Enrollment
140
Texas · 2024-25 NCES data
2024-25 NCES data Other / mixed grade configuration NCES 481635001399
Dawson School — Welch, TX
Federal NCES profile for Dawson School, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators — Resource Investment Index 43/100.
👥 Class size 57
🌟 Gifted program 70
🎓 Counselors 44
📋 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 →
The verdict
Dawson School earns a D Resource Investment Index (43/100), even as it posts class sizes smaller than 89% of Texas schools.
- D
- Resource Index · 43/100
- 10.7:1
- small classes for Texas
- 74.1%
- free-lunch eligible
- 140
- students enrolled
School address
District: Dawson 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)
13.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
10.7:1
vs 14.6:1 Texas avg
-27% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
74.1%
vs 61.9% Texas avg
+20% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Dawson 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
Dawson School reports 140 enrolled students to the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) alongside 13.0 full-time-equivalent teachers, producing a 10.7:1 student-teacher ratio. That figure sits 27% 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 32% lower, a useful calibration for families comparing districts across state lines.
Title I and federal lunch eligibility offer another window into the student body: 74.1% of pupils qualify for free meals, a proxy for household income that federal programs use to direct funding. The free-lunch share is 20% above the Texas average and 43% above the national baseline. Counselor coverage works out to roughly 280 students per counselor, above the ASCA-recommended ceiling of 250:1. Chronic absenteeism — missing 10% or more of school days — stands at 47.1% according to the 2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection.
On the finance side, the surrounding Dawson Isd spends $13,490 per pupil district-wide, below the Texas average of $13,644 and below the national average of $16,593. Revenue comes 26.4% from local sources (property taxes), 56.7% from the state, and 16.8% from federal programs per the NCES F-33 finance survey. Taken together, these measurements produce a Resource Investment Index of 43/100 (D), 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 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 | 10.7:1 | ▼ 27% | 14.6:1 | 15.7:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 74.1% | ▲ 20% | 61.9% | 51.8% |
| Enrollment | 140 | top 11% | — | — |
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)
11 Among the smallest classes smaller classes than 87% 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')
140 larger than 14% 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
74.1%
free-lunch eligible
— 20% 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
10.7:1
students per teacher
— 27% below state mean
Top 11% in Texas — lower ratio than 89% of state schools
Below the 15:1 benchmark — typical of schools with smaller class sizes and more individualized attention.
Engagement
47.1%
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
$13,490
per pupil, district-wide
— below Texas avg of $13,644
Below the U.S. average per-pupil spend — funding constraints may affect programs, facilities, and staffing.
Support staff
Counselors0.5 FTE
Per 280 students — the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
Discipline context
6
in-school suspensions + 3 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 4.3 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 6.4 per 100 students. Reported via the Civil Rights Data Collection.
Overview
Enrollment 140 Top 11% in Texas — larger than 89% of 9,061 state schools
Teachers (FTE) 13.0
Students per teacher 10.7:1 -27% vs state
Free-lunch eligible 74.1% +20% vs state
NCES ID 481635001399
Student demographics
Hispanic or Latino 78.6%
White 20.7%
African American 0.7%
Largest group: Hispanic or Latino at 78.6% of enrollment.
Programs & staff
Gifted & talented Yes
Counselors (FTE) 0.5
Students per counselor 280:1
Discipline & special education
Chronically absent 47.1%
In-school suspensions 6
Out-of-school suspensions 3
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Dawson Isd, which includes Dawson School.
$13,490
Per student
-1%
vs Texas
Avg $13,644
-19%
vs U.S.
Avg $16,593
Revenue mix
Local 26.4%
State 56.7%
Federal 16.8%
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.
Frequently asked questions about Dawson School
How many students attend Dawson School?
Dawson School has 140 students enrolled. It is a other school in Welch, TX.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Dawson School?
The student-teacher ratio at Dawson School is 10.7:1, which is 27% lower than the Texas average of 14.6:1 and 32% 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 School?
74.1% of students at Dawson School are eligible for free lunch, compared to the Texas average of 61.9%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Dawson School?
The largest demographic group at Dawson School is Hispanic or Latino at 78.6%. The school serves a student body in Welch, TX.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Dawson School?
Dawson School has a Resource Investment Index of 43/100 (D) 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.
Is Dawson School a good school?
Dawson School earns a D Resource Investment Index (43/100), even as it posts class sizes smaller than 89% 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.