Enrollment
549
Texas · 2024-25 NCES data
Elementary school (grades K-5) · Forney, TX
Criswell El
Federal NCES profile for Criswell El, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators - Resource Investment Index 41/100.
2024-25 NCES dataElementary school (grades K-5)NCES 481956006253
👥 S:T ratio 52
🌟 Gifted program 70
🎓 Counselors 0
📋 Attendance 42
Scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC indicators, resource allocation, not test scores. Full methodology →
The verdict
Criswell El earns 41/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes smaller than 77% of Texas schools. It is also more racially and ethnically mixed than most Texas schools.
- #4 of 9
- elementary schools in Forney · Resource Index
- 41
- Resource Index · Typical
- 11.9:1
- small classes for Texas
- 38.7%
- free-lunch eligible
Criswell El has class sizes smaller than 77% of Texas schools. Computed live against every Texas school reporting to NCES.
By Resource Investment Index, Criswell El ranks #4 of 9 elementary schools in Forney, TX.
School address
Teachers (FTE)
46.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
11.9:1
vs 14.7:1 Texas avg
-19% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
38.7%
vs 61.9% Texas avg
-37% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Criswell El compares with Texas and U.S. medians
What stands out at Criswell El
Criswell El is a mid-sized elementary school in Forney, Texas, enrolling 549 students.
Class sizes run a bit leaner than typical: 11.9:1 puts it in the smaller third of Texas schools by student-teacher ratio.
Economic need runs somewhat below the state's typical profile, with 38.7% of students eligible for free meals.
With 549 students, its enrollment sits close to the Texas median campus size.
Its Resource Investment Index sits near the middle of the pack among 8,960 scored Texas schools.
Against 1,050 statewide peers matched on enrollment and economic need, it ranks mid-pack at #708.
Its student body is led by African American (46%) and Hispanic or Latino (27%), more mixed than most schools in the state (diversity index 68/100).
Counselor access is stretched at roughly 549 students per counselor, well above the ASCA-recommended 250:1 ceiling.
Attendance runs somewhat below the norm, with 23.3% of students chronically absent per the 2021-22 civil-rights collection.
The surrounding Forney Isd spends $9,132 per pupil, 33% below the Texas average, a leaner-resourced district than most.
Forney Isd also operates North Forney H S (2,648 students) and Forney H S (2,582 students) alongside Criswell 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 Criswell El compares
Criswell 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 | 11.9:1 | ▼ 19% | 14.7:1 | 15.7:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 38.7% | ▼ 37% | 61.9% | 51.7% |
| Enrollment | 549 | top 43% | - | - |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25
11.9:1
Leaner classes than 76% of US schools, among the more generously staffed nationally.
549
Bigger than 68% of US schools by enrollment, mid-sized for the country.
Equity indicators (what these measure)
Economic need
38.7%
free-lunch eligible
- 37% below the Texas average of 61.9%
Below the 40% Title I threshold; federal aid targets individual qualifying students rather than schoolwide programs.
Staffing depth
11.9:1
students per teacher
- 19% below state mean
Top 23% in Texas - lower ratio than 77% of state schools
Well under the widely cited 15:1 individualized-attention benchmark, among the leaner class loads nationally.
Engagement
23.3%
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
$9,132
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 549 students, the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
Discipline context
18
in-school suspensions + 1 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 3.3 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 3.5 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
African American 46.3%
Hispanic or Latino 26.6%
White 16.8%
Two or More 7.3%
Asian 2.7%
American Indian / Alaska Native 0.4%
Largest group: African American at 46.3% of enrollment.
Student-body diversity index 68.1/100
Simpson diversity index - at 68.1, Criswell El is more mixed than the Texas school average of 44.7.
Programs
Gifted & talented Yes
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Forney Isd, which includes Criswell El.
$9,132
Per student
-33%
vs Texas
Avg $13,644
-45%
vs U.S.
Avg $16,593
Revenue mix
Local 51.9%
State 38.8%
Federal 9.3%
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 Criswell El Compares to District-Mates
| School | Enrollment | Economic Profile | Student-Teacher Ratio |
|---|---|---|---|
| North Forney H S | Larger | Similar economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| Forney H S | Larger | Lower economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| Jackson Middle | Larger | Similar economic need | Similar S:T ratio |
| Rhodes is | Larger | Similar economic need | Lower S:T ratio |
| Willett El | Larger | Lower economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
Comparisons are relative to Criswell El's own figures; each column derives from NCES Common Core of Data.
Other Schools in This District
- Enrollment
- 2,648
- Students per teacher
- 16.6:1
- Resource Index
- 31/100
- Enrollment
- 2,582
- Students per teacher
- 20.3:1
- Resource Index
- 34/100
- Enrollment
- 807
- Students per teacher
- 12.8:1
- Resource Index
- 42/100
- Enrollment
- 746
- Students per teacher
- 10.4:1
- Resource Index
- 48/100
- Enrollment
- 741
- Students per teacher
- 16.1:1
- Resource Index
- 36/100
Similar elementary 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 (~549 students)
Next steps
Verify locally before acting on Criswell El's federal record.
- Compare Criswell El against another school. Compare schools
- Forney 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 Criswell El
How many students attend Criswell El?
Criswell El has 549 students enrolled. It is an elementary school in Forney, TX.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Criswell El?
The student-teacher ratio at Criswell El is 11.9:1, which is 19% lower than the Texas average of 14.7:1 and 24% 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 Criswell El?
38.7% of students at Criswell El are eligible for free lunch, compared to the Texas average of 61.9%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Criswell El?
The largest demographic group at Criswell El is African American at 46.3% of enrollment, in Forney, TX. Its student body is more racially and ethnically mixed than most US schools, with a diversity index of 68.1/100.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Criswell El?
Criswell El has a Resource Investment Index of 41/100 (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 Criswell El rank among elementary schools in Forney?
By Resource Investment Index, Criswell El ranks #4 of 9 elementary schools in Forney, TX. This compares federal resource and staffing data among local peers; it is not a test-score or academic ranking. See all elementary schools in Forney on the city page.
Is Criswell El a good school?
Criswell El earns 41/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes smaller than 77% of Texas schools. 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 Forney Isd?
Besides Criswell El, Forney Isd also operates North Forney H S (2,648 students), Forney H S (2,582 students), and Jackson Middle (807 students). See the Forney 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.