Enrollment
1,163
Texas · 2024-25 NCES data
2024-25 NCES data High school (grades 9-12) NCES 481650001407
Decatur H S — Decatur, TX
Federal NCES profile for Decatur H S, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators — Resource Investment Index 49/100.
👥 Class size 34
📚 AP courses 75
🌟 Gifted program 70
🎓 Counselors 22
📋 Attendance 42
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: Decatur 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)
69.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
16.5:1
vs 14.6:1 Texas avg
+13% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
36.6%
vs 61.9% Texas avg
-41% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Decatur H S 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
Decatur H S reports 1,163 enrolled students to the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) alongside 69.0 full-time-equivalent teachers, producing a 16.5:1 student-teacher ratio. That figure sits 13% 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 4% higher, a useful calibration for families comparing districts across state lines.
Title I and federal lunch eligibility offer another window into the student body: 36.6% of pupils qualify for free meals, a proxy for household income that federal programs use to direct funding. The free-lunch share is 41% below the Texas average and 29% below the national baseline. The school offers 15 Advanced Placement courses, a stronger academic pipeline indicator than enrollment alone. Counselor coverage works out to roughly 388 students per counselor, above the ASCA-recommended ceiling of 250:1. Chronic absenteeism — missing 10% or more of school days — stands at 23.2% according to the 2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection.
On the finance side, the surrounding Decatur Isd spends $13,114 per pupil district-wide, below the Texas average of $17,150 and below the national average of $19,490. Revenue comes 67.5% from local sources (property taxes), 19.7% from the state, and 12.8% from federal programs per the NCES F-33 finance survey. Taken together, these measurements produce a Resource Investment Index of 49/100 (D), calculated from 5 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 Decatur H S 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 | 16.5:1 | ▲ 13% | 14.6:1 | 15.9:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 36.6% | ▼ 41% | 61.9% | 51.8% |
| Enrollment | 1,163 | top 92% | — | — |
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
36.6%
free-lunch eligible
— 41% below the Texas average of 61.9%
Below the 40% Title I threshold — federal aid targets individual qualifying students rather than schoolwide programs.
Staffing depth
16.5:1
students per teacher
— 13% above state mean
Top 78% in Texas — lower ratio than 22% of state schools
Between 15:1 and 20:1 — in line with the typical U.S. public-school staffing range.
Engagement
23.2%
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
$13,114
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
Counselors3.0 FTE
Per 388 students — the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
Discipline context
81
in-school suspensions + 36 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 7.0 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 10.1 per 100 students. Reported via the Civil Rights Data Collection.
Overview
Enrollment 1,163 Top 92% in Texas — larger than 8% of 9,061 state schools
Teachers (FTE) 69.0
Students per teacher 16.5:1 +13% vs state
Free-lunch eligible 36.6% -41% vs state
NCES ID 481650001407
Student demographics
White 57.3%
Hispanic or Latino 37.7%
Two or More 2.8%
Asian 0.8%
African American 0.7%
American Indian / Alaska Native 0.6%
Native Hawaiian / Pacific Islander 0.1%
Largest group: White at 57.3% of enrollment.
Programs & staff
AP courses offered 15
Gifted & talented Yes
Counselors (FTE) 3.0
Students per counselor 388:1
Discipline & special education
Chronically absent 23.2%
In-school suspensions 81
Out-of-school suspensions 36
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Decatur Isd, which includes Decatur H S.
$13,114
Per student
-24%
vs Texas
Avg $17,150
-33%
vs U.S.
Avg $19,490
Revenue mix
Local 67.5%
State 19.7%
Federal 12.8%
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.
Other Schools in This District
- Enrollment
- 838
- Students per teacher
- 14.7:1
- Enrollment
- 489
- Students per teacher
- 15.2:1
- Enrollment
- 471
- Students per teacher
- 14.4:1
- Enrollment
- 445
- Students per teacher
- 14.8:1
- Enrollment
- 380
- Students per teacher
- 16.1:1
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 Decatur H S
How many students attend Decatur H S?
Decatur H S has 1,163 students enrolled. It is a high school in DECATUR, TX.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Decatur H S?
The student-teacher ratio at Decatur H S is 16.5:1, which is 13% higher than the Texas average of 14.6:1 and 4% higher than the national average of 15.9:1.
What percentage of students receive free lunch at Decatur H S?
36.6% of students at Decatur H S are eligible for free lunch, compared to the Texas average of 61.9%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Decatur H S?
The largest demographic group at Decatur H S is White at 57.3%. The school serves a diverse student body in DECATUR, TX.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Decatur H S?
Decatur H S has a Resource Investment Index of 49/100 (D) based on 5 factors: student-teacher ratio, AP course offerings, counselor availability, attendance rates. This index measures federal resource allocation — staffing levels, program availability, and support services — not standardized test scores or academic outcomes.