Enrollment
617
Texas · 2024-25 NCES data
2024-25 NCES data Other / mixed grade configuration NCES 484428005034
Dean Highland El — Waco, TX
Federal NCES profile for Dean Highland El, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators — Resource Investment Index 40/100.
👥 Class size 25
🌟 Gifted program 70
🎓 Counselors 38
📋 Attendance 27
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
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)
32.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
18.7:1
vs 14.6:1 Texas avg
+28% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
89.6%
vs 61.9% Texas avg
+45% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Dean Highland 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
Dean Highland El reports 617 enrolled students to the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) alongside 32.0 full-time-equivalent teachers, producing a 18.7:1 student-teacher ratio. That figure sits 28% 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 18% higher, a useful calibration for families comparing districts across state lines.
Title I and federal lunch eligibility offer another window into the student body: 89.6% of pupils qualify for free meals, a proxy for household income that federal programs use to direct funding. The free-lunch share is 45% above the Texas average and 73% above the national baseline. Counselor coverage works out to roughly 309 students per counselor, above the ASCA-recommended ceiling of 250:1. Chronic absenteeism — missing 10% or more of school days — stands at 29.3% according to the 2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection.
On the finance side, the surrounding Waco Isd spends $15,641 per pupil district-wide, below the Texas average of $17,150 and below the national average of $19,490. Revenue comes 46.6% from local sources (property taxes), 33.9% from the state, and 19.5% from federal programs per the NCES F-33 finance survey. Taken together, these measurements produce a Resource Investment Index of 40/100 (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 Dean Highland 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 | 18.7:1 | ▲ 28% | 14.6:1 | 15.9:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 89.6% | ▲ 45% | 61.9% | 51.8% |
| Enrollment | 617 | top 65% | — | — |
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
89.6%
free-lunch eligible
— 45% 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
18.7:1
students per teacher
— 28% above state mean
Top 93% in Texas — lower ratio than 7% of state schools
Between 15:1 and 20:1 — in line with the typical U.S. public-school staffing range.
Engagement
29.3%
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
$15,641
per pupil, district-wide
— below Texas avg of $17,150
Below the U.S. average per-pupil spend — funding constraints may affect programs, facilities, and staffing.
Support staff
Counselors2.0 FTE
Per 309 students — the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
Discipline context
29
in-school suspensions + 14 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 4.7 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 7.0 per 100 students. Reported via the Civil Rights Data Collection. Includes 1 expulsion.
Overview
Enrollment 617 Top 65% in Texas — larger than 35% of 9,061 state schools
Teachers (FTE) 32.0
Students per teacher 18.7:1 +28% vs state
Free-lunch eligible 89.6% +45% vs state
NCES ID 484428005034
Student demographics
Hispanic or Latino 67.3%
African American 24.1%
White 5.2%
Two or More 3.1%
Asian 0.3%
Largest group: Hispanic or Latino at 67.3% of enrollment.
Programs & staff
Gifted & talented Yes
Counselors (FTE) 2.0
Students per counselor 309:1
Discipline & special education
Chronically absent 29.3%
In-school suspensions 29
Out-of-school suspensions 14
Expulsions 1
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Waco Isd, which includes Dean Highland El.
$15,641
Per student
-9%
vs Texas
Avg $17,150
-20%
vs U.S.
Avg $19,490
Revenue mix
Local 46.6%
State 33.9%
Federal 19.5%
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
- 1,885
- Students per teacher
- 13.3:1
- Enrollment
- 1,752
- Students per teacher
- 15.3:1
- Enrollment
- 963
- Students per teacher
- 15.4:1
- Enrollment
- 786
- Students per teacher
- 15.2:1
- Enrollment
- 786
- Students per teacher
- 13.3:1
Similar other schools in Waco
6 comparable other schools (grades Mixed) serving the same city.
Bell'S Hill El
Standard public school
786 students 15.2:1 students per teacher
Lake Air Montessori School
Standard public school
734 students 13.7:1 students per teacher
South Bosque El
Standard public school
578 students 16.5:1 students per teacher
Harmony Science Acad (Waco)
Standard public school
569 students 15.1:1 students per teacher
Woodway El
Standard public school
547 students 16.2:1 students per teacher
Chapel Park El
Standard public school
532 students 15.4:1 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 Dean Highland El
How many students attend Dean Highland El?
Dean Highland El has 617 students enrolled. It is a other school in WACO, TX.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Dean Highland El?
The student-teacher ratio at Dean Highland El is 18.7:1, which is 28% higher than the Texas average of 14.6:1 and 18% higher than the national average of 15.9:1.
What percentage of students receive free lunch at Dean Highland El?
89.6% of students at Dean Highland El are eligible for free lunch, compared to the Texas average of 61.9%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Dean Highland El?
The largest demographic group at Dean Highland El is Hispanic or Latino at 67.3%. The school serves a diverse student body in WACO, TX.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Dean Highland El?
Dean Highland El has a Resource Investment Index of 40/100 (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.