Enrollment
995
Texas · 2024-25 NCES data
Middle school (grades 6-8) · Mckinney, TX
Dowell Middle
Federal NCES profile for Dowell Middle, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators - Resource Investment Index 41/100.
2024-25 NCES dataMiddle school (grades 6-8)NCES 482985016952
👥 S:T ratio 44
🌟 Gifted program 70
🎓 Counselors 1
📋 Attendance 49
Scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC indicators, resource allocation, not test scores. Full methodology →
The verdict
Dowell Middle earns 41/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes near the Texas median.
- #5 of 6
- middle schools in Mckinney · Resource Index
- 41
- Resource Index · Typical
- 14:1
- students per teacher
- 22.2%
- free-lunch eligible
Dowell Middle has class sizes near the Texas median. Computed live against every Texas school reporting to NCES.
By Resource Investment Index, Dowell Middle ranks #5 of 6 middle schools in Mckinney, TX.
School address
Teachers (FTE)
71.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
14:1
vs 14.7:1 Texas avg
-5% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
22.2%
vs 61.9% Texas avg
-64% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Dowell Middle compares with Texas and U.S. medians
What stands out at Dowell Middle
Dowell Middle is a large middle school in Mckinney, Texas, enrolling 995 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.
Comparatively few students face economic hardship here, 22.2% free-meal eligibility runs 64% below the Texas average.
Enrollment of 995 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.
Among 681 similarly sized, similarly resourced-need Texas schools statewide, it ranks #501, in the lower tier once campus size and economic need are matched.
Its student body is led by White (55%) and Hispanic or Latino (24%) (diversity index 63/100).
Counselor access is stretched at roughly 498 students per counselor, well above the ASCA-recommended 250:1 ceiling.
Attendance runs somewhat below the norm, with 20.5% of students chronically absent per the 2021-22 civil-rights collection.
Mckinney Isd also operates Mckinney H S (2,668 students) and Mckinney Boyd H S (2,547 students) alongside Dowell Middle.
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 Dowell Middle compares
Dowell Middle 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 | 22.2% | ▼ 64% | 61.9% | 51.7% |
| Enrollment | 995 | top 11% | - | - |
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.
995
Bigger than 91% of US schools by enrollment, a large campus nationally.
Equity indicators (what these measure)
Economic need
22.2%
free-lunch eligible
- 64% below the Texas average of 61.9%
Below the 40% Title I threshold, among the lower-need profiles in the state; federal aid targets individual qualifying students rather than schoolwide programs.
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
20.5%
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
$11,174
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
Counselors2.0 FTE
Per 498 students, the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
Discipline context
5
in-school suspensions + 87 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 0.5 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 9.2 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 54.5%
Hispanic or Latino 23.5%
African American 10.2%
Asian 6.4%
Two or More 4.5%
American Indian / Alaska Native 0.6%
Native Hawaiian / Pacific Islander 0.3%
Largest group: White at 54.5% of enrollment.
Student-body diversity index 63.1/100
Simpson diversity index - at 63.1, Dowell Middle is more mixed than the Texas school average of 44.7.
Programs
Gifted & talented Yes
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Mckinney Isd, which includes Dowell Middle.
$11,174
Per student
-18%
vs Texas
Avg $13,644
-33%
vs U.S.
Avg $16,593
Revenue mix
Local 81.4%
State 8.9%
Federal 9.6%
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 Dowell Middle Compares to District-Mates
| School | Enrollment | Economic Profile | Student-Teacher Ratio |
|---|---|---|---|
| Mckinney H S | Larger | Higher economic need | Similar S:T ratio |
| Mckinney Boyd H S | Larger | Similar economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| Mckinney North H S | Larger | Similar economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| Dr Jack Cockrill Middle | Similar size | Similar economic need | Similar S:T ratio |
| Scott Morgan Johnson Middle | Similar size | Higher economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
Comparisons are relative to Dowell Middle's own figures; each column derives from NCES Common Core of Data.
Other Schools in This District
- Enrollment
- 2,668
- Students per teacher
- 15.4:1
- Resource Index
- 52/100
- Enrollment
- 2,547
- Students per teacher
- 16.1:1
- Resource Index
- 40/100
- Enrollment
- 2,387
- Students per teacher
- 17.7:1
- Resource Index
- 44/100
- Enrollment
- 1,210
- Students per teacher
- 13.9:1
- Resource Index
- 48/100
- Enrollment
- 1,108
- Students per teacher
- 16.5:1
- Resource Index
- 40/100
Similar middle 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 (~995 students)
Similar student-teacher ratio (~14:1)
Next steps
Verify locally before acting on Dowell Middle's federal record.
- Compare Dowell Middle against another school. Compare schools
- Mckinney 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 Dowell Middle
How many students attend Dowell Middle?
Dowell Middle has 995 students enrolled. It is a middle school in Mckinney, TX.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Dowell Middle?
The student-teacher ratio at Dowell Middle 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 Dowell Middle?
22.2% of students at Dowell Middle are eligible for free lunch, compared to the Texas average of 61.9%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Dowell Middle?
The largest demographic group at Dowell Middle is White at 54.5% of enrollment, in Mckinney, TX. Its student body is more racially and ethnically mixed than most US schools, with a diversity index of 63.1/100.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Dowell Middle?
Dowell Middle has a Resource Investment Index of 41/100 (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 Dowell Middle rank among middle schools in Mckinney?
By Resource Investment Index, Dowell Middle ranks #5 of 6 middle schools in Mckinney, TX. This compares federal resource and staffing data among local peers; it is not a test-score or academic ranking. See all middle schools in Mckinney on the city page.
Is Dowell Middle a good school?
Dowell Middle earns 41/100 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 Mckinney Isd?
Besides Dowell Middle, Mckinney Isd also operates Mckinney H S (2,668 students), Mckinney Boyd H S (2,547 students), and Mckinney North H S (2,387 students). See the Mckinney 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.