Enrollment
628
Texas · 2024-25 NCES data
Other / mixed grade configuration · Dawson, TX
Dawson H S
Federal NCES profile for Dawson H S, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators - Resource Investment Index 45/100.
2024-25 NCES dataOther / mixed grade configurationNCES 481638001397
👥 S:T ratio 0
🌟 Gifted program 70
🎓 Counselors 37
📋 Attendance 72
Scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC indicators, resource allocation, not test scores. Full methodology →
The verdict
Dawson H S earns 45/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes larger than 98% of Texas schools.
- 45
- Resource Index · Typical
- 26.2:1
- large classes for Texas
- 59.6%
- free-lunch eligible
- 628
- students enrolled
Dawson H S has class sizes larger than 98% of Texas schools. Computed live against every Texas school reporting to NCES.
School address
Teachers (FTE)
24.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
26.2:1
vs 14.7:1 Texas avg
+78% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
59.6%
vs 61.9% Texas avg
-4% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Dawson H S compares with Texas and U.S. medians
What stands out at Dawson H S
Dawson H S is a higher-need, mid-sized combined-grade school in Dawson, Texas, enrolling 628 students.
Class loads run heavy: 26.2:1 is larger than about 98% of Texas schools and 78% above the 14.7:1 state mean, so each teacher carries more students than is typical.
Its free-meal eligibility rate of 59.6% lands close to the Texas typical range, neither a high- nor low-need campus by this measure.
Enrollment of 628 puts it in the larger third of Texas schools by headcount.
Its Resource Investment Index sits near the middle of the pack among 8,960 scored Texas schools.
Against 1,571 statewide peers matched on enrollment and economic need, it ranks in the upper tier at #481.
Its student body is led by White (56%) and Hispanic or Latino (32%) (diversity index 58/100).
Counselor coverage runs a bit thin, about 314 students per counselor, somewhat past the ASCA-recommended 250:1 benchmark.
11.1% of students were chronically absent in the 2021-22 collection, in line with the post-pandemic national range.
Its district draws 18.0% of revenue from federal sources, an above-typical federal share that tends to track a higher-need student population.
Its district, Dawson Isd, also runs Dawson El (281 students).
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 H S compares
Dawson H S on the metrics families compare, against Texas and U.S. means.
| Metric | This school | vs Texas | Texas avg | U.S. avg |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Students per teacher | 26.2:1 | ▲ 78% | 14.7:1 | 15.7:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 59.6% | ▼ 4% | 61.9% | 51.7% |
| Enrollment | 628 | top 34% | - | - |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25
26.2:1
Leaner classes than 4% of US schools, heavier class loads than most.
628
Bigger than 75% of US schools by enrollment, mid-sized for the country.
Equity indicators (what these measure)
Economic need
59.6%
free-lunch eligible
- 4% 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
26.2:1
students per teacher
- 78% above state mean
Top 98% in Texas - lower ratio than 2% of state schools
Well above 20:1, one of the more stretched staffing loads nationally relative to enrollment.
Engagement
11.1%
chronically absent (missed 10%+ of school days)
In the 10-15% range, above the pre-pandemic national baseline but within the broader post-pandemic picture.
Funding equity
$14,593
per pupil, district-wide
- above Texas avg of $13,644
Somewhat below the U.S. average per-pupil spend; funding constraints may affect programs, facilities, and staffing.
Support staff
Counselors2.0 FTE
Per 314 students, the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
Discipline context
98
in-school suspensions + 8 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 15.6 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 16.9 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
White 56.1%
Hispanic or Latino 32.2%
African American 6.5%
Two or More 4.0%
Asian 0.5%
American Indian / Alaska Native 0.5%
Native Hawaiian / Pacific Islander 0.3%
Largest group: White at 56.1% of enrollment.
Student-body diversity index 57.6/100
Simpson diversity index - at 57.6, Dawson H S is more mixed than the Texas school average of 44.7.
Programs
Gifted & talented Yes
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Dawson Isd, which includes Dawson H S.
$14,593
Per student
+7%
vs Texas
Avg $13,644
-12%
vs U.S.
Avg $16,593
Revenue mix
Local 29.0%
State 53.1%
Federal 18.0%
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 H S Compares to District-Mates
| School | Enrollment | Economic Profile | Student-Teacher Ratio |
|---|---|---|---|
| Dawson El | Smaller | Similar economic need | Lower S:T ratio |
Comparisons are relative to Dawson H S's own figures; each column derives from NCES Common Core of Data.
Other Schools in This District
- Enrollment
- 281
- Students per teacher
- 15.6:1
- Resource Index
- 57/100
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 (~628 students)
Similar student-teacher ratio (~26.2:1)
Next steps
Verify locally before acting on Dawson H S's federal record.
- Compare Dawson H S against another school. Compare schools
- Dawson 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 H S
How many students attend Dawson H S?
Dawson H S has 628 students enrolled. It is a public school in Dawson, TX.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Dawson H S?
The student-teacher ratio at Dawson H S is 26.2:1, which is 78% higher than the Texas average of 14.7:1 and 67% higher than the national average of 15.7:1.
What percentage of students receive free lunch at Dawson H S?
59.6% of students at Dawson H S are eligible for free lunch, compared to the Texas average of 61.9%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Dawson H S?
The largest demographic group at Dawson H S is White at 56.1% of enrollment, in Dawson, TX. Its student body is more racially and ethnically mixed than most US schools, with a diversity index of 57.6/100.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Dawson H S?
Dawson H S has a Resource Investment Index of 45/100 (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).
Is Dawson H S a good school?
Dawson H S earns 45/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes larger than 98% of 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 Dawson Isd?
Besides Dawson H S, Dawson Isd also operates Dawson El (281 students). See the Dawson 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.