not test scores or academic outcomes, so treat it as a resource snapshot rather than an overall rating.