Enrollment
196
Texas · 2024-25 NCES data
Other / mixed grade configuration · Austin, TX
Dawson El
Federal NCES profile for Dawson El, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators - Resource Investment Index 44/100.
2024-25 NCES dataOther / mixed grade configurationNCES 480894000312
👥 S:T ratio 44
🌟 Gifted program 70
🎓 Counselors 61
📋 Attendance 0
Scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC indicators, resource allocation, not test scores. Full methodology →
The verdict
Dawson El earns 44/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes near the Texas median.
- #56 of 162
- schools in Austin · Resource Index
- 44
- Resource Index · Typical
- 14:1
- students per teacher
- 73.5%
- free-lunch eligible
Dawson El has class sizes near the Texas median. Computed live against every Texas school reporting to NCES.
By Resource Investment Index, Dawson El ranks #56 of 162 schools in Austin, TX.
School address
Teachers (FTE)
14.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
14:1
vs 14.7:1 Texas avg
-5% 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
What stands out at Dawson El
Dawson El is a higher-need, small combined-grade school in Austin, Texas, enrolling 196 students.
At 14:1, 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 above the state's typical profile, with 73.5% of students eligible for free meals.
Enrollment of 196 puts it in the smaller third of Texas schools by headcount.
Its Resource Investment Index sits near the middle of the pack among 8,960 scored Texas schools.
Among 480 similarly sized, similarly resourced-need Texas schools statewide, it ranks #341, in the lower tier once campus size and economic need are matched.
Its student body is led by Hispanic or Latino (73%) and White (11%) (diversity index 45/100).
Counselor coverage is strong, about 196 students per counselor, inside the American School Counselor Association's recommended 250:1.
Chronic absenteeism is elevated: 54.6% of students missed 10% or more of school days (2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection).
Its district draws 18.1% of revenue from federal sources, an above-typical federal share that tends to track a higher-need student population.
Austin Isd also operates Bowie H S (2,876 students) and Akins H S (2,421 students) alongside Dawson 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 Dawson El compares
Dawson 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 | 14:1 | ▼ 5% | 14.7:1 | 15.7:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 73.5% | ▲ 19% | 61.9% | 51.7% |
| Enrollment | 196 | top 85% | - | - |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25
14:1
Leaner classes than 57% of US schools, a middle-of-the-pack class size.
196
Bigger than 19% of US schools by enrollment, a small campus.
Equity indicators (what these measure)
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
14:1
students per teacher
- 5% below state mean
Top 47% in Texas - lower ratio than 53% of state schools
Close to the 15:1 benchmark most often cited for individualized attention.
Engagement
54.6%
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
$12,492
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 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
- 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
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.
Student-body diversity index 44.5/100
Simpson diversity index - at 44.5, Dawson El is about as mixed as the Texas school average of 44.7.
Programs
Gifted & talented Yes
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Austin Isd, which includes Dawson El.
$12,492
Per student
-8%
vs Texas
Avg $13,644
-25%
vs U.S.
Avg $16,593
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.
How Dawson El Compares to District-Mates
| School | Enrollment | Economic Profile | Student-Teacher Ratio |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bowie H S | Larger | Lower economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| Akins H S | Larger | Lower economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| Austin H S | Larger | Lower economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| Anderson H S | Larger | Lower economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| Mccallum H S | Larger | Lower economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
Comparisons are relative to Dawson El's own figures; each column derives from NCES Common Core of Data.
Other Schools in This District
- Enrollment
- 2,876
- Students per teacher
- 19.7:1
- Resource Index
- 43/100
- Enrollment
- 2,421
- Students per teacher
- 16.7:1
- Resource Index
- 48/100
- Enrollment
- 2,323
- Students per teacher
- 20.2:1
- Resource Index
- 37/100
- Enrollment
- 2,223
- Students per teacher
- 18.8:1
- Resource Index
- 37/100
- Enrollment
- 1,897
- Students per teacher
- 19.6:1
- Resource Index
- 39/100
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 (~196 students)
Similar student-teacher ratio (~14:1)
Next steps
Verify locally before acting on Dawson El's federal record.
- Compare Dawson El against another school. Compare schools
- Austin 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 Dawson El
How many students attend Dawson El?
Dawson El has 196 students enrolled. It is a public school in Austin, TX.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Dawson El?
The student-teacher ratio at Dawson El is 14:1, which is 5% lower than the Texas average of 14.7:1 and 11% 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 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% of enrollment, in Austin, TX.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Dawson El?
Dawson El has a Resource Investment Index of 44/100 (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 Dawson El rank among schools in Austin?
By Resource Investment Index, Dawson El ranks #56 of 162 schools in Austin, TX. This compares federal resource and staffing data among local peers; it is not a test-score or academic ranking. See all schools in Austin on the city page.
Is Dawson El a good school?
Dawson El earns 44/100 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 Austin Isd?
Besides Dawson El, Austin Isd also operates Bowie H S (2,876 students), Akins H S (2,421 students), and Austin H S (2,323 students). See the Austin 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.