Enrollment
196
Texas · 2024-25 NCES data
2024-25 NCES data Other / mixed grade configuration NCES 480894000312
Dawson El — Austin, TX
Federal NCES profile for Dawson El, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators — Resource Investment Index 39/100.
👥 Class size 26
🌟 Gifted program 70
🎓 Counselors 61
📋 Attendance 0
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 →
School address
District: Austin 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
18.4:1
vs 14.6:1 Texas avg
+26% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
73.5%
vs 61.9% Texas avg
+19% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Dawson El 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
Dawson El reports 196 enrolled students to the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) alongside 14.0 full-time-equivalent teachers, producing a 18.4:1 student-teacher ratio. That figure sits 26% above the Texas state mean of 14.6:1, signalling larger average class loads than peers in the same state. Against the national 2024-25 average of 15.9:1, it is 16% higher, a useful calibration for families comparing districts across state lines.
Title I and federal lunch eligibility offer another window into the student body: 73.5% of pupils qualify for free meals, a proxy for household income that federal programs use to direct funding. The free-lunch share is 19% above the Texas average and 42% above the national baseline. Counselor coverage works out to roughly 196 students per counselor, meeting the American School Counselor Association recommendation of 250:1. Chronic absenteeism — missing 10% or more of school days — stands at 54.6% according to the 2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection.
On the finance side, the surrounding Austin Isd spends $26,950 per pupil district-wide, above the Texas average of $17,150 and above the national average of $19,490. Revenue comes 75.2% from local sources (property taxes), 6.6% from the state, and 18.1% from federal programs per the NCES F-33 finance survey. Taken together, these measurements produce a Resource Investment Index of 39/100 (F), calculated from 4 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 Dawson El 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 | 18.4:1 | ▲ 26% | 14.6:1 | 15.9:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 73.5% | ▲ 19% | 61.9% | 51.8% |
| Enrollment | 196 | top 15% | — | — |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 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
73.5%
free-lunch eligible
— 19% 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
18.4:1
students per teacher
— 26% above state mean
Top 92% in Texas — lower ratio than 8% of state schools
Between 15:1 and 20:1 — in line with the typical U.S. public-school staffing range.
Engagement
54.6%
chronically absent (missed 10%+ of school days)
Chronic absenteeism at or above 20% — the CDC threshold for "high" — signals significant barriers to regular attendance.
Funding equity
$26,950
per pupil, district-wide
— above Texas avg of $17,150
Above the U.S. public-school average, reflecting higher local or state investment per enrolled student.
Support staff
Counselors1.0 FTE
Per 196 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
Enrollment 196 Top 15% in Texas — larger than 85% of 9,061 state schools
Teachers (FTE) 14.0
Students per teacher 18.4:1 +26% vs state
Free-lunch eligible 73.5% +19% vs state
NCES ID 480894000312
Student demographics
Hispanic or Latino 73.0%
White 11.2%
African American 8.2%
Asian 3.6%
Two or More 3.1%
American Indian / Alaska Native 1.0%
Largest group: Hispanic or Latino at 73.0% of enrollment.
Programs & staff
Gifted & talented Yes
Counselors (FTE) 1.0
Students per counselor 196:1
Discipline & special education
Chronically absent 54.6%
In-school suspensions 0
Out-of-school suspensions 0
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Austin Isd, which includes Dawson El.
$26,950
Per student
+57%
vs Texas
Avg $17,150
+38%
vs U.S.
Avg $19,490
Revenue mix
Local 75.2%
State 6.6%
Federal 18.1%
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.
Other Schools in This District
- Enrollment
- 2,876
- Students per teacher
- 19.1:1
- Enrollment
- 2,421
- Students per teacher
- 18:1
- Enrollment
- 2,323
- Students per teacher
- 20.1:1
- Enrollment
- 2,223
- Students per teacher
- 18.7:1
- Enrollment
- 1,897
- Students per teacher
- 18.8:1
Similar other schools in Austin
6 comparable other schools (grades Mixed) serving the same city.
Valor South Austin
Standard public school
1,364 students 15.7:1 students per teacher
Blazier El
Standard public school
1,275 students 16.7:1 students per teacher
Valor North Austin
Standard public school
1,134 students 17.5:1 students per teacher
Harmony School of Endeavor Austin
Standard public school
1,000 students 16:1 students per teacher
Elsa England El
Standard public school
987 students 16.8:1 students per teacher
Doss El
Standard public school
930 students 16.2:1 students per teacher
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.
Frequently asked questions about Dawson El
How many students attend Dawson El?
Dawson El has 196 students enrolled. It is a other school in AUSTIN, TX.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Dawson El?
The student-teacher ratio at Dawson El is 18.4:1, which is 26% higher than the Texas average of 14.6:1 and 16% higher than the national average of 15.9:1.
What percentage of students receive free lunch at Dawson El?
73.5% of students at Dawson El are eligible for free lunch, compared to the Texas average of 61.9%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Dawson El?
The largest demographic group at Dawson El is Hispanic or Latino at 73.0%. The school serves a diverse student body in AUSTIN, TX.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Dawson El?
Dawson El has a Resource Investment Index of 39/100 (F) based on 4 factors: student-teacher ratio, counselor availability, attendance rates. This index measures federal resource allocation — staffing levels, program availability, and support services — not standardized test scores or academic outcomes.